Evangelical Lutheran Church of Ingria

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The Evangelical Lutheran Church of Ingria (Russian: Евангелическо-лютеранская церковь Ингрии, Yevangelichesko-lyuteranskaya tserkov Ingriyi; Finnish: Inkerin evankelis-luterilainen kirkko; also the Church of Ingria) is a Lutheran church of the Scandinavian tradition in Russia. It is the second largest Lutheran church in Russia, with 90 congregations and 15,000 members, and is active mostly in Ingria and Karelia.^[1]

History

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Russian Imperial era

By the time that the Russians had retaken

Soviet era

In the early years of soviet rule, the attitude of the

On March 3, 1921, the Russian Evangelical Lutheran Episcopal Council officially proclaimed that from now on the parishes of the Church of Ingria would form an independent synodal district with a consistory. A General Synod was organized in Moscow, which existed until 1935, after which a bishop's council was later formed. Its chairman was Probst Felix Fridolf Relander, a Finnish pastor who was consecrated bishop of the Finnish Lutheran parishes in 1921.

In 1925, Relander died and his duties passed to a consistory of three pastors and four laymen. One of these pastors, Selim Yalmari Laurikkala, who had previously served as the rector of the Church of Saint Regina in Vsevolozhsk, became chairman of the consistory, but was not named bishop. Under him, the parishes were led by the Ingermanland Evangelical Lutheran Main Church Council, which was organized according to a charter of two clergy and five other persons elected for three year terms.

However, this situation did not last long. On April 8, 1929, by decree of the

Up until the 1950s, there were secret assemblies of believers among the Ingrians, mostly led by women. In May 1949, Matti Kukkonen, a former member of the church council in Koltushskoye, returned from exile to Petrozavodsk. Having settled in a private house on the outskirts of the city, he began on his own initiative to conduct divine services, perform the sacraments, and confirm those who wished.

In 1953, two surviving pastors, Juhani Vassel and Paavo Jaime, carried out, as best they could, the spiritual care of a small group that had returned to their native places. They settled in Petrozavodsk. Upon their return, the spiritual life of the community of Karelia was revived. People were again able to receive the Lord's supper and participate in confirmation training. In the summer, pastors held spiritual meetings in cemeteries because of the large number of people. Often such meetings were reported and dispersed by the police.

In 1958, the community in Petrozavodsk was visited by the Estonian Archbishop Jan Kiyvit, who gave advice on how to register the community. However, the application of the Ingrian Lutheran church to the Council for Religious Affairs under the Council of Ministers of the Soviet Union, which had 703 signatures, was rejected.

As a part of the Estonian Church (1960s–1992)

In the late 1960s,

On May 4, 1989, representatives of five Ingrian parishes signed a declaration in

In 1995, the rector of the Koltush community, Arri Kugappi, became the new bishop of the Church of Ingria. The consecration was performed by bishops Leino Hassinen, Matti Sihvonen, Vernet, Henrik Svenungsson, and Georg Kretschmar, as well as Archbishop Jaan Kiyvit.

On May 10, 2019, Kugappi informed the Synodal Council of the Church of his desire to retire by age within the period established by the charter. On October 19, 2019, at the XXX Synod of the ELCI, Ivan Sergeevich Laptev, the rector of the Theological Institute of the Church of Ingria and of the Gubanitsky parish, was elected the new bishop.

On February 9, 2020, at a solemn divine service in the Church of St. Mary, Pastor Ivan Sergeyevich Laptev was ordained a bishop. The ordination was performed by Bishop Emeritus Kugappi, Archbishop Jānis Vanags , Vsevolod Lytkin, Tiit Salumäe, and Seppo Häkkinen.

Structure

Administrative structure

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Administratively, the Church of Ingria is one diocese, cared for by a bishop. The parishes are united into seven provosts on a territorial basis.^{[clarification needed]}

The cathedral of the Church of Ingria is the Church of St. Maria in St. Petersburg, on Bolshaya Konyushennaya Street. The Central Office of the church is also located there. A church educational institution, the Theological Institute of the Church of Ingria, which trains clergy and church workers, is located in the village of Kolbino, Vsevolozhsk district, Leningrad Oblast.

The main structural unit of the church is the parish, headed by a parson in the rank of pastor or, if necessary, in the rank of deacon (temporarily, for a period of up to 2 years). The highest governing body of the parish is the general meeting of the parish. During the period between general meetings, the temporal affairs of the parish are managed on its behalf by an elected board of commissioners, headed by a chairman from among the parishioners. To implement decisions made and manage the current affairs of the parish, the board of commissioners elects a parish council, the chairman of which is the parson.

Spiritual service

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In the Church of Ingria there are three degrees of spiritual (priestly) ministry:

• Bishop (head of the diocese)
• Presbyter (often called pastor)
• Deacon (assistant to the bishop and presbyters)

Traditionally, all of them can be designated by the general concept of "clergy".

To help parish clergy, the Church of Ingria has approved the position of catechist. A catechist is not a clergyman, but is called to perform the functions of a clergyman.

Charitable (diaconal) activities

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The Church of Ingria has a diocesan Diaconal Committee which determines priority areas of charitable activities on a church-wide scale and organizes similar activities in local communities. The diocesan diaconal fund, intended to support people in difficult financial situations and parish diaconal projects, is funded through voluntary donations.^[2]

The Church of Ingria is the founder of several nursing homes (Koltushi, Taytsy, Kikerino, “House of Mercy” in Tyurö, “House of Mary” in Tervolovo), as well as a number of charitable church units and autonomous non-profit organizations, such as:

• Autonomous non-profit organizations: "Manna" (St. Petersburg),^[3] "Trilistnik" (Kronstadt), "Kolibri" (Volosovo) ,"Anna is helping" (St. Petersburg), "Necropolis" (St. Petersburg), and "Bethlehe" (Voronezh)
• Parish Drug Addiction Center (Luga)
• Social service "Vector"
• Crisis center of the Church of Ingria, "Helping your neighbor"

Pilgrimage activities

Pilgrimage activities are carried out through the autonomous non-profit organization "Pilgrimage Center Novaya Zemlya" (St. Petersburg).^{[citation needed]}

Publishing activities

The Church of Ingria is the founder of the publishing house "Verbum" LLC.^[4]

The Church of Ingria publishes the magazines “Church of Ingria” in Russian and “Inkerin Kirkko” in Finnish.^{[citation needed]}

Territorial division

The Church of Ingria is territorially divided into nine probations: St. Petersburg, Moscow, Karelian, Volga, Ural, Siberian, West Ingermanland, Northern and Southern.^{[citation needed]}

West Ingermanland Probation

• Church of St. Lazarus in Kingisepp
• Church of St. Nicholas in Gatchina
• Church of St. Peter in Gatchina
• Church of the Holy Apostles Peter and Paul in Yalgelevo
• Church of St. Andrew in Bolshoye Kuzyomkino
• Church of St. John the Baptist in Gubanitsy
• Church of St. Catherine in Petrovo
• Church of St. Mary Magdalene in Luga
• Parish in Volosovo

See also

• Evangelical Lutheran Church of Finland
• Evangelical Lutheran Church in Russia, Ukraine, Kazakhstan and Central Asia
• Estonian Evangelical Lutheran Church
• Siberian Evangelical Lutheran Church

Literature

• Александрова Е. Л., Браудзе М. М., Высоцкая В. А., Петрова Е. А. История финской Евангелическо-лютеранской церкви Ингерманландии / Браудзе М. М. — СПб.: Гйоль, 2012. — 400 с. — ISBN 978-5-904790-08-0.
• Андреева Л. Е. В связи с юбилеем Теологического института Церкви Ингрии на территории России // Религия. Церковь. Общество, № 4, 2015. C. 364—367.
• Исаев С. А. Евангелическо-лютеранская церковь Ингрии // Православная энциклопедия.
• Крылов П. В. Ингрия, ингерманландцы и Церковь Ингрии в прошлом и настоящем. Статьи и лекции разных лет (СПб: Гйоль). ISBN 978-5-904790-15-8
• Кугаппи А. М. (ред.) Путь веры длиною в столетия (СПб, Гйоль)
• Лиценбергер О. А. Евангелическо-лютеранская церковь и Советское государство (1917—1938). М., «Готика», 1999.
• Лиценбергер О. А. Евангелическо-лютеранская церковь в Российской истории (XVI—XX вв.). М.: Фонд «Лютеранское культурное наследие», 2004.
• Резниченко А. Я. История и современное состояние Евангелическо-лютеранской церкви Ингрии на территории России // Государство, религия, церковь в России и за рубежом, 2011. С. 237—240.
• Сеппонен Ээро Как в Санкт-Петербурге появился лютеранский епископ
• Щипков А. В. Русский вариант финского лютеранства // Истина и жизнь. — 1996. — № 11.
• Jääskeläinen Juhani Inkerin suomalainen evankelis-luterilainen kirkko neuvostojärjestelmän ensimäisenä vuosikymmenenä 1917—1927 (1980)

References

External links

• Official website of the Church of Ingria (in English and Russian)