Evangelical-Augsburg Church in Poland
Encyclopedia
Poland
Poland , officially the Republic of Poland , is a country in Central Europe bordered by Germany to the west; the Czech Republic and Slovakia to the south; Ukraine, Belarus and Lithuania to the east; and the Baltic Sea and Kaliningrad Oblast, a Russian exclave, to the north...
, is rooted in the Reformation
Protestant Reformation
The Protestant Reformation was a 16th-century split within Western Christianity initiated by Martin Luther, John Calvin and other early Protestants. The efforts of the self-described "reformers", who objected to the doctrines, rituals and ecclesiastical structure of the Roman Catholic Church, led...
. The first Lutheran sermons were held in 1518, and in 1523 the first Lutheran dean, Johann Heß
Johann Heß
Johann Heß was a German Lutheran theologian and Protestant Reformer of Breslau .Heß was born in Nuremberg. He attended the universities of Leipzig and Wittenberg, where he was taught in jurisprudence and liberal arts...
, was called to the city of Breslau, whence Lutheranism was spread into the Polish lands
Polish-Lithuanian Commonwealth
The Polish–Lithuanian Commonwealth was a dualistic state of Poland and Lithuania ruled by a common monarch. It was the largest and one of the most populous countries of 16th- and 17th‑century Europe with some and a multi-ethnic population of 11 million at its peak in the early 17th century...
. Today the Church has its primary adherents in the Polish part of Cieszyn Silesia
Cieszyn Silesia
Cieszyn Silesia or Těšín Silesia or Teschen Silesia is a historical region in south-eastern Silesia, centered around the towns of Cieszyn and Český Těšín and bisected by the Olza River. Since 1920 it has been divided between Poland and Czechoslovakia, and later the Czech Republic...
.
The church's six dioceses form a wide swath from north to south down the middle of Poland
Poland
Poland , officially the Republic of Poland , is a country in Central Europe bordered by Germany to the west; the Czech Republic and Slovakia to the south; Ukraine, Belarus and Lithuania to the east; and the Baltic Sea and Kaliningrad Oblast, a Russian exclave, to the north...
— from Warmia-Masuria and Gdańsk
Gdansk
Gdańsk is a Polish city on the Baltic coast, at the centre of the country's fourth-largest metropolitan area.The city lies on the southern edge of Gdańsk Bay , in a conurbation with the city of Gdynia, spa town of Sopot, and suburban communities, which together form a metropolitan area called the...
in the north, near the Baltic, to the region west and southwest of Kraków
Kraków
Kraków also Krakow, or Cracow , is the second largest and one of the oldest cities in Poland. Situated on the Vistula River in the Lesser Poland region, the city dates back to the 7th century. Kraków has traditionally been one of the leading centres of Polish academic, cultural, and artistic life...
in the south, toward the Czech Republic
Czech Republic
The Czech Republic is a landlocked country in Central Europe. The country is bordered by Poland to the northeast, Slovakia to the east, Austria to the south, and Germany to the west and northwest....
border. Direct descendants of Reformation forebears live in the south, around Upper Silesia
Upper Silesia
Upper Silesia is the southeastern part of the historical and geographical region of Silesia. Since the 9th century, Upper Silesia has been part of Greater Moravia, the Duchy of Bohemia, the Piast Kingdom of Poland, again of the Lands of the Bohemian Crown and the Holy Roman Empire, as well as of...
.
The church has 189 congregations, 130 parishes, and 150 chapels, and is served by 169 pastors and other church workers. Many pastors serve multiple preaching points and are challenged by diverse demands as well as the need for innovation in a rapidly changing society. The congregations are self-governing, and each has its own parish council.
Though numbers of church members are currently lower than they have been in the past (86,880 baptized members in 2001, 75,000 in 2009), the Evangelical Church of Augsburg Confession in Poland still remains as the largest Protestant body in Poland
Poland
Poland , officially the Republic of Poland , is a country in Central Europe bordered by Germany to the west; the Czech Republic and Slovakia to the south; Ukraine, Belarus and Lithuania to the east; and the Baltic Sea and Kaliningrad Oblast, a Russian exclave, to the north...
.
For the Evangelical Church of the Augsburg Confession in Poland, the problems of coexisting in a country that is nearly 90 percent Roman Catholic have intensified the continuing need for resourcefulness in keeping the Evangelical Lutheran faith. This is especially evident in the challenge of Protestant education at various levels, whether in Sunday Schools, catechetical instruction, or in connection with the public schools, where Catholic religious education is part of the curriculum. The main priorities of the church are in diaconic work among single, old, and disabled persons; women's and youth work; and in evangelism.
The Evangelical Church of the Augsburg Confession in Poland suffered during and after World War II. The ranks of pastors, teachers and other church leadership were somewhat diminished by persecution, imprisonment, and death. During the early postwar years, a staggering number of church properties were taken over for other purposes, and the connections of Protestant Lutheranism to the German cultural sphere made authorities and Polish locals inimical towards the Lutherans left. By slow and painful steps, the Evangelical Church of Augsburg Confession in Poland has been reshaped into an active body, demonstrating the tenacity and strength of its people's faith. In 12th October 2008, Polish president Lech Kaczyński
Lech Kaczynski
Lech Aleksander Kaczyński was Polish lawyer and politician who served as the President of Poland from 2005 until 2010 and as Mayor of Warsaw from 2002 until 22 December 2005. Before he became a president, he was also a member of the party Prawo i Sprawiedliwość...
— himself of the Catholic faith — visited the Lutheran Protestant Jesus Church
Jesus Church (Cieszyn)
Jesus Church or Grace Church is a Lutheran Church located in Cieszyn, Poland. It is one of the largest and most important Protestant churches in Poland....
in Cieszyn
Cieszyn
Cieszyn is a border-town and the seat of Cieszyn County, Silesian Voivodeship, southern Poland. It has 36,109 inhabitants . Cieszyn lies on the Olza River, a tributary of the Oder river, opposite Český Těšín....
, becoming the first Polish president who ever visited a Protestant place of worship.
Notable Polish Lutherans
- Eugeniusz BodoEugeniusz BodoEugeniusz Bodo was a film director, producer and one of the most popular Polish actors and comedians of the inter-war period. He starred in some of the most popular Polish film productions of the 1930s, including His Excellency, The Shop Assistant, Czy Lucyna to dziewczyna? and Pieśniarz Warszawy...
, a great film director, producer and one of the most popular Polish actors of the inter-war period. - Juliusz BurscheJuliusz BurscheJuliusz Bursche was a bishop of the Evangelical-Augsburg Church in Poland. A vocal opponent of Nazi Germany, after the German invasion of Poland in 1939 he was arrested by the Germans, tortured, and sent to Sachsenhausen concentration camp where he died.- Youth :Bursche was born as the first child...
, first Bishop of Evangelical Church of Augsburg Confession in Poland. - Jerzy BuzekJerzy BuzekJerzy Karol Buzek is a Polish engineer, academic lecturer and politician who was the ninth post-Cold War Prime Minister of Poland from 1997 to 2001...
, prime minister of Poland from 1997 to 2001, President of the European ParliamentPresident of the European ParliamentThe President of the European Parliament presides over the debates and activities of the European Parliament. He or she also represents the Parliament within the EU and internationally. The President's signature is required for enacting most EU laws and the EU budget.Presidents serve...
since 2009. - Krystyna Janda, famous Polish actress, garnered international acclaim for her performance, including winning Best Actress at the Cannes Film Festival.
- Jan KochanowskiJan KochanowskiJan Kochanowski was a Polish Renaissance poet who established poetic patterns that would become integral to Polish literary language.He is commonly regarded as the greatest Polish poet before Adam Mickiewicz, and the greatest Slavic poet, prior to the 19th century.-Life:Kochanowski was born at...
, a Polish Renaissance poet who is commonly regarded as the greatest Polish poet as well as the greatest Slavic poet prior to the 19th century. - Adam Małysz, famous Polish ski jumper.
- Jerzy PilchJerzy PilchJerzy Pilch is one of the most important contemporary Polish writers and journalists. Critics have compared Pilch's style to Witold Gombrowicz, Milan Kundera, or Bohumil Hrabal....
, one of the most important contemporary Polish writers and journalists. - Józef Piłsudski, Chief of State (1918–22), "First Marshal" (from 1920) and (1926–35) the authoritarian leader of the Second Polish Republic.
- Karol WedelKarol WedelKarol Ernest Wedel was a candy maker of German ancestry member of the Wedel family, who settled in Poland.He was faithful of the Evangelical-Augsburg Church in Poland....
, famous candy maker and founder of company E. Wedel. - Stefan ŻeromskiStefan ZeromskiStefan Żeromski was a Polish novelist and dramatist. He was called the "conscience of Polish literature". He also wrote under the pen names: Maurycy Zych, Józef Katerla and Stefan Iksmoreż.- Life :...
, famous novelist and dramatist.