Evangelical-Augsburg Church in Slovakia
Evangelical church in Slovakia was formed after the Reformation and is the second largest Church in Slovakia of 6.9% population and is a Lutheran church body in Slovakia. The Church considers Gospel contained in the Bible to be the source of faith in the God and the rule for life.
Jesus is regarded the head of the Church and it functions on the basis of the equality of God’s children. Bible and Augsburg beliefs are the source of faith of protestant religion. The Augsburg Confession is recognized as a correct explanation of central issues of faith. There is Evangelical Hymnal containing religious songs in the Slovak language.
The basic organization unit of Evangelical Church is the local congregations. The congregations are grouped into seniorats and the seniorats are grouped into two districts. There are 326 congregations in Slovakia grouped into 14 conferences called seniorats grouped into Eastern and Western district. There are over 350 active clergy, of about 140 are women. Clergy are not celibate which means they are allowed to get married. The Church administers over 600 churches and ecclesiastical buildings. The highest legislative body of is the assembly. The highest executive body is the presbyterium. The legal representative of each organizational unit of the Evangelical Church is a presidium. The highest legislative and administrative authority of the Evangelical Church is the synod. The fundamental law of the church is the Constitution of the Evangelical Church. Mgr. Igor Mišina holds the position of the East District Bishop.
Evangelical churches hold services on Sundays and feasts. Evangelical Church does not recognize feasts of obligation which means that Lutherans are not obliged to attend Masses on Sunday or holiday. After 1989, a few Evangelical schools have been built in Slovakia including pre-school education, primary schools and secondary schools. The schools appear in regions with Lutheran population. Theological education is provided at the Evangelical Theological School at a university. Most Evangelical population live in the Southern part of Slovakia.
Evangelical Church recognizes two sacraments: Baptism and Holy Communion. Usually infants are baptized, but adult baptism is also possible. General confession precedes the communion. Lutherans like Catholics believe that Holy Communion is the real Body and Blood of Jesus Christ. The difference between Catholics and Lutherans is that Lutherans communicants eat and drink both the Body and Blood of Jesus Christ in Holy Communion. Affirmation of baptism, or confirmation is a public profession of faith in which every member of Evangelical Church takes the Eucharist for the first time and is usually around age 15.