Kristina Kühnbaum-Schmidt (Kristina Kühnbaum-Schmidt) – the new Regional Bishop of the North German Evangelical Lutheran Church
On 10 June this year, Whit Monday, the installation of Kristina Kühnbaum-Schmidt as Regional Bishop of the North German Evangelical Lutheran Church took place in Germany, at Schwerin Cathedral.
LELBĀL Archbishop Lauma Zušēvica was invited as one of five bishops who took part in the laying on of hands at the bishop’s consecration.
From LELBĀL, those present as invited guests included the emeritus LELBĀL Archbishop Elmārs E. Rozītis, Pastor Tālis Rēdmanis, and the emeritus Bishop Jāna Jēruma-Grīnberga, who currently serves as a chaplain at St. Saviour’s Anglican Church in Riga. Jāna Jēruma-Grīnberga had been invited to serve together at the altar with the newly installed Regional Bishop Kristina Kühnbaum-Schmidt.
On the eleventh of June, a seminar was held for leaders of various world churches. Jāna Jēruma-Grīnberga told those present about the work of the Association of Latvian Lutheran Women Theologians, her ministry in the Anglican church, as well as about the situation regarding the question of women’s ordination.
It is important to explain that, given Germany’s federal division and history, the newly installed Regional Bishop had for quite some time (since 2013) not been a pastor, but rather a Regional Bishop in the Central German Evangelical Lutheran Church. Now Bishop Kühnbaum-Schmidt has become the Regional Bishop of the North German Evangelical Lutheran Church. Bishop Kühnbaum-Schmidt takes the place of the previous Regional Bishop, Ulrich Gerhard, who has retired. Ulrich Gerhard was the first Regional Bishop of the North German Evangelical Lutheran Church, which was founded in 2012.
We invite you to read Kristina Kühnbaum-Schmidt’s 2018 sermon, which she delivered on 28 September last year after being elected to her new spiritual office (here).
In addition, a sermon in German is available on Facebook, which the newly installed Bishop Kristina Kühnbaum-Schmidt delivered on Whit Monday, 10 June 2019.
LLSTA editorial team