Digital exhibition shows 120 years of change in the Evangelical Church

Digital exhibition shows 120 years of change in the Evangelical Church

On June 9, 2025, a long-held wish will come true right in the heart of Cologne. The digital exhibition “1904 – 1924 – 1964 – 2024 – Evangelical living keeps the church agile” is now accessible to everyone. This innovative presentation shows the development of the Protestant Church over more than a century and addresses central questions: What defines the church - then, now and in the future?

The exhibition addresses important milestones, including the founding of the first church association and the emergence of the Evangelical Church Association. The division of the church district in 1964 and the upcoming merger of the three Cologne church districts on the left bank of the Rhine in 2026 are also discussed. The Evangelical Church is facing a dynamic change that is reflected not only in history but also in the present. Communities are merging, locations are being abandoned, and both financial and human resources are shrinking. Despite these challenges, however, the church remains shaped by the message of God's Word and the work of his Spirit, as kirche-koeln.de reports.

Reforms in the church

Since the EKD paper “Church of Freedom” from 2006, reforms have been at the center of the discussion. Mergers and cooperation between communities are also seen as possible solutions to existing structural problems. A final pastors' day in Worms brought together around 60 theologians to discuss the challenges of permanent reform. Many local pastors find the structural changes difficult and often imposed from outside. Concerns about the fate of many communities are growing, and reports of alienation between church and people are alarming. Some retired pastors see constant rounds of austerity and the loss of volunteers and full-time employees as unsustainable. One in five pastors suffers from burnout and complains that more and more questions of money and power are overshadowing the theological focus, as evangelisch.de shows.

Nevertheless, there are also positive approaches. Matthias Fritsch encourages using central administrations to relieve the workload of parish priests. According to Corinna Hektor, the work is not getting less, but has to be done by fewer and fewer people. However, various theologians warn that the church is retreating and the role of the local pastor is becoming more important. Ernst Fellechner suggests a combination of specialization and networking in order to fulfill the pastoral mission despite declining resources. This could help keep the church alive in the future.

The image of the church is changing

The challenges for the ever-shrinking church are diverse. Above all, the stability of the structural framework and the distribution of resources are on the agenda. A central aspect is creating a good environment for church employees, for example by improving training and support. The diversity of community models, from classic parochial communities to innovative approaches, underlines that change is already underway. The current topics in church development range from simplifying administration and establishing a service culture to member orientation and retaining church members. A cultural change towards a minority church is necessary in order to say goodbye to the static structure of the church, according to ekd.de.

The exhibition “Evangelical living keeps the church agile” encourages people to think about their own role and the future of the church. The associated brochure deepens the background and establishes a connection to earlier works such as “The Evangelical Cologne” from 1965. The journey through the history of the Protestant Church is not only intended to provide information, but also to encourage people to actively participate in its change.