wfn.org | Communicating Hope is Church's Main Mission, Says New Bishop in Germany

["Frank Imhoff" <FRANKI@elca.org>]

Abromeit Succeeds Berger at Evangelical Church of Pomerania

ZUESSOW, Germany / GENEVA, 5 June 2001 - The church's main mission is "to
communicate hope, faith and love in society," says Rev. Dr. Hans-Juergen
Abromeit, the new bishop of the Evangelical Church of Pomerania in
northeastern Germany.

According to Abromeit, elected bishop of the Pomeranian church on May 19, it
is important that the church goes out in society with convincing mission
programs in order to get people involved with the faith in "new, open and
fresh ways."

Electing a new leader for the Pomerania church included two regular ballots
and a runoff between Superintendent Curt Stauss, 52, from Nordhausen in
southern Harz, and Abromeit, 46, from Schwerte in Westphalia. Abromeit
received 33 of the 60 votes of the synod members present. A third opposing
candidate was Rev. Ulrich Tetzlaff, 42, from Heringsdorf on Usedom.

Abromeit, a pastor in the Church of Westphalia in western Germany succeeds
Bishop Eduard Berger who, after ten years' service, accepted a new position
in the Church of Saxony starting next January. The new Pomerania bishop will
serve a 12-year term beginning September 2001.

"I am grateful to have received this call from the Pomeranian Synod to serve
as their bishop," Abromeit said at a press conference following his
election. He admitted to being surprised, as a West German, when he was
asked to run for the office in 2000. "But I am happy that in electing me,
the Evangelical Church of Pomerania has taken a decision to move forward."

Abromeit also sees his election as a sign "that the church of Jesus Christ
in Germany is growing together." His immediate wish is acceptance by the
Pomerania church staff. But at the same time he is convinced he "will be
received with open arms here." He and his wife are "very curious to know
what the future will bring," he said.

Abromeit studied theology at the universities of Wuppertal and Heidelberg,
and served as vicar in a Jerusalem congregation. From 1983 to 1994 he worked
as an assistant professor at the University of Mnnster, and since 1994 he
has been teaching continuing education for pastors at the Pastors' Seminary
in Schwerte, Westphalia.

Abromeit and his wife have five children ranging in age from six to 23
years.

The Evangelical Church of Pomerania joined the Lutheran World Federation
(LWF) in 1956. With 138,000 members it is one of the smallest of the 24
Protestant churches in Germany.

(The LWF is a global communion of Christian churches in the Lutheran
tradition. Founded in 1947 in Lund (Sweden), the LWF now has 131 member
churches in 72 countries representing over 60.2 million of the nearly 64
million Lutherans worldwide. The LWF acts on behalf of its member churches
in areas of common interest such as ecumenical relations, theology,
humanitarian assistance, human rights, communication, and the various
aspects of mission and development work. Its secretariat is located in
Geneva, Switzerland.)

[Lutheran World Information (LWI) is the information service of the Lutheran
World Federation (LWF). Unless specifically noted, material presented does
not represent positions or opinions of the LWF or of its various units.
Where the dateline of an article contains the notation (LWI), the material
may be freely reproduced with acknowledgement.]

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