Protestant Church in Hesse and Nassau

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The Evangelical Church in Hesse and Nassau (EKHN) is a protestant, liberal church in the German state of Hesse. The main church of the EKHN is the Paulus Church in Darmstadt.

EKHN is a full member of the Evangelical Church in Germany (EKD), and is based on the teachings brought forward by Martin Luther during the Reformation. The Church President is Prof. Dr. Peter Steinacker (2006); there is no bishop.

The Evangelical Church in Hesse and Nassau is one of 23 churches in the EKD, has approximately 1,810,000 members in 1,184 parishes (December, 2005) and has its own evangelical academy in Arnoldshain. The territory of the EKHN includes the southern part of the German state Hesse and portions of the German state Rhineland-Palatinate.

[edit] History

The Evangelical Church of Hesse and Nassau was founded in 1946 and 1947 through a merger of three other formerly independent churches: Evangelical Church in Hesse, Evangelical Church in Nassau, Evangelical Church in Frankfurt. Today, the ordination of women and blessing of same-sex unions are allowed in the EKHN.