Eangelical Lutheran Church in Florence services the regions of Emilia-Romagna, Tuscany, and the northern Marche. The church building , its parish hall and its offices are situated in Florence, next to the “Giardino Martin Lutero” (Lungarno Torrigiani, 11) and its parish hall in Via de’Bardi, 20. . Church services and events take place also in Pisa and Bologna and in other spots throughout the Emilia-Romagna.
About Us
Who we are
As Evangelical Lutheran church, church service, education and erudition, pastoral care, charitable outreach, music and culture form the core of our activities. Fundamental for our faith and action is the conviction that god accepts us – and our counterpart – just like we are. Our actions are not the reason for God’s love toward us. Yet, because we are aware of God’s love, we want and shall live in such a way that our fellow human beings and we ourselves are well. What that means and how it can succeed we need to discoverafreshagain and yet again.
Founded in 1899 we are today one of sixteen ELKI parishes. You can find more information about the history, theological and practical questions at the collective website: → www.chiesaluterana.it
Church Office
Our headquarters
Vanessa Sacha, our secretary, holds all threads together. You can contact her with all your questions, be it whether you would like to learn more about an event or whether you want to get married or whether you want to visit us with a group.
All this is just a small part of Vanessa’s work. You can reach her via email: firenze@chiesaluterana.it. Via phone: 055 234 2775, Tuesday-Friday 10am-12pm.
Patricia Müller is responsible for our locations of encounter. First and foremost she prepares our church services, but also cares for our parish hall and the adjoining rooms, for the catering of church events and for much more.
Pastor
Of our community
My name is Susanne Krage-Dautel and in September 2023, I moved from Hanover to Florence to work and live here as a pastor in this beautiful city, that attracts countless tourists every year. Our congregation also includes Emilia-Romagna and the Marche, and so I travel a lot and get to know and love the people and landscapes. I was drawn to Italy early on in life and I consider it a great gift to make this the next chapter of my life.
People come to our congregation for different reasons. Some want to speak German again and although they are at home in Italian as well, they are happy when they can speak their "mother tongue". Even when praying, the words are readily found in the mother tongue. Others come because they have friends here who accompany them through some stages of life. And others appreciate our church music. Some are only in Florence for a few days and drop by more or less by chance. And others want to learn more about the Lutheran Church, which is a very small minority here in Italy. There are many reasons why people visit our church on the Arno. And I am interested in these many different motives and the life stories I learn about in the process. This is one of the reasons why I like to be a pastor. Because I am always amazed at what people have already experienced, sometimes suffered, and what happiness they can tell about. And then there is the other motive that drives me to seek a home in this church: Because we always open the Bible here and read in the old stories. The Bible is full of life stories that tell a lot about what people before us have experienced and suffered. And how they trusted and hoped in everything and sometimes despite everything. They tell of how people were held and comforted. These are stories of the salvation of life. And in these old stories we are also included, that is my deep conviction. We too are held and carried, through highs and lows. And nothing, absolutely nothing, can separate us from the love of God. Such a faith, as Martin Luther once says, "is a living, daring confidence in God's grace. And such confidence makes us joyful, courageous and full of desire for God and all creatures". I want to hear and tell about this again and again. This is the reason why I feel at home in this church. Maybe you would like to drop in as well. And we can start telling stories together. I look forward to meeting you, whatever the reason you find your way to our church!
Yours, Susanne Krage-Dautel, Pastor
Government of the community
Community presidency
Head of the community is the community itself. Each member has the right to vote on the community’s future in the yearly assembly. During the assembly members for the church council will be elected, who together with the pastors are moving forward the community’s daily business.
The community’s legal representative is the president of the community. He/She is elected by the church council. Presently it is Bettina Schindler, vice-president is Petra Mohr-Casini. Responsible for financial matters is our treasurer, Susanne Ritterhaus.
The present church council is truly diverse in terms of age, origin and interests. This is a great plus because different views and aspects can be heard and discussed. All our decisions must be measured against the gospel of Jesus Christ to which we have committed ourselves.
In addition to the president, treasurer and pastor, Geertje Hansen and Gabriele Wöller are members of the Presbyterian Council.
Our territory
The regions
The area which our community spans is greater than Switzerland. It consists of the entire Tuscany, Emilia Romagna and the northern regions of the Marche. Indisputable center of the community is, however, Florence: here is our church, the house of the parish and office of the pastors. Alongside exist community groups in Pisa and in the Emilia Romagna. Please take a look at our event calendar to find out more about when and where we meet.incontriamo.
The basis of our faith
Theological foundations
Our community belongs to the Evangelical-Lutheran church in Italy. Foundation of our belief is the gospel of Jesus Christ as it has been attested in the holy script.
During the time of the reformation the Evangelical-Lutheran understanding of belief has been laid down in writing in 1530 in the “confession of Augsburg“ (confessio Augustana), which is valid up until today.
Other important principals of denomination for our church are the “Thelogical declaration of Barmen“ (1934) and the “Concordance of Leuenberg“ (1973). You can find more about the fundaments of our belief at the webpresence of the Evangelical-Lutheran church in Italy.
