Slovakia

Evangelical Church of the Augsburg Confession in the Slovak Republic

Who is the Evangelical Church of the Augsburg Confession in the Slovak Republic and what are its ministries?

The Evangelical Church of the Augsburg Confession in Slovakia (ECACS), a member church of the Lutheran World Federation (LWF), is the second largest Christian church in the Slovak Republic. There are over 300 congregations, which are organized into 14 conferences and two districts.

The ECACS serves Slovakia with the proclamation of God’s Word and the administration of the sacraments. There is active instruction of children and youth, a teaching ministry among prisoners and soldiers, and through the Evangelical Diaconate, social and charitable activities among mentally and physically-disabled persons and socially-disadvantaged citizens.

A very vital part of the church’s ministry is its involvement in educating young people for service and leadership roles in the church and the nation through its church schools, including the Evanjelicke Lyceum in Bratislava and the Gymnasiums in Banska Bystrica, Tisovec, Kosice, Liptovsky Mikulas, and others. Other organizations of the church are the Evangelical Diaconate, the Fellowship of Evangelical Youth, the Union of Evangelical Pastors, the Slovak Evangelical Association, and the Prayer Fellowship.

How do the Evangelical Church of the Augsburg Confession in the Slovak Republic and the Evangelical Lutheran Church in America accompany one another in ministry?

Through the churchwide ELCA Global Mission unit, the ELCA relates to and is in bilateral relationship with over 80 companion churches and institutions. The ELCA Global Mission unit stewards a church-to-church relationship with the Evangelical Church of the Augsburg Confession in Slovakia.

This relationship is deepened and extended by the ECACS' relationships, through the ELCA Companion Synods program, with the Slovak Zion Synod and the Metropolitan Washington DC Synods.

Churchwide funding through the ELCA Global Mission unit supports key priorities identified by the ECACS including high school education and theological training at Comenius University. Young adults participate in congregational and social service ministries facilitated through the Ecumenical Council of Churches in the Slovak Republic.

An ELCA clergy person serves at the English Language Bratislava International Church which provides weekly worship and fellowship for people from many different nations who have made Bratislava their temporary home. It began in 1994 when the Slovak Church realized the need for an outreach to business people, diplomats, and students from abroad.  The ELCA supports the evangelism and education work of the church by providing high school teachers.  Young adults in the Young Adults in Global Mission program participate in congregational and social service ministries facilitated through Ecumenical Council of Churches in the Slovak Republic.  

Slovakia: The context in which the Evangelical Church of the Augsburg Confession in the Slovak Republic serves

Slovakia is a parliamentary democracy. Slovakia celebrated its independence from Czechoslovakia on January 1, 1993. Its constitution was ratified on September 1, 1992, and put into full effect on January 1, 1993. Approximately 5.4 million people live in Slovakia. While Hungarian is also widely spoken, Slovak is the official language. Religions practiced in Slovakia are: Roman Catholic (69%); atheist (13%), Protestant (Lutheran 7%, Reformed 2%); Greek Catholic Church (4%); Orthodox Church (1%); and other (4%).

Slovakia has mastered much of the difficult transition from a centrally planned economy to a modern market economy. Major privatizations are nearly complete, the banking sector is almost completely in foreign hands, and foreign investment has picked up. Slovakia's economy exceeded expectations in 2001-02, despite the general European slowdown. Unemployment, at 17.2%, remains as the country's key economic issue. The government faces other strong challenges, especially the cutting of budget and current account deficits and the prevention of a revival of inflation. Air pollution and acid rain are the nation's primary environmental concerns.