Evangelical Lutheran Church in Jordan and the Holy Land

Early history The Evangelical Lutheran Church in Jordan and the Holy Land has its origins in the arrival of German and English Protestant missionaries to Jerusalem in the mid 19th century. In 1840, the King of Prussia, Frederick William IV sent his diplomat, Christian von Bunsen to present a proposal to Queen Victoria of the United Kingdom for the establishment of a joint Protestant bishopric under the protection of both Prussia and the United Kingdom. An agreement was reached to establish a joint bishopric of the Anglican Church of England and the Evangelical Church in Prussia, comprising Lutheran, Calvinist and united Protestant congregations, known as the Anglican-German Bishopric in Jerusalem and this was facilitated by the passing of the Bishops in Foreign Countries Act 1841. In 1947, the Lutheran mission was granted autonomy from the Protestant Church in Germany and in 1959 was recognised as an autonomous religious community by King Hussein of Jordan. The church was then officially named the Evangelical Lutheran Church in Jordan (ELCJ). The ELCJ had by then grown beyond Jerusalem and had set up congregations in Ramallah and Amman to serve Lutheran Palestinians who were refugees of the Arab–Israeli conflict. in a ceremony at the Church of the Redeemer in Jerusalem, making her the first female Palestinian pastor in the Holy Land. ==Structure==

Bishop The ELCJHL holds episcopal polity. The Bishop leads the central church structures and is the chief pastor. Bishops are consecrated within the historic Apostolic succession. • 1979–1986: Daoud Haddad • 1986–1997: Naim Nassar • 1998–2018: Munib Younan • 2018–present: Sanid Ibrahim Zanar Congregations At present, there are 6 congregations of the ELCJHL: • Evangelical Lutheran Church of the Redeemer, Jerusalem • Evangelical Lutheran Christmas Church, Bethlehem • Evangelical Lutheran Church of Hope, Ramallah • Evangelical Lutheran Church of the Reformation, Beit Jala • Evangelical Lutheran Church, Beit Sahour • Evangelical Lutheran Church of the Good Shepherd, Amman ==Schools and educational programs==

The ELCJHL runs four primary schools and other educational projects that serve the broader educational needs of the Palestinian people as a whole. The four primary schools are: • Dar al-Kalima Evangelical Lutheran School, Bethlehem • The Evangelical Lutheran School, Beit Sahour • The Evangelical Lutheran School of Hope, Ramallah • Talitha Kumi Evangelical Lutheran School, Beit Jala The ELCJHL also actively supports the Near East School of Theology in Beirut, Lebanon. ==Affiliations==

The ELCJHL participates actively in ecumenical relationships through: • Middle East Council of Churches • Fellowship of Middle East Evangelical Churches • World Council of Churches • Lutheran World Federation • Council of Religious Institutions in the Holy Land The ELCJHL also works in partnership with: • Evangelical Lutheran Church in America • Evangelical Lutheran Church in Bavaria • Evangelical Lutheran Church of Finland • Church of Norway • Church of Sweden ==See also==