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| Evangelical Church of the Augsburg Confession in Romania | |
|---|---|
| Evangelische Kirche Augsburgischen Bekenntnisses in Rumänien(de) Biserica Evanghelică de Confesiune Augustană în România(ro) | |
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| Abbreviation | BECAR |
| Type | Western Christianity |
| Classification | Protestant |
| Orientation | Lutheranism |
| Scripture | Bible |
| Polity | Synodal |
| Bishop | Reinhart Guib |
| Districts | 5 |
| Parishes | 233 |
| Associations | |
| Region | Romania |
| Language | German |
| Headquarters | Str. General Magheru nr.4,Sibiu |
| Founder | Johannes Honter |
| Origin | 1542 |
| Separated from | Roman Catholic Church |
| Separations | Evangelical Lutheran Church of Romania (1920) |
| Congregations | 254 |
| Members | 3,373 (2022) |
| Priests | 44 |
| Tertiary institutions | Protestant Theological Institute of Cluj |
| Official website | evang |
TheEvangelical Church of the Augsburg Confession in Romania (German:Evangelische Kirche A.B. [Augsburgischen Bekenntnisses] in Rumänien,Romanian:Biserica Evanghelică de Confesiune Augustană în România) is aGerman-speakingLutheran church inRomania, mainly based inTransylvania. As a Lutheran church, it adheres to theAugsburg Confession. Its history goes back to the 12th century when theTransylvanian Saxons arrived in the region, then part of theKingdom of Hungary.[1]
The church hasaltar and pulpit fellowship with, but is distinct from, theEvangelical Lutheran Church of Romania, which is mainlyHungarian-speaking. It also cooperates with theCalvinistReformed Church in Romania.[2]
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The history of the Evangelical (Lutheran) Church in the territory of today's Romania finds its beginnings in the mid-16th century, through thehumanistcartographer andreformerJohannes Honterus.[3]Martin Luther's writings had been brought and spread inTransylvania as early as 1519, but the real reformation among the GermanCatholic population took place in 1542 (or 1543) with the publication ofReformationsbüchlein, Reformation booklets, by Honterus in his own printing house inBrașov (German:Kronstadt).[4]
In 1572, theSynod ofMediasch (Romanian:Mediaș) accepted theAugsburg Confession, one of the most important doctrinal documents of Evangelical Lutheranism (presented in 1530 at theDiet of Augsburg), as the basis for preaching and church life.[3]
In the semi-independentPrincipality of Transylvania (underTurkish control), the church enjoyed much religious freedom.[2] However, this changed when it came underHabsburg control, with theCatholic Church having privileged status.[3]
The Lutheran German minority was highly persecuted during thecommunist era. The church activities were surveyed by theSecuritate, its school system and the diaconal institutions were dismantled. This resulted in an increasing emigration of members. After the1989 revolution (and the opening of the borders), manyGermans left the country, which decimated the number of members in the church.[2]
Since 1994female ordination is allowed.[5]
| State-recognised |
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| Semi-recognised (as a religious association, but not adenomination) | ||
| Not state-recognised | ||
| Others | ||
