The regional synod of the mainline Protestant Church in Bavaria (Evangelical Lutheran Church of Bayern) voted by a large majority to “open the way for queer people in the ELKB to be allowed to marry in church in the future”, at its recent spring meeting in the German city of Augsburg.

The previous distinction between ‘marriage ceremony’ and ‘blessing’, the further used for same-sex couples, will no loger be used. Now, the church ceremony of a marriage will be called a ‘wedding ceremony’ for everyone.

The decision has been based on the desire to “bring the church's regulation into line with the state's regulation”. Same-sex marriage is legal in Germany since 2017.

“Intrusion in private life of queer people unjustified”

The synod spoke about “the suffering that queer people have experienced in the church”, with a minute's silence.

“Although unequal treatment in ministry, obstruction of careers, intrusion into private life with coercive consequences for life courses and the call to live in double standards did not contradict the legal situation at the time, they were and are inappropriate, unjustified and discriminatory”, they stressed.

For the synod, “individuals responsible and the church as a whole have become guilty of this. It is true that no one can undo or make amends for the past, in future, however, everything must be done to prevent such inappropriate behaviour”.

That is why “the urgent task is to raise awareness among those involved at all levels and to adapt the structural and legal framework accordingly”, they said.

The synod also learned about the work of the ‘Special unit for dealing with sexualised violence’ in the ELKB. Since 2024, 150 training courses on prevention took place last year, and 100 in the first quarter of 2025, explained Martina Frohmader, the head of the special unit.

The church as a “social welfare organisation”

In addition to those issues, one of the main topic of discussion of the ELKB spring meeting was the interaction between the church and social welfare organisations, with the aim of strengthening the connection between them.

The synod members learnt about the wide range of services provided by Diaconia, the social branch of the EKD, and “reaffirmed their importance for society, but also for the reputation of the church”.

Professor Markus Schmidt, a social welfare expert, called on the church to “rediscover itself as a social welfare organisation, but not to relegate ‘active action’ just to social welfare”.

Most free evangelicals remain committed to marriage union between man and woman

Free evangelical churches in Germany have expressed in the last years their commitment to a Christian understanding of marriage that continues to expect a lifelong commitment between a man and a woman. 

The Union of Free Evangelical Churches (FeG), for instance, has said that “God’s grace in Jesus Christ is for every human being, regardless of personal characteristics such as origin, gender, sexual orientation or social status”. At the same time, the FeG leadership clearly stated that “homosexual partnerships do not find approval from a biblical perspective”.