Mission in and from Germany: The Understanding of Mission in the Evangelical-Lutheran Church in Württemberg–a Critical Missiological Reflection

In 2024, the synod of the Evangelical Lutheran Church in Württemberg/Germany adopted a document describing its understanding of mission, entitled “Mission verstehen und als Kirche leben.” The document can be read as a description of the current situation of the Protestant church in south-west Germany, a region with a long Christian tradition. It shows the present conflict between liberal and conservative theologies in the Württemberg Church. Beginning with some historical background, this article examines the document from a missiological perspective comparing the current document with a previous one from 1975. It concludes with critical questions from a missiological perspective.