Estonian Evangelical Lutheran Church

Estonian Evangelical Lutheran Church
Classification	Protestant
Orientation	Lutheranism
Polity	Episcopal-Synodal
Primate	Urmas Viilma, Archbishop of Tallinn
Associations	Lutheran World Federation, World Council of Churches, Conference of European Churches, Porvoo Communion Community of Protestant Churches in Europe
Region	Estonia
Origin	1917
Congregations	164
Members	180,000 (2014)
Official website	http://www.eelk.ee/

The Estonian Evangelical Lutheran Church (Estonian: Eesti Evangeelne Luterlik Kirik, abbreviated EELK) is a Lutheran church in Estonia. EELC is member of the Lutheran World Federation and belongs to the Community of Protestant Churches in Europe. It is also a member of the Porvoo Communion, putting it in full communion with the Church of England and other Anglican churches in Europe.

The Estonian Evangelical Lutheran Church (EELC) was constituted in 1949, when the previous church hierarchy, Eesti Evangeeliumi Luteriusu Kirik, headed by bishop Johan Kõpp, had escaped to Sweden in 1944. When the Soviet Union invaded Estonia in 1940, most Christian organizations were dissolved, church property was confiscated, theologians were exiled to Siberia, and religious education programs were outlawed. World War II later brought devastation to many church buildings. It was not until 1988 that church activities were renewed when a movement for religious tolerance began in the Soviet Union.

Although women had studied theology at Tartu University in the 1920s and some had sought ordination as priests, it was not until 1967 that the first woman, Laine Villenthal, was ordained. In 2014, the church reported that there were 169 men and 43 women serving as ministers.

The Church of Estonia is episcopal in polity, and is led by five bishops, including the archbishop who serves as the Primate. The archbishop has overall control, and under his authority there are four jurisdictions, each with its own Bishop, namely:

Following the retirement of Andres Põder as archbishop, the current archbishop is Urmas Viilma, consecrated on 2 February 2015.

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