Governance
The General Synod, the Consistory, the Archbishop and the bishops.
Overview
The Estonian Evangelical Lutheran Church is governed according to its Constitution and Church Law, adopted by the General Synod. The church has four dioceses, twelve deaneries and about 170 congregations in Estonia, as well as congregations abroad.
General Synod
The General Synod (Kirikukogu) is the highest legislative and administrative body of the EELC. Its members by virtue of office are the Archbishop, the bishops, the Chancellor, the assessors and the deans. Elected members are three representatives of each deanery synod (at least one clergy and one lay member) and two representatives of the Clerical Conference; in addition, the Archbishop appoints two representatives of the chaplaincies. Elected members serve for four years. The General Synod adopts church law, decides doctrinal and liturgical matters at the highest level on the proposal of the Episcopal Council, approves the development plan, the budget and the annual report, and elects the Archbishop, the bishops, the Chancellor and the assessors. The XXXII General Synod has been in office since 25 November 2025; it usually meets twice a year.
Consistory
The Consistory (Konsistoorium) is the government of the EELC, seated in Tallinn. The Archbishop, who is its president, and the bishops are members by virtue of office. The elected members are the Chancellor and two to four assessors, elected by the General Synod for four years. The Chancellor heads the office of the Consistory and the economic affairs of the church; the Archbishop assigns each member one or more fields of work.
Dioceses and deaneries
Since 30 April 2024 the EELC has four dioceses, each led by a bishop:
- Archdiocese of Tallinn — Tallinn deanery; Archbishop Urmas Viilma; cathedral: Tallinn Cathedral of St Mary the Virgin
- Diocese of Northern Estonia — Ida-Harju, Järva, Lääne-Harju and Viru deaneries; Bishop Ove Sander, who is also responsible for the congregations abroad; cathedral: Tallinn Cathedral
- Diocese of Southern Estonia — Tartu, Valga, Viljandi and Võru deaneries; Bishop Marko Tiitus; cathedral: St John’s Church, Viljandi
- Diocese of Saare-Lääne — Lääne, Pärnu and Saarte deaneries; Bishop Anti Toplaan; cathedral: St Lawrence’s Church, Kuressaare
A deanery is led by a dean. The deanery synod meets at least once a year; its members are the dean and the clergy serving in the deanery, together with two lay members elected for four years by the council of each congregation. The Archbishop, the bishop or their representative may take part with the right to vote.
Episcopal Council and College of Bishops
The Episcopal Council (Piiskoplik nõukogu) assists the Archbishop in governing the church and in forming its doctrinal positions. Its members are the Archbishop, the bishops, the deans, the members of the Consistory, the two chaplaincy representatives appointed to the General Synod and the two General Synod members elected by the Clerical Conference; an archbishop emeritus or bishop emeritus may attend with the right to vote. It decides on matters of doctrine and liturgy, issues recommendations to the Consistory and other bodies, and resolves general questions of faith and morals.
The College of Bishops (Piiskoppide kogu) consists of the Archbishop and the bishops and takes its decisions unanimously. It resolves individual questions concerning the exercise of the ordained ministry and individual disputes in matters of faith and morals, and gives recommendations to the Consistory and other church bodies.
Clerical Conference
All clergy of the EELC are members of the Clerical Conference (Vaimulike konverents). It approves changes to the doctrinal foundations, the service book and ecumenical agreements with doctrinal content before they are decided by the Episcopal Council or the General Synod, and elects two members of the General Synod. It meets every January.
Congregations
Each congregation is governed by its general meeting, which elects a congregation council for strategic decisions; the council elects a management board for day-to-day affairs. The pastor and the assistant pastor are members of the council by virtue of office, and the pastor works closely with the chair of the board in leading the spiritual and practical life of the congregation.
The Archbishop
Urmas Viilma, Archbishop of the Estonian Evangelical Lutheran Church, was born on 13 August 1973 in Tallinn. After graduating from Saue Secondary School in 1991 he studied theology at the EELC Theological Institute, graduating in 1998. He was ordained deacon on 2 May 1993 and priest on 15 September 1998, and consecrated bishop on 2 February 2015.
He began his ministry at the age of 19 in Keila congregation as assistant to the Revd Jaan Jaani, then the youngest clergyman in Estonia. Half a year later he was entrusted with Pärnu-Jakobi congregation, which he served for eleven years, first as deacon (1993–1998) and then as pastor (1998–2004). He was also acting assistant dean (1999–2003) and assistant dean (2003–2005) of Pärnu deanery and chairman of the EELC Sunday School Union (1997–1999).
From 2004 to 2008 he was director of the Church Property Administration (OÜ Kiriku Varahaldus) and from 2008 chairman of its supervisory board. He has been a member of the Consistory since 2005: assessor for children and youth work until 2008 and Chancellor of the Consistory from 2008 to 2015. In 2010 he was elected pastor of Tallinn Cathedral congregation, which he served until he took office as archbishop. He has been a member of the General Synod since 1997.
On 26 November 2014 the General Synod elected Urmas Viilma Archbishop. He was consecrated and installed on 2 February 2015 in Tallinn Cathedral by Bishop Einar Soone, acting archbishop, Bishop Andres Taul of the Estonian Evangelical Lutheran Church Abroad and Archbishop emeritus Andres Põder. Since the dioceses were formed on 30 April 2024 he also leads the Archdiocese of Tallinn; by virtue of his office he is the senior pastor of Tallinn Cathedral congregation.
For more than thirty years Urmas Viilma has also worked as a teacher and school chaplain: from 1991 to 2011 he taught religious education at Pärnu-Jaagupi and Saue Gymnasiums. In 2010, together with the Cathedral congregation and the Consistory, he re-established the Tallinn Cathedral School, where he still teaches religion two mornings a week; since 2015 he has chaired its foundation’s supervisory board.
He has been active in ecumenical and international church life. He was a member of the Central Committee of the World Council of Churches (2013–2018) and, from 2017 to 2023, a member of the Council of the Lutheran World Federation and its Vice-President for Central Eastern Europe. He has represented the EELC in the Estonian Council of Churches since 2015 and has been its President since 2022. He has also served in local government as a member of Halinga rural municipality council (1996–2003, chairman 1999–2002) and of Saue town council (2005–2013, vice-chairman).
His books include Valguse tähed (2020), Via Crucis – meie Issanda Jeesuse Kristuse ristitee (2022) and Rist kolbal. Kuidas saada pühaks (2025).
The church has awarded him the EELC Cross of Merit, III class (2007) and I class (2015), and the EELC Golden Cross (2015); in 2012 the Clerical Conference chose him as Clergyman of the Year. He has also received the badges of merit of the town of Saue (2015) and the city of Tallinn (2021), the badge of merit of the Estonian Flag Society (2022) and the Buxhoeveden Cross (2023).
Urmas Viilma speaks Estonian, English and Finnish. He is married to Egle Viilma; they have a daughter, Birgitta-Simi (born 2005).
Bishops
Ove SANDER, Bishop of the Diocese of Northern Estonia
Marko TIITUS, Bishop of the Diocese of Southern Estonia
Anti TOPLAAN, Bishop of the Diocese of Saare-Lääne
Joel LUHAMETS, Bishop emeritus
Tiit SALUMÄE, Bishop emeritus
Einar SOONE, Bishop emeritus
Consistory
Members of the Consistory:
The Most Revd Urmas VIILMA, Archbishop
The Right Revd Ove SANDER, Bishop
The Right Revd Marko TIITUS, Bishop
The Right Revd Anti TOPLAAN, Bishop
The Revd Andrus MÕTTUS, Chancellor
Mr Mattias HAAMER, Assessor
The Revd Katrin-Helena MELDER, Assessor
The Revd Toomas NIGOLA, Assessor