Before the formation of the Evangelical Lutheran
State Church of Hanover in 1863/1864, there were several
regional Protestant churches earlier established by and within the borders of previous principalities and regions, combined as the Kingdom of Hanover in 1814. These churches were: • the
General Diocese of Aurich (1815–1922, since 1863 a subdivision of the all-Hanoverian church), formed in
East Frisia when annexed to Hanover, • the (est. 1651, since 1863 a subdivision of the all-Hanoverian church), comprising the
High-Bailiwick of Stade except for the Land of Hadeln, • the Lutheran Church of the
Land of Hadeln (1525–1885, since 1863 a subdivision of the Hanoverian church) based in
Otterndorf, • the old-Hanoverian Church (1705-merger of Calenberg [est. 1589] and Lunenburg-Celle [est. 1531] Lutheran state churches with subdivisions of its own), with its consistory based in Hanover city, • the
Loccum jurisdiction (Bezirk Loccum), • the
Osnabrück city jurisdiction (Bezirk Osnabrück-Stadt), and • the Osnabrück land jurisdiction (Bezirk Osnabrück-Land). All these churches were
state churches in the Kingdom of Hanover, with the king being
summus episcopus (Supreme Governor of the Lutheran churches), but otherwise without any joint bodies. In 1848 the Lutheran parishes were democratised by the introduction of
presbyteries (, sg./pl.; lit. in ), elected by all major male parishioners and chairing each congregation in co-operation with the
pastor, prior being the sole chairman. This introduction of presbyteries was somewhat revolutionary in the rather hierarchically structured Lutheran churches. Whereas
liberal Lutherans demanded the establishment of
elected synods (general or regional church assemblies) too, feeling encouraged by the general development of parliamentarianism, the
revivalist Lutherans strove for self-rule within the Lutheran churches in order to strengthen
religion and
faith against the government's interference in ecclesiastical affairs, considered by them as too rationalistic and too much inspired by ideas of the
enlightenment. consisting of elected and appointed clergy and laymen. Its then 72 male members were to design a
church constitution, including the regulations as to the synod. The
Weimar Constitution of 1919 provided for the
separation of state and religion. After the system of
state churches had disappeared with the monarchies in the German states, the question arose why the Protestant church bodies within Germany did not merge. Besides the smaller Protestant denominations of the Mennonites, Baptists or Methodists, which were organised across state borders along denominational lines, in 1922 there were 29 (later 28) church bodies organised along territorial borders of the
German states or
Prussian provinces. In fact, a merger was permanently under discussion, but never materialised due to strong regional self-confidence and traditions as well as the denominational fragmentation into Lutheran, Calvinist (Reformed) and
United and uniting churches. Following the
Swiss example of 1920, the Evangelical Lutheran State Church of Hanover and 28 other territorially defined German Protestant churches founded the
German Evangelical Church Confederation in 1922, which was no new merged church, but a loose federation of the existing independent church bodies. In 1922 the Church of Hanover counted 2,414,000 parishioners. Since the adoption of the
Leuenberg Agreement in 1973 the Church of Hanover practises church fellowship with many non-Lutheran Protestant churches in Germany and the world, understood as pulpit and table fellowship as well as
full communion in witness and service. After
Margot Käßmann's resignation as bishop in February 2010, Hans-Hermann Jantzen served as vicar (acting bishop) until
Ralf Meister's investiture as her successor on 26 March 2011. == Practices ==