Kirchengemeinschaft (Germany)

‘Kirchengemeinschaft’ between the UCC and the Union of Evangelical Churches (UEK) in Germany

In 1981, General Synod declared a relationship of “church communion” (Kirchengemeinschaft) with the Evangelical* Church of the Union (EKU). The EKU was a historic union of the Lutheran and Reformed traditions in Germany. It was the ancestral church of many German-American pioneers who founded the “Evangelical Synod in the United States”—one of the UCC’s antecedent traditions.

In 2003 the EKU joined with other “United” and Reformed churches in Germany to create a larger body: the Union of Evangelical Churches (UEK). The commitments of the 1981 declaration of Kirchengemeinschaft will be transferred by the action of both churches to the new UEK.

Relationships between the U.S. and German churches are broad and deep. A number of UCC congregations partner with Evangelical parishes in Germany, and there are formal exchanges between UCC Conferences and their partner Landeskirchen (regional churches) of the UEK. Youth and clergy exchanges are common. The leadership of the two churches frequently make common cause on issues of international relations and social justice.

* While “evangelical” in the U.S. is often understood to mean a certain conservative tradition of Christianity, in most other languages the word simply means “Protestant.” The first Christians to call themselves “evangelical” were the churches of the Lutheran Reformation in Germany; most Protestant bodies in Germany call themselves “Evangelical,” “Evangelical Lutheran,” or “Evangelical Reformed.” Luther chose the word because it closely identified the Reformation with the Gospel: the Greek word for Gospel is evangelion, so an “evangelical” church can be understood simply as a “Gospel church.”

UEK Website
2011 UEK Synod affirms Kirchengemeinschaft
2003 General Synod Reaffirms Kirchengemeinschaft
1981 General Synod affirms Kirchengemeinschaft
Criteria to apply for activities that support Kirchengemeinschaft from the UEK Forum Fund

German Partnership 40th Anniversary Celebration at General Synod 2021

  Current Relationships

Conference	UEK Partner
California, Nevada	Northern Evangelical Church in Berlin-Brandenburg Oberlausitz
Central Atlantic	Evangelical Church in Central Germany
Kansas-Oklahoma	Baden
Indiana-Kentucky	Westphalia
Michigan	Pomerania
New York	Hesse-Nassau and Berlin City Center Evangelisher Kirchenkreis Berlin Staatmitte
Ohio	Westphalia
Pacific Northwest	Evangelical Church in Berlin-Brandenburg Oberlausitz
Penn Central	Evangelical Church in Berlin-Brandenburg Oberlausitz and Evangelical Church of the Rhineland
Penn Southeast	Evangelical Regional Church of Anhalt
Penn West	Pomerania (This relationship is currently dormant)
Southern	Evangelical Church of the Rhineland
Wisconsin	Evangelical Church in Berlin-Brandenburg Oberlausitz and Evangelical Church in the Rhineland
Council for Health and Human Service Ministries (CHHSM)	Diakonie in the Rheinland, Westphalia, and Lippe

Resources

• The German Lutheran and Roman Catholic Lectionaries: A Historical-Comparative Study
• Wisconsin Conference hosts Westend Gospel Singers of Eberswalde, Germany
• Kirchengemeinschaft at 25: Berlin Colloquy and final statement
• “The Evangelical Churches in the GDR and their Participation in East-West Cooperation,” by Christa Grengel
• “Come and See” – UCC and UEK Fora Joint Delegation to Israel/Palestine (Feb.-March 2019) report and reflections
• Choosing the Way of Life (2019)
  Sermon preached by Rev. Barbara Kershner Daniel, former Global Ministries Board member, to partner church, Evangelical Kirchengemeinde Inden-Langerwehe in Germany on July 14, 2019.
• “From Manhattan to Mainhattan” documentary focuses on the Protestant Church of Hessen and Nassau (EKHN) partnership with the American church United Church of Christ (UCC).

• U.S. and German church leaders gather to strengthen their ecumenical witness (UCNews, June 25, 2024)