Mission History

Evangelical Lutheran Church of the Augsburg Confession in Austria

As the Reformation began, Martin Luther’s writings quickly spread across the area of what is today Austria. As early as January 1522, the evangelical principles were proclaimed by Paul Speratus in Vienna’s St. Stephen Cathedral. At the close of the 16th century, around two-thirds of the area’s population had been “infected” by these teachings.

However, during the Hapsburg dynasty, evangelical preachers were forced to leave the country, churches were destroyed, and books and writings burned as Protestant churches were banned. Thousands were faced with the decision to leave their home country or to return to the Catholic Church.

For decades, a “secret Protestantism” was able to survive as an underground church, meeting together inconspicuously or withdrawing to the remote valleys of the Carinthia mountains. During the time of persecution, evangelical worship services were only permitted in Vienna: Lutherans met in the Swedish and Danish Embassy Chapels, while Reformed Christians met at the Dutch Embassy.

In 1781, Emperor Joseph II passed the “Deed of Tolerance”, which opened the way for freedom of confession and public practice of religion to Protestants. Thus began the Evangelical Lutheran Church of the Augsburg Confession in Austria, characterized by its confessional writings to distinguish it from the Reformed tradition.