| Evangelical Church of the Augsburg Confession in Slovakia | |
| ECAV church in Trnava (1924) | |
| Classification | Protestant |
|---|---|
| Orientation | Lutheranism |
| Polity | Episcopal |
| Associations | Lutheran World Federation, World Council of Churches, Conference of European Churches |
| Geographical areas | Slovakia |
| Origin | 1921 |
| Congregations | 326 |
| Members | 372,858 baptized members,[1] or 7% of the population of Slovakia. |
| Official website | http://www.ecav.sk/ |
The Evangelical Church of the Augsburg Confession in Slovakia (in Slovak Evanjelická cirkev augsburského vyznania na Slovensku, ECAV) is a Lutheran church body in Slovakia.
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The church was established in 1921-22. The church opposed the Nazis in World War II . After the Communist coup d’etat in 1948, the Lutheran Church lost control over its schools and social services, and many church periodicals ceased to be published. More than one hundred clergy were persecuted; many were imprisoned and restrained from exercising their ministry. Until 1989 the Church lived under the strict control of the regime and in 1993 the Synod adopted a new constitution.
The ECAV is the second largest church in Slovakia (cca 7% of population). It considers the Gospel as contained in the Bible to be the source of faith in the triune God and the rule for life. Jesus is regarded as the head of the Church and it functions on the basis of the equality of God’s children. The Augsburg Confession is recognized as a correct explanation of central issues of faith.
At present there are 326 congregations grouped into 14 conferences (seniorats), and two districts: the East and the West Districts. There are about 355 active clergy. The Church administers 657 functional churches and ecclesiastical buildings.
ECAV is a member of the Lutheran World Federation, the Conference of European Churches, and the World Council of Churches.
Most members of the Slovak ethnic community in Vojvodina (Serbia) are adherents of the Evangelical Church of the Augsburg Confession, under juristiction of Bishop of Novi Sad.
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