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Mecklenburg church district is planning drastic savings by 2032!
The Mecklenburg church district is planning to cut 60 jobs by 2032 and is discussing compliance guidelines for more transparency.
Mecklenburg church district is planning drastic savings by 2032!
The autumn synod of the Evangelical Lutheran Church District of Mecklenburg took place in Güstrow on October 17th and 18th, 2025. Under the leadership of Provost Britta Carstensen, far-reaching decisions were made for the future of the church in Mecklenburg-Western Pomerania. A central issue was the personnel and structural realignment of the church district, which is expected to cost a total of around 60 full-time positions by 2032. During this change, 41.5 positions for pastors, 20 positions for community educators and 2.5 positions for church musicians will be eliminated. In contrast, there will be an increase of 4.25 jobs for sextons and administrators. The biggest cuts are expected in the provosts of Rostock, Wismar, Neustrelitz and Parchim, where between 12 and 19 full-time positions will have to be cut.
In order not to endanger local church life, those responsible rely on cooperation between the congregations. Numerous cooperation agreements have already been made. Where agreements are still lacking, the church district council will decide on future forms of cooperation. Also important is the fact that surpluses are to be reduced through retirements or departures by 2032, which is due, among other things, to the acute shortage of personnel. For example, in the Rostock provost, 25 parishes have merged to form ten larger units, while 16 parishes cooperate in five parish districts.
Compliance and transparency in the church district
The status of the implementation of the 2030 Climate Protection Plan also played a role in the discussions. Wind and solar systems are increasingly being built in Mecklenburg-Western Pomerania, which should encourage the community to do business more sustainably. The Central Committee of German Catholics has also spoken out in favor of compliance rules in church organizations in order to respond to errors in dealing with cases of abuse. This shows that a clear and ethically responsible use of resources is an urgent issue not only for the Protestant Church, but also for the Catholic Church.
- Abbau von 60 Stellen bis 2032
- 41,5 Stellen bei Pastorinnen und Pastoren betroffen
- Einrichtung von Ortskirchenräten geplant
- Ein Plus von 4,25 Stellen für Küster und Verwalter
- Komplexere Strukturen zur Unterstützung der Ehrenamtlichen
In summary, the church district synod shows that many adjustments need to be made in order to secure both the personnel and organizational basis of the church district. The developments in Mecklenburg-Western Pomerania reflect the challenges that many communities in Germany are facing. It remains to be hoped that the decisions made not only offer short-term solutions, but can also strengthen members' trust in the church in the long term.