Andreas Behr becomes the new superintendent in Gifhorn – a breath of fresh air for the church!

Andreas Behr becomes the new superintendent in Gifhorn – a breath of fresh air for the church!

Andreas Behr becomes the new superintendent of the Gifhorn church district. In the election on Thursday evening, he received 34 of 60 votes in the second round, beating Derik Mennrich, the current federal police chaplain. This is reported by the Hanover Regional Church. Behr succeeds Sylvia Pfannschmidt, who will retire on Sunday.

The election was an exciting event in which both candidates demonstrated their suitability for the leadership position of the church district. During the election process, Behr emphasized the importance of leadership as a spiritual challenge. It was already clear in advance among the synod members who were eligible to vote that Behr wanted to bring fresh impulses to the church district. Ute Szameitat, the chairwoman of the Gifhorn church parliament, said she was positive about the election. She sees Behr as a capable successor for Pfannschmidt

Behr: An experienced clergyman

Andreas Behr, 54 years old, has an impressive career. He started as an assistant to the board of the Evangelical Lutheran missionary organization and was then a parish priest in Gifhorn. He also taught as a lecturer for confirmation work at the Religious Education Institute in Loccum. Most recently, he coordinated the activities of the Hanover regional church at the Protestant Church Congress. This experience will serve him well when he takes up his new position in October.

The challenger, Derik Mennrich, is 50 years old and also has a wealth of experience. He studied in Bethel, Aarhus and Göttingen and worked in the team parish office of the Bardowick Cathedral parish from 2006 to 2014. He currently leads a team of eleven pastors and employees at the federal police in Hanover. His commitment to a pastoral church was an important point that he emphasized in the election.

The path to becoming a superintendent

The election of the new superintendent is an important step because it is a church leadership position that has a dual function. It includes responsibility for implementing resolutions and representing the church in public. The new election is for a regular term of eight years, which, according to the Canon law of the Evangelical Church of Westphalia occurs when the incumbent person leaves or the term of office ends normally.

With the election of Andreas Behr, there is now a breath of fresh air in the Gifhorn church district, and expectations are high. The anticipation of an exciting time under his leadership is palpable, not only among the members of the synod, but also in the entire congregation. Behr will take up his duties in October and has already announced that he wants to work closely with believers to continue to strengthen the faith community.