Church Synod Held in Warsaw

The fifth session of the 15th Synod of the Evangelical Church of the Augsburg Confession in Poland was held on April 25–27, 2025, at the Lutheran Center in Warsaw. The proceedings began with a worship service, during which Bishop Wojciech Pracki of the Katowice Diocese preached a sermon based on Acts 1:16–26, encouraging synod members to be credible witnesses of the Gospel in today’s world.

Greetings were extended by ecumenical guests from other Polish Protestant Churches, including Bishop Semko Koroza (Reformed Church in Poland) and Rev. Wojciech Ostrowski (United Methodist Church in Poland). New synod members, Bishop Wojciech Pracki and Rev. Waldemar Szajthauer, were sworn in. The Synod also expressed gratitude to Bishop Marian Niemiec and Rev. Jerzy Below, who concluded their service.

Reports from the Church Council, the Presiding Bishop, various ministries, Church institutions, synod committees, and working groups were presented. The Synod adopted amendments to the 2025 budget and approved the establishment of a task group on Church functioning in times of war or crisis, as well as funding to revise the primary school religious education curriculum. The Synod also approved the second-year curriculum for Lutheran religious education in preschools.

On Saturday evening, a panel discussion focused on the current roles and challenges of Churches in local and global contexts. Participants included:

Bettina Westfeld – President of the Synod of the Evangelical Lutheran Church of Saxony
Maryn Olson – Director for Disaster Response, Evangelical Lutheran Church in America (ELCA)
Rev. Dr. Hartmut Sitzler – Superintendent of the Lahn-Dill District, Evangelical Church in the Rhineland
Rev. Dr. Uta Andree – Church Councillor and Head of the Department for Ecumenical, Theological, and Diaconal Affairs, Evangelical Lutheran Church in Northern Germany (Nordkirche)
Rev. Dr. Vladimir Kmec – Pastor responsible for cross-border cooperation, Evangelical Church of Berlin-Brandenburg-Silesian Upper Lusatia
The panel was moderated by Prof. Jerzy Sojka.

The speakers shared their experiences of hope and concern within their respective churches, emphasizing topics such as church membership decline, ecumenical cooperation, the role of churches in divided societies, and building communities across cultural, denominational, and national boundaries. The discussion also addressed growing societal polarization and the church’s mission to remain a place of unity and respectful dialogue.