Our co-decision structure

In the Brunswick Church there is a multitude of committees, agencies and offices. As a rule the members of the ecclesiastical committees and agencies are elected, meaning the church members decide directly or indirectly who is appointed to them.

The pillars of the Church are its members - they vote for lay church council members, who together with the pastor of the particular parish form the parish council. The parish council is responsible for the church services, pastoral care, lessons and tuition, promoting social and missionary activities as well as the church order.

The Church communities are organised into special areas. Here, the clergy work in a joint parish office. They are appointed or – depending on the form of organisation - elected on an alternating basis by the church cabinet. Their special tasks include sermons, sacral administration, pastoral care, and Christian tuition.

The Church’s priory decision-making bodies include the priory synod, priory committee, the provost as well as the assembly of parishes and the chair of the association of church congregations. Each parish council, depending on its size, appoints one or two of its members of their church council to the priory synod. Up to ten people can be appointed by the priory committee. Provosts are elected for a period of time by the priory synod. Their function is, together with the priory committee, to encourage and promote church life.

The management bodies of the Church are the synod, bishop, church cabinet and church office: 45 members of the synod, the church parliament, are elected by the priory synod members, in addition eight are appointed by the church cabinet. The synod is a legislative and electoral body.

The bishop is in charge of the spiritual leadership of the Church and holds the right to ordain. He is elected by the synod and is chairman of the church cabinet and church office. The bishop ensures coherence within the Church, the bishop’s church is Brunswick cathedral.

The church cabinet is also involved in the administration. It comprises the bishop (chairman), a juridical member of the church office and five members elected by the synod (three unordained and two ordained synod members).

The council of the church office consists of the bishop (chairman) and two ordained and unordained members elected by the synod. The church office manages the administration of the Church and has overall supervision of the Church’s offices, foundations and parishes and represents the church in administrative and legal matters. Parishes, parish associations, priories and the Church itself are all corporations of public law.