New Council inducted

The second session of the 12th Synod of the Evangelical Church in Germany (EKD) solemnly concluded with a service in the Church of our Lady in Bremen today.

Ulrich Fischer, the former bishop of the Protestant Church in Baden, preached on James 3:1-12. Here the “power of the tongue” is described very plainly. With our tongue we can make peace but also unleash war. We can praise God but also curse God, said Fischer. The dangerous power of words must be accompanied by the responsibility of church leaders to tame the tongue. “If this succeeds then blessing can arise from all the words, uttered in the commissions and advisory boards, in committees and in the Council, in the Church Conference and the Synod,” he summed up.

The newly elected members of the EKD Council were inducted in this service and the members of the old Council were farewelled. Irmgard Schwaetzer, EKD Synod president, reminded them: “Inducting a new Council means concluding the term in office of the prior Council. Six years of intensive work with many changes in personnel, six years of talks and agreements, of voluntary work and common responsibility lie behind this Council.” Schwaetzer thanked them for their commitment to the Evangelical Church in Germany.

Bremen, 11 November 2015

EKD Press Office
Kerstin Kipp