Revolution in Lower Franconia: merger of deaneries decided by 2027!

Revolution in Lower Franconia: merger of deaneries decided by 2027!

Today, July 2, 2025, big changes are coming to the Evangelical Lutheran Church in Bavaria (ELKB). The plans to merge the deaneries in Lower Franconia are taking clear shape. By 2027, three large structures are to be created from the current nine smaller deaneries. This innovation aims to optimize church structures and better meet the needs of the communities. Loud Sunday paper There is already great agreement among the deaneries in Lower Franconia about this step.

The new grand deaneries will be formed in three regions: In the west, the city and district of Aschaffenburg as well as the districts of Miltenberg and Main-Spessart. The north includes the city and district of Schweinfurt and the districts of Rhön-Grabfeld, Bad Kissingen and Haßberge. In the south, the districts of Würzburg and Kitzingen as well as the city of Würzburg are combined. Between 55,000 and 80,000 Protestant Christians live in each region, which greatly promotes the desired stability and cooperation with government authorities.

Emotional structural debates

The merger is not an easy undertaking. There are emotionally charged discussions about the structural changes, including the merger of the three old Bavarian church districts. These debates show that the changes will have a far-reaching impact on communities that have spoken positively about the merger plans in recent months. The initiative is also supported by the church leadership in Munich, which recognizes the need for reform within the ELKB and is pushing it forward vigorously.

Loud landeskirche.bayern-evangelisch.de Mergers in the Regensburg church district were successfully implemented on July 1st, with the decision to amalgamate several deanery districts. Concerns on the agenda include merger plans between Castell and Markt Einersheim, which, although not ruled out, could be integrated into the larger structures.

Future prospects of the ELKB

The planned measures are a first in Bavaria, as usually only two or three deaneries are merged. The legal framework has already been clarified and preparations for implementation diffusion will be further advanced over the next few years, with decisive decisions being made for 2026. A special challenge will be the recognition of the new entities by the Ministry of Culture, which may take several months.

The approach of the ELKB is particularly interesting, as it steers towards one goal: reducing the deanery districts by a third to 44 is intended to increase efficiency and make church work easier. This is a central marker for the future viability of the Protestant Church in Bavaria and is also important for the parishes that are actively involved in the reforms.

Ingolstadt in focus

Another milestone in the development of the ELKB is the founding of the new Schwaben-Altbayern church district, which was celebrated on March 27, 2025. This new church district includes the previous church districts of Munich, Augsburg and Regensburg and is led by a dual leadership, the regional bishops Thomas Prieto Peral and Klaus Stiegler. This expanded leadership structure is intended to strengthen the strategic development and representation of the church in society, such as bayern-evangelisch.de reported.

Overall, it is clear that the Bavarian structural reforms bring about extensive changes. The Evangelical Lutheran Church in Bavaria is taking a new path that will have a lasting impact. The coming months and years will show how well the communities and deaneries can adapt to these changes in order to look forward to a positive future together.