Evangelical Church of the Augsburg Confession in Slovakia
The Evangelical Church of the Augsburg Confession in Slovakia (in Slovak Evanjelická cirkev augsburského vyznania na Slovensku, ECAV) is the only Lutheran church in Slovakia. The Church is a member of the Ecumenical Council of Churches in Slovakia,[2] and the Lutheran World Federation (Central Eastern Europe Region).[3]
| Evangelical Church of the Augsburg Confession in Slovakia | |
|---|---|
 Lutheran church in Štítnik | |
| Classification | Protestant |
| Orientation | Lutheran |
| Polity | Episcopal |
| General bishop | Ivan Eľko |
| Associations | Lutheran World Federation, World Council of Churches, Conference of European Churches Slovak Zion Synod, ELCA Metropolitan Washington, D.C. Synod, ELCA Slovak Evangelical Church of the Augsburg Confession in Serbia Evangelical-Lutheran Church in Hungary Evangelical Church of the Augsburg Confession in Poland Evangelical Church of the Augsburg Confession in Austria Evangelical Church in the Republic of Croatia Silesian Evangelical Church of the Augsburg Confession Evangelical Lutheran Church in the Czech Republic |
| Region | Slovakia |
| Origin | 1921 |
| Congregations | 326 |
| Members | 226,402 baptized members[1] |
| Official website | http://www.ecav.sk/ |
History of the church
The church was established in 1922 following the dissolution of the Austro-Hungarian empire. The church opposed the Nazis in World War II. After the Communist coup d'état of 1948, the Lutheran Church lost control over its schools and social services, and many church periodicals ceased to be published. More than one hundred clergy were persecuted; many were imprisoned and restrained from exercising their ministry. Until 1989 the Church lived under the strict control of the regime and in 1993 the Synod adopted a new constitution.
Number of adherents and beliefs
The ECAV is the second largest church in Slovakia (c. 7% of population). It considers the Gospel as contained in the Bible to be the source of faith in the triune God and the rule for life. Jesus is regarded as the head of the Church and it functions on the basis of the equality of God’s children. The Augsburg Confession is recognized as a correct explanation of central issues of faith. Women can be ordained pastors. The Church has the right to ordain pastors and bishops in apostolic succession from Nathan Söderblom, the Archbishop of Uppsala.
At present there are 326 congregations grouped into 14 conferences (seniorats), and two districts: the East and the West Districts.[4][5] There are about 355 active clergy. The Church administers 657 functional churches and ecclesiastical buildings.
Relations with other churches
ECAV is a member of the Lutheran World Federation, the Conference of European Churches, and the World Council of Churches.
Slovak Evangelical Church of the Augsburg Confession in Serbia
Most members of the Slovak ethnic community in Vojvodina (Serbia) are adherents of the Evangelical Church of the Augsburg Confession, under the jurisdiction of the Bishop of Novi Sad.
References
- The Lutheran World Federation – 2013 Membership Figures Lutheran World
- "ERC:: Ekumenická rada cirkví v SR". www.ekumena.sk. Retrieved 2021-10-20.
- "Member Churches". The Lutheran World Federation. 2013-05-19. Retrieved 2021-10-20.
- "Adresár ECAV na Slovensku". www.ecav.sk. Retrieved 2021-10-20.
- Hanna, Alfred. "Union Between Christians".
{{cite web}}: CS1 maint: url-status (link)
External links
- Official website (in Slovak)
- Official website (in English)
- book about pedagogy and education from year 1889, in Slovak. Prostonárodný evanjelický školník. Vydal Zvolenský seniorát. Martin : Tlačou kníhtlačiarskeho účastinárskeho spolku, 1889. 324 p. - available online in ULB´s Digital Library