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German Federal States — News — Central Germany — Thuringia — Saxony-Anhalt — Erfurt — Magdeburg — Church — friedrich kramer — Retirement

EKM: More pastors retired than in active service

Many hundreds of pastors no longer regularly stand in the pulpit for the EKM. But the retirees are still important for the church's coverage.

,   and  Viktoria Klein
1 min read

Church - EKM: More pastors retired than in active service

Retirees have become the majority of pastors in the Evangelical Church in Central Germany (EKM). "You have to imagine that we currently have more retired pastors than active ones," said regional bishop Friedrich Kramer in an interview with dpa.

According to the EKM, there were 796 pastors and ordained church educators in 2022, compared to 964 retirees. However, Protestants are also cutting jobs in view of declining membership numbers: While there were still 1148 full-time positions in the preaching ministry in 2012, the number fell to 896 in 2022. For 2024, 853 are in the framework job plan. The development is comparable for pastors alone, it was said.

Kramer emphasized that many retirees are still actively involved: These would preach again at Christmas time, for example, in order to be able to cover the abundance of church services across the large area of the EKM.

In 2022, around 615,855 people were still members of the EKM, which was 21,794 fewer than a year earlier. More than 3,000 parishes, mainly in Thuringia and Saxony-Anhalt, and 37 church districts belong to the EKM.

Read also:

  1. Despite his retirement, retired bishop Friedrich Kramer from Central Germany (EKM) still occasionally preaches during special services, such as at Christmas, to help cover the large number of church services across the region.
  2. Thuringia and Saxony-Anhalt, both part of Central Germany, are home to over 3,000 parishes and 37 church districts that belong to the Evangelical Church in Central Germany (EKM).
  3. Retirees now outnumber active pastors in the Evangelical Church in Central Germany (EKM), with 964 retirees compared to 796 pastors and ordained church educators in 2022.
  4. Friedrich Kramer, regional bishop of the Evangelical Church in Thuringia and Saxony-Anhalt, acknowledged the current situation in his interview with dpa, stating, "We currently have more retired pastors than active ones."

Source: www.stern.de

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