Estonian Evangelical Lutheran Church

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St. Paul's Church in Viljandi

The Estonian Evangelical Lutheran Church (Estonian: Eesti Evangeelne Luterlik Kirik) is a Christian Protestant church, following the teachings of the German theologian Martin Luther, one of the main figures of the Reformation in the 16th century, in the country of Estonia; and whose teachings caused the Roman Catholic Church to force his excommunication from that ecclesial body.

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.

As of 2006 the EELC reported approximately 200,000 members.

EELC is member of the Lutheran World Federation. The current archbishop is the Most Rev. Andres Põder. The Archbishop of the Estonian Evangelical Lutheran Church Abroad is the Most Rev. Dr Andres Taul, also a pastor of the Lutheran Church - Canada.