Landesbischof

A Landesbischof (German: [ˈlandəsˌbɪʃɔf]) is the head of some Protestant regional churches in Germany. Based on the principle of summus episcopus (German: landesherrliches Kirchenregiment), after the Reformation each Lutheran prince assumed the position of supreme governor of the state church in his territory. After the First World War, all the German monarchies were abolished and in some regional churches a member of the clergy was elected as Landesbischof.

Regional churches not using the term Landesbischof for their chairpersons, and often also allowing laypersons to take that office, use titles such as bishop (Bischof, only clergy), church president (Kirchenpräsident), praeses (Präses), state superintendent (Landessuperintendent, only clergy) or secretary (Schriftführer).

Churches with chairpersons titled Landesbischof

Protestant Church in Baden, title used since 1933
Evangelical Lutheran Church in Bavaria, title used since 1933
Evangelical Lutheran State Church in Brunswick, title used since 1923
Evangelical Lutheran State Church of Eutin (1921–1976, merged in the NEK), title used since 1961
Evangelical Lutheran Church in the Hamburg State (1529–1976, merged in the NEK), title used since 1933
Evangelical-Lutheran State Church of Hanover, title used since 1925
Evangelical Lutheran Church in the Lübeck State (merged in the NEK in 1976), title used since 1934
Evangelical Lutheran State Church of Mecklenburg (ELLM) (1933–2012, merged in the Evangelical Lutheran Church in Northern Germany), title used since 1933
Evangelical Lutheran State Church of Mecklenburg-Schwerin (1850–1933, merged in the ELLM), title used since 1921
Mecklenburg-Strelitz State Church (merged in the ELLM in 1933), title used since 1921
Evangelical State Church in Nassau (1817–1934/1947, merged in the Protestant Church in Hesse and Nassau), title used from 1827 to 1882, and again from 1922 to 1934
Evangelical Church in Middle Germany (EKM), title used since 2009
Evangelical Lutheran Church in Northern Germany, Landesbischof since 2013
Evangelical Church of the (old-Prussian) Union (1817–2003), title used between 1933 and 1935
Evangelical Lutheran State Church of Saxony, title used since 1922
Evangelical Lutheran State Church of Schaumburg-Lippe, title used since 1949
Evangelical Lutheran State Church of Schleswig-Holstein (1866–1976; merged in the NEK), title used between 1933 and 1945
Evangelical Lutheran Church in Thuringia (1920–2008; merged in the EKM), title used since 1933
Evangelical State Church in Württemberg, title used since 1934

This article is issued from Wikipedia. The text is licensed under Creative Commons - Attribution - Sharealike. Additional terms may apply for the media files.