Hungary's Lutheran church needs donations, official says

The members of congregations need to provide more financial support to churches, Gergely Prőhle, the national superintendent of the Evangelical-Lutheran Church said at the national synod on Sunday. According to privatbankar.hu, he also said that the annual budget of the churches cannot be defined due to the uncertainty of state support.

Greater financial independence can only be achieved if everyone donates according to their ability, he said, stressing that this would increase stability in the church's social activities, which in turn could strengthen evangelical identity on both local and national levels. He added that for deepening social responsibility, it could be a good practice for the synod to choose a national diaconal and an educational institution every year and consider their support a national goal. He pointed out that acquiring tools for maintaining the institutions would be easier if relations between church communities were improved.

Prőhle also mentioned the development of real estate, saying that the church would like to improve the condition of its properties, but for that, appropriate distribution of assets would be necessary. He said that it would be important if properties "did not only require the spending of money but also brought money in."

Members of the synod also discussed the greatest evangelical investment, the Békásmegyer elders' home. The construction of the institution, which can provide housing to 64 people, was started in 2001 from a Ft 496 million (€1.93 million) grant for apartment construction from the interior ministry. Most of the Ft 150 million down payment was collected by a foundation from donations, and the synod will make a decision on further financial support in February.

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