Evangelical Church of the Augsburg Confession in Romania

Evangelical Church of the Augsburg Confession in Romania
Evangelical Church of the Augsburg Confession in Romania
Evangelische Kirche Augsburgischen Bekenntnisses in Rumänien (de); Biserica Evanghelică de Confesiune Augustană în România (ro)
	Black Church, Brașov
Abbreviation	BECAR
Type	Western Christianity
Classification	Protestant
Orientation	Lutheranism
Scripture	Bible
Polity	Synodal
Bishop	Reinhart Guib
Districts	5
Parishes	233
Associations	Lutheran World Federation; Communion of Protestant Churches in Europe; Conference of European Churches; World Council of Churches;
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.ro

The Evangelical 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 a German-speaking Lutheran church in Romania, mainly based in Transylvania. As a Lutheran church, it adheres to the Augsburg Confession. Its history goes back to the 12th century when the Transylvanian Saxons arrived in the region, then part of the Kingdom of Hungary.^[1]

The church has altar and pulpit fellowship with, but is distinct from, the Evangelical Lutheran Church of Romania, which is mainly Hungarian-speaking. It also cooperates with the Calvinist Reformed Church in Romania.^[2]

History

Beginnings

The history of the Evangelical (Lutheran) Church in the territory of today's Romania finds its beginnings in the mid-16th century, through the humanist cartographer and reformer Johannes Honterus.^[3] Martin Luther's writings had been brought and spread in Transylvania as early as 1519, but the real reformation among the German Catholic population took place in 1542 (or 1543) with the publication of Reformationsbüchlein, Reformation booklets, by Honterus in his own printing house in Brașov (German: Kronstadt).^[4]

In 1572, the Synod of Mediasch (Romanian: Mediaș) accepted the Augsburg Confession, one of the most important doctrinal documents of Evangelical Lutheranism (presented in 1530 at the Diet of Augsburg), as the basis for preaching and church life.^[3]

In the semi-independent Principality of Transylvania (under Turkish control), the church enjoyed much religious freedom.^[2] However, this changed when it came under Habsburg control, with the Catholic Church having privileged status.^[3]

20th century

The organization of the German and Hungarian Lutheran church in Transylvania in 1904

The Lutheran German minority was highly persecuted during the communist era. The church activities were surveyed by the Securitate, its school system and the diaconal institutions were dismantled. This resulted in an increasing emigration of members. After the 1989 revolution (and the opening of the borders), many Germans left the country, which decimated the number of members in the church.^[2]

Since 1994 female ordination is allowed.^[5]