Since October 8th, 1991, Slovenia is a sovereign state. The capital is Ljubljana and has nearly 265,000 inhabitants. There are 83.1 % Slovenians, 2 % Serbs, and 1.8 % Croats and Bosniaks living in Slovenia. Hungarians and Albanians are registered as ethnic minority.
81.98 % are members of the Roman Catholic Church, 2.4 % of the Protestant Church. There are also 1.3 % Muslims and 1.4 % Orthodox and Jews.
Evangeličanska Cerkev A.V. na Slovenskem
Evangelical Church A.C. in SloveniaThe Evangelical Church A.C. in Slovenia is the partner church of the Gustav Adolf Agency of the Evangelical Church in Germany. Mag. Geza Erniša is bishop and Dr. Aleksander Kerčmar is curator.
Already in the 16th century, some Slovenian parishes adopted the Reformed faith. The Bible translation into popular speech as well as catechetic writings together were the first books that were printed in the Slovenian language. During the Counter-Reformation, only two Slovenian parishes under Hungarian administrations were able to keep the Protestant faith. At a later date, the Austro-Hungarian Edict of Tolerance allowed the revivification of Protestant parishes in Eastern Slovenia. The Protestant majority in Prekmurje in the northeast of Slovenia still exists today.
The small Evangelical Church A.C., which is headed by a bishop since 2001(previously by a senior), leads an active congregational life. Worship services, religious education, church social service, youth and women’s activities, and media work show a traditional church character. As already mentioned, the regional focal point of the parishes is traditionally in the eastern “Trans-Mura-Land” (Prekmurje). Reformation Day is a national holiday.
