Markt Schwaben / District - Declining membership also in the Protestant Dean's Office Freising (which includes the northern parishes of Poing and Markt Schwaben). Pastor positions that have not been filled for some time now. And it doesn't look any better with religious educators and deacons either. “We don't have a job problem, but a vacancy problem,” says Dean Christian Weigl, otherwise a Protestant pastor in Freising and dean for two years.
The Protestant Church, adds the 54-year-old, is facing a tremendous upheaval in view of the above-mentioned initial situation.
The dean's synod discussed at the weekend in the community center in Markt Schwaben which course must be set in order to meet the new challenges.
39 synodals and ten other guests attended the half-day meeting;
mainly pastors of the surrounding communities from the districts of Freising, Erding and Ebersberg (in the northern area) and elected community representatives.
Fewer church members, less funding
Fewer church members, so Weigl, means less financial leeway. And fewer potential theological staff demand an internal reform process. As a viable path, the synodals in Markt Schwaben have further initiated and confirmed a process that is called PuK within the church. The letters stand for profile and concentration. Essentially, according to Weigl, it is a matter of finding a different system for filling vacant positions. Specifically: Away from the requirement that vacancies must be based on the number of parish members and the area of the parish area to be looked after - towards new religious functions to be created; For example, colleagues who take care of very special subject areas in the dean's office (e.g. senior citizen work) in order to relieve the parish priests.
So far, the dean's office in Freising has only been able to gain slight experience; Weigl believes that an effective implementation will take years.
But the Synod agreed that this path had to be followed.
And on top of that, the dean's office got virtually a free hand from the regional church on the question of implementation.
"Profile and Concentration"
Weigl hopes by next spring that the first important steps towards PuK have already been taken.
In the dean's office in Freising, 2.5 jobs will have to be cut in the next few years.
For a long time, for example, half a position has been filled in the Protestant community of Markt Schwaben;
and, given the current situation, it cannot be filled again anytime soon.