ELCH Presiding Bishop Tamás Fabiny elected president of the Martin Luther Association

Dr. Tamás Fabiny, Presiding Bishop of the ELCH, was elected President of the Martin Luther Association (Martin-Luther-Bund, MLB) in Germany in a unanimous vote. The election took place on 8 October 2021 in Wittenberg. Bishop Fabiny is the successor of Rev. Dr. Carsten Rentzing, who was commissioned in 2020 by the United Evangelical Lutheran Church of Germany (VELKD) to promote the relations to the Lutheran churches in Central and Eastern Europe – including the preparations to the 2023 Assembly of the Lutheran World Federation in Krakow.

Tamás Fabiny has fostered close ties with the MLB since his college years in the middle of the 1980s. He also pursued part of his studies in Erlangen, the German city where the MLB is based, in 1984-85, in 1993-94 and in 1997-98. In 1998 he got his New Testament Ph.D. in Erlangen, under the supervision of Dr. Jürgen Roloff.

Bishop Fabiny is the first non-German President of the MLB. His election was welcomed by many as the sign of a change in perspective. The MLB, an organization responsible for the diaspora work of the VELKD, has traditionally had the task to provide support for Lutheran churches in minority contexts (in South America, Eastern Europe and Central Asia). Yet present-day developments imply that the diaspora experience will become the new normality in the life of the church in Germany, too. Therefore, spiritual fellowship, theological cooperation and solidarity will continue to be important aspects of diaspora work in Germany and abroad alike.

In an interview with evangelikus.hu, Bishop Fabiny also pointed out that his election strengthened the commitment of the MLB towards transnational and cross-border partnerships. “I accepted the nomination because, as far as I know, the MLB Assembly was in full agreement about it. Both the Vice President Rudolf Keller, who is the holder of an honorary doctorate at our Lutheran Theological University in Budapest, and General Secretary Michael Hübner assured me of their support”, Fabiny said. He also added that “ it was important aspect in my considerations that this position would enable me to continue serving the same region that I represented as one of the Vice Presidents of the Lutheran World Federation between 2010 and 2017” .

The closing worship of the MLB Assembly meeting in Wittenberg was celebrated in the St. Mary’s Church (Stadtkirche) with the outgoing and the incoming presidents presiding.