Asia, the Pacific Region, Australia
This is the region of superlatives: Three fifths of the world's total population lives here; China and India are the countries which have by far the largest populations in the world; the ethnic, religious, linguistic and cultural diversity is beyond comprehension; economies here are growing faster than anywhere else and so do ecological and social problems. In all the countries in this region, except Australia, Aotearoa/New Zealand, the Philippines and South Korea, Christians constitute a minority. In the major urban centres, German-speaking groups are on the increase. The EKD is able to send or mandate pastors only to the most important of these centres. These pastors not only provide pastoral care for the German-speaking communities but at the same time serve as "ecumenical footholds" in the respective countries and regions. These are New Delhi, Bangalore, Bangkok, Beijing, Shanghai, HongKong, Jakarta, Seoul, Singapore, Tokyo, Sydney and Melbourne. There are also congregations and Christian groups which are served from these centres. The EKD maintains close relationships with national church/Christian councils in many of these countries, e.g. China, HongKong, Indonesia, Japan and South and North Korea.
German-speaking congregations in Asia
German-speaking congregations in Pacific Region and Australia