Outgoing church president: remain independent
In the view of outgoing church president Joachim Liebig, the independence of the small Evangelical Church of Anhalt is still the right way forward. Independence is not a mantra, but "an answer to the question of how the Anhalt congregations can work as well as possible under current conditions", explained Liebig on Friday at the start of the fall synod in Bernburg. "I am personally convinced that continued independence would be the better alternative, even without external funding from other churches." Liebig will retire on March 1, 2024, after 14 years as head clergyman of the Anhalt Regional Church.
Liebig continued: "It is a constant experience of my generation in church ministry to have to experience, and often suffer, a shrinking church. Even with all our hard work, creativity and good framework conditions, we can never be sure that we are doing the right thing." The regional church of Anhalt currently has 26,250 members and is one of the smallest within the Protestant Church in Germany.
The so-called network system was established under Liebig. This involves parishes and full-time employees in the regions of the regional church working closely together. "It allows us to react flexibly," says Liebig.
Finances are the focus of the synod. The draft for 2024 envisages income and expenditure of 19.02 million euros. This year, it is 18.34 million, according to the statement. The decision is planned for Saturday.
Meanwhile, a decision has yet to be made on how to proceed following the unsuccessful election of a successor to Liebig in September. One candidate fell short of the number of votes required to be elected to the highest spiritual office in the regional church. On Friday evening, the synod members will now decide how to proceed.
In discussing the synod's focus on finances, Liebig expressed his preference for the church to continue being self-funded, stating, "I am personally convinced that continued independence would be the better alternative, even without external funding from other churches." Furthermore, in the process of deciding on a successor to Liebig, personal details such as the backgrounds and qualifications of the candidates have likely been considered.
Source: www.dpa.com
