Evangelical Church of Westphalia

United Protestant church body in North Rhine-Westphalia

The Protestant Church of Westphalia (German: Evangelische Kirche von Westfalen, EKvW) is a United Protestant church body in North Rhine-Westphalia.

Lutheran Church of Westphalia Neustädter Marienchurch in Bielefeld

The seat of the praeses (German: Präses, the head of the church) is Bielefeld. The EKvW emerged on 13 June 1945, when the ecclesiastical province of Westphalia within the Lutheran Church of the old-Prussian Union assumed its independence as church body of its own. The EKvW is a full member of the Protestant Church in Germany (EKD), and the Reformed Alliance[1] and is a church whose bases are in a Union between parishes in Lutheran and Calvinistic traditions. The church is also a member of the Community of Protestant Churches in Europe. Präses (president) of the EKvW is Annette Kurschus (2012), as its first female leader.

## Präses (President)

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* 1834–1835: Jakob von der Kuhlen
* 1835–1841: Christian Nonne
* 1841–1843: Bernhard Jacobi
* 1844–1874: Wilhelm Diedrich Albert
* 1874–1902: Ludwig Polscher
* 1902–1914: Friedrich König
* 1914–1927: Heinrich Kockelke
* 1927–1949: Karl Koch (until 1934 Präses der Provinzialsynode, 1934–1945 of Bekenntnissynode, since 1945 of synode)
* 1949–1968: Ernst Wilm
* 1969–1977: Hans Thimme
* 1977–1985: Heinrich Reiß
* 1985–1996: Hans-Martin Linnemann
* 1996–2004: Manfred Sorg
* 2004–2012: Alfred Buß
* 2012–2023: Annette Kurschus
* since 2025: Adelheid Ruck-Schröder[2]

## Practices

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The church permits the ordination of women. Blessing of same-sex marriages has been allowed from 2019.[3][4][5]

## References

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1. ^ "Geschichte". Archived from the original on April 13, 2014. Retrieved April 13, 2014. www.reformierter-bund.de/side.php?news_id=113&part_id=0&navi=1
2. ^ Evangelisch.de: Präses Ruck-Schröder ins Amt eingeführt, June 2025
3. ^ Landeskirche Westfalen:Neu: Trauung auch für gleichgeschlechtliche Ehepaare und konfessionslose Ehepartner, „Gottes Segen gilt für alle Ehepaare“ Archived 2020-04-23 at the Wayback Machine, 20 November 2019
4. ^ Evangelisch.de: Westfälische Kirche stellt Trauung von Homo-Paaren mit Ehe gleich Archived 2020-04-23 at the Wayback Machine, 20. November 2019
5. ^ Neue Westfälische Nachrichten: Landeskirche von Westfalen stellt Homosexuelle vor Traualtar gleich Archived 2019-11-21 at the Wayback Machine, 20 November 2019

## External links

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Wikimedia Commons has media related to Evangelische Kirche von Westfalen.

* Evangelische Kirche von Westfalen (in German)
* Protestant Church in Germany (EKD)
* Evangelical Church of Westphalia, Unionbetweenchristians

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