As of: March 7, 2024, 5:00 p.m
By: Gabi Werner
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In Tegernsee, here the Christ Church with parish hall, the new parish center of the merged parish is being built.
© Thomas Plettenberg
The regional church's position plan prompted the Protestant parishes of Tegernsee and Bad Wiessee to take action: They merged to form the Tegernseer Tal parish.
Tegernsee Valley
– At the turn of the year there was a groundbreaking merger at Tegernsee: The Protestant parishes of Tegernsee, Rottach-Egern and Kreuth as well as Bad Wiessee with Waakirchen and Hauserdörfl merged to form the new “Evangelical Lutheran parish of Tegernsee Tal”.
While the merger was carried out quietly, the parish has now dedicated its new community newsletter entirely to the merger.
In terms of area, it says, it is now one of the largest parishes in Bavaria.
Martin Weber is the managing director of the new parish
However, it is not possible to find out how the first few weeks after the merger went.
Neither Pastor Martin Weber, who has taken over the management of the new parish on behalf of the regional church, nor his deputy Sabine Arzberger - owner of the second pastor's position - are willing to talk to our newspaper.
They justify this with reporting on ongoing investigations in the Tegernsee Protestant Church due to suspicion of financial irregularities.
Leading the merged parish as managing director: Pastor Martin Weber.
© Thomas Plettenberg
Regional church reacts to falling numbers of members and pastors
However, the background to the merger can be found in the community newsletter.
This became necessary “because the regional church had to react due to the steadily declining number of members and a lack of pastors”.
The current position plan of the regional church stipulates that from 2035 there will only be one Protestant parish on Tegernsee - with only one and a half pastors.
According to the community newsletter, how and when the changeover would take place was left to the individual communities.
Tegernsee and Bad Wiessee then seized the opportunity and initiated the merger “in order to be able to decide for themselves what the new community should look like”.
The parish of Gmund with Schaftlach – looked after by Pastor Andreas Kopp-von Freymann – wanted to wait and is therefore not yet part of the new Tegernseer Tal parish.
The merged parish serves almost 3,500 parishioners
“Due to the traditionally Catholic region, we are a diaspora community with a total of almost 3,500 community members, around 800 of whom have a second home,” says the community letter.
There will be no major, visible changes for the members of the former two communities.
Those responsible write that a joint church service plan has been successful for over a year.
The plan ensures “that a service takes place in a church in the community every Sunday.”
Joint confirmation classes and joint offers for children, young people and seniors have long been practiced.
“What is still missing is the purely organizational consolidation of the administration in order to avoid duplication of work and thus double costs,” it says.
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The second pastor's position is held by Pastor Sabine Arzberger.
© Thomas Plettenberg
The new parish center for the Tegernsee Valley is being built in Tegernsee
It also worked out well that planning for a new rectory with a community hall is currently underway in Tegernsee.
The new building, together with the regional church, is now to be designed as a parish center for the entire Tegernsee Valley.
“A conversion of the community center in Bad Wiessee would not have been affordable,” says the community letter.
However, it will continue to be used for community work.
The merger, which came into effect on January 1st of this year, is still to be properly celebrated.
All parishioners and the entire population are invited to a service on Pentecost Sunday, May 19th, at 10 a.m. in the Resurrection Church Rottach-Egern.
Afterwards there will be a church coffee.
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