The Right Reverend

Annette Kurschus
  • Chair of the Council of the Protestant Church in Germany (2021–2023)[1]
  • Praeses of the Protestant Church in Westphalia (2012–2023)
ChurchProtestant Church in Germany
Appointed2021
PredecessorHeinrich Bedford-Strohm
Orders
Ordination1993
Consecration4 March 2012
Personal details
Born (1963-02-14) 14 February 1963
Rotenburg an der Fulda, West Germany
NationalityGerman
ParentsGeorg Kurschus

Annette Kurschus (born 14 February 1963 in Rotenburg an der Fulda) is a German Protestant theologian and pastor. She was Praeses (or in German Präses) of the Protestant Church of Westphalia from 2012 until 2023, in November 2015 she became Vice-President of the Council of the Protestant Church in Germany (EKD – Evangelische Kirche in Deutschland). She was President of the Council of the EKD from 2021 until 2023.

Origin and education

Annette Kurschus grew up in Obersuhl in Hessen and in Siegen. Her father Georg Kurschus (1930–2017) was a protestant pastor at the Nikolai Church in Siegen. After graduating from high school in Siegen in 1982, she studied medicine for a short time. From 1983 she studied Protestant theology at the universities of Bonn, Marburg, and Münster and at the Wuppertal Ecclesiastical University. She completed her vicariate in Siegen-Eiserfeld.

Career and position

After her vicariate Kurschus became parish priest in Siegen-Klafeld in 1993 and in Siegen-Weidenau in 1999. Since 2001 she was also deputy superintendent of the Evangelical Church District of Siegen. From 2005 to 2012 she held the function of Superintendent of the Protestant Church District of Siegen.[2]

In November 2011 she was elected by the Westphalian regional synod as Praeses of the Protestant Church of Westphalia (EKvW) and was introduced into the function of the leading clergy on 4 March 2012.[3]

Kurschus became a member of the Council of the Protestant Church in Germany and deputy chairwoman of the Council in November 2015.[4] She became commissioner of the EKD Council for relations with the Polish churches in 2016.

On 20 November 2019 Kurschus was confirmed in the function of the Praeses and re-elected for a further term.[5][6]

On 10 November 2021, Kurschus was elected as the President of the Council of the Protestant Church in Germany.[7]

On 20 November 2023, Kurschus resigned from her positions as the President of the Council of the Protestant Church in Germany and Praeses of the regional Protestant Church of Westphalia after allegations of having attempted to cover up a case of alleged inappropriate sexual behaviour by a church employee some twenty years ago.[8][9]

Further functions

Kurschus is co-editor of the protestant magazine chrismon[10][11] and the protestant monthly magazine zeitzeichen.[12] She is chairwoman of the board of the Evangelical Press Association[13] and of the supervisory board of the German Bible Society.[14][15] Furthermore she is a member of the board of trustees of the Detmold University of Music[16] and since 2020 she is a member of the university council of the University of Münster.[17]

Award

The University of Münster awarded Kurschus an honorary doctorate (Dr. theol. h.c.) on 28 January 2019. She received the award due to her merits concerning the dialogue between religion and society.[18]

References

  1. ↑ "The Protestant Church in Germany" (PDF). Hannover: Evangelische Kirche in Deutschland. June 2023. Retrieved 15 October 2023.
  2. ↑ "Superintendentin Annette Kurschus | Ev.- Ref. Kirchengemeinde Klafeld". 23 June 2005. Retrieved 23 November 2021.
  3. ↑ "evangelisch.de – Mehr als du glaubst!". www.evangelisch.de. Retrieved 23 November 2021.
  4. ↑ EKD: Annette Kurschus stellvertretende Ratsvorsitzende, ekd.de, News from 11 November 2015.
  5. ↑ Präses Kurschus für zweite Amtszeit gewählt on evangelisch.de.
  6. ↑ EKD: Westfälische Präses Kurschus für zweite Amtszeit wiedergewählt, called on 15 April 2020
  7. ↑ "Evangelische Kirche: Annette Kurschus ist neue EKD-Ratsvorsitzende". Süddeutsche.de (in German). 10 November 2021. Retrieved 20 November 2023.
  8. ↑ Bingener, Reinhard (20 November 2023). "EKD-Ratsvorsitzende Annette Kurschus tritt nach Vertuschungsvorwurf zurück". FAZ.NET (in German). Retrieved 20 November 2023.
  9. ↑ "Annette Kurschus gibt Präses-Amt der EKvW und EKD-Ratsvorsitz auf". Evangelisch in Westfalen (in German). Retrieved 20 November 2023.
  10. ↑ Annette Kurschus, Über uns auf chrismon.de.
  11. ↑ Chrismon: Herausgeber und Redaktion, called on 15 April 2020
  12. ↑ zeitzeichen: Herausgeber, called on 15 April 2020
  13. ↑ Evangelischer Presseverband für Westfalen und Lippe e. V.: Struktur, called on 15 April 2020
  14. ↑ Deutsche Bibelgesellschaft: Präses Kurschus ist neue Aufsichtsratsvorsitzende, die-bibel.de
  15. ↑ Deutsche Bibelgesellschaft: Über uns, called on 15 April 2020
  16. ↑ Hochschule für Musik Detmold: Kuratorium, called on 15 April 2020
  17. ↑ Uni Münster: Hochschulrat, called on 15 April 2020
  18. ↑ Uni Münster: Theologische Ehrendoktorwürde für Präses Annette Kurschus, called on 15. April 2020
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