English
Welcome to the Evangelical Lutheran Holy Trinity congregation in Leipzig!
We are a Lutheran congregation in the east of Leipzig. In the center of our faith is Jesus Christ and what HE does for us. The good news of salvation from eternal death through Jesus‘ death on the cross is for all people. We are a colourful congregation where everyone is welcome.
You can find information about our faith, the activities of the church, our history and much more on our pages. Please do not hesitate to contact us.
We are a congregation of the Selbständige Evangelisch-Lutherische Kirche (SELK). The SELK belongs to the International Lutheran Council (ILC), a growing worldwide association of confessional Lutheran church bodies. Our sister church in the USA is the Lutheran Church Missouri Synod (LCMS).
Closely connected to the congregation is the diaconal project „Die Brücke” [the Bridge]. Its rooms are located directly opposite our St. Lukas Church. The project is supported by the Lutheran Church Mission.
What we believe
The SELK is a confessional Lutheran Church. We believe that the Holy Scriptures of the Old and the New Testament are indeed the revelation and the inspired Word of God. We believe that the Confessions of the Lutheran Church, as they are contained in the Book of Concord of 1580, are the true explanation of God’s Word.
These Confessions are:
the three ecumenical Creeds (the Apostolic, the Nicene and the Athanasian), the Unaltered Augsburg Confession, its Apology, the Smalcald Articles, the Small and the Large Catechism of Dr. Martin Luther and the Formula of Concord.
You can read a version of Dr. Luther’s Small Catechism in English when you click here.
The Word of God contains Law and Gospel, both of which are to be clearly distinguished. The Law shows us how we are supposed to be according to God’s will and that we always fail in fulfilling His will as long as we live in this world. The Gospel shows us Christ, who has fulfilled the Law on our behalf, and grants us forgiveness so that we are acceptable in God’s eyes.
»For God so loved the world that he gave his one and only Son, that whoever believes in him shall not perish but have eternal life.«
John 3:16, NIV
Regarding the Sacrament of the Altar we confess:
»It is the true body and blood of our Lord Jesus Christ under the bread and wine, for us Christians to eat and to drink, instituted by Christ Himself.« (Dr. Martin Luther, Small Catechism, The Sacrament of the Altar)
A little bit of history
Independent Confessional Lutheran Churches developed in Germany, especially in Prussia, Saxony, Hannover and Hesse in the beginning of the 19th century. The main reason for this was the forced union between Lutheran and Reformed Churches into an „evangelical“ church. Mainly the ideas of the civil leaders were the reason for the enforcement of this union. These tendencies finally led to the „Evangelical Church in Germany“ today, which is a union of Reformed and Lutheran Churches with full altar and pulpit fellowship. Many Lutherans rejected what they considered to be the end of Lutheranism in Germany.
The main reason for their thoughts was the conviction that there cannot be different doctrines that exclude each other in one church body. The major example is the difference in the doctrine of the Sacrament of the Altar between Lutheran and Reformed theology. The confessional Lutherans were persecuted at this time by the state. Many of them were not allowed to have church services or get their children baptized or confirmed according to the liturgy of the Lutheran Church. In some areas of Germany, it took decades until the Confessional Lutherans were granted religious freedom.
In 1972 most of the Confessional Lutheran Church bodies in Germany formed the SELK. In 1991 the Evangelisch-Lutherische (altlutherische) Kirche [Evangelical-Lutheran (Old-Lutheran) Church] in the former GDR joined the SELK (this wasn’t possible before). So nowadays almost all of the Confessional Lutheran Churches in Germany are joined together in the SELK.
Our congregation: St. Trinitatis Leipzig [Holy Trinity]
Sunday Services
Worship is at the centre of our church life. We usually celebrate a German-language service in the form of the Lutheran Mass on Sundays at 10:00 a.m. and a Persian-language service at 12:00 a.m. In between the services, a cup of coffee provides an opportunity for exchange and getting to know each other. A German-Persian service is held once a month. A detailed overview of the upcoming services can be found here. Guests are always welcome in our services!
Groups
For more specific information please contact pastor Hugo Gevers: leipzig@selk.de.
Brass ensemble
The brass ensemble meets weekly to prepare the brass accompaniment of the church services and regional church brass festivals. We are a small but dedicated brass ensemble, where the joy of making music to the glory of God is the main focus.
The brass ensemble meets on Thursday at 18:00 in the rooms of St. Luke’s Church. Interested brass instrument players are very welcome! Please contact Dominik Matzke: musik@lutherisch-leipzig.de
Church choir
The choir of our congregation meets every Thursday at 19:30 in the rooms of St. Lukas Church. We are a small but jovial choir community. Even though the joy of singing to the glory of God is our main focus, we also regularly practice more demanding choral music. Our choristers also include many students.
The choir is conducted by Georg Mogwitz, member of our congregation and A-church musician. Interested singers are very welcome! Please contact Johannes Rehr: musik@lutherisch-leipzig.de
Young adults
The young adults, many of whom are university students, meet weekly to read the Bible together and to exchange views on topics of the Christian faith and to grow in their understanding of the Bible and confession. The German-speaking group meets on Tuesday at 19:30, alternating at different member’s homes. If you are interested, please contact us: leipzig@selk.de
Congregation get-together
Once a month on Wednesdays at 7 pm a congregation get-together takes place in the rooms of the St. Lukas Church. Church members and guests from all generations come together to discuss a topic of the Christian faith, introduced and led usually by an external speaker. Afterwards there is time to get to know each other and connect over a pot-luck dinner. A list of the upcoming congregation get-togethers can be found here.
Events at “Die Brücke” diaconal project
In addition to the church events, there are also many offers in the Brücke, which is closely connected to the church. You can find these here: www.die-bruecke-leipzig.de
How to find us in Leipzig
Please contact pastor Hugo Gevers (also in English)
mail: leipzig@selk.de
phone: 0341 9126503
The address of our church is:
St. Lukaskirche
Lukasstraße 1
04315 Leipzig (Volkmarsdorf)
Public transport: trams 1, 3 to Hermann-Liebmann/Eisenbahnstr./ 7 to Wiebelstraße