Diakonisches Werk Heidelberg — an overview of who we are

May we introduce ourselves? As an institution of the Evangelische Kirche in Heidelberg (Evangelical, or Protestant church of Heidelberg), we are part of the Evangelische Landeskirche Baden (Evangelical church of the territory of Baden, ie the Western part of the federal Land of Baden-Wurttemberg) and member of the Diakonisches Werk Baden e. V. (the social welfare organisation of the Protestant church of Baden, a registered society)—in short: We are the Diakonisches Werk Heidelberg, the social welfare organisation of the Protestant church in Heidelberg.

We'll be glad to show you in detail who we are, what we value, and how we work. If you have any questions or would like to know more: Do get in touch with us—we are looking forward to hearing from you!

Looking back in history — where we come from

The word “Diakonie” in our name is derived from ancient Greek and in its original sense means “help and care for the poor, the destitute and the needy” (see Matthew 25:44, Luke 12:37 and 17:8). Over time, the meaning of the term has evolved until it included both personal help in the evangelical spirit and the organised support services of the Evangelische Kirche in Deutschland (Evangelical church of Germany, or EKD). Today, “Diakonie” more than ever focuses on helping people in different stages and situations of life, beginning on local parish level.

What we do — our work at a glance

Working in partnership with the Evangelische Kirche Heidelberg, we supplement with a large variety of services the work done locally in the parishes. Whenever certain organisational conditions and professionality are needed, we are able to provide just that with our wide range of expert staff and a large number of engaged volunteers. We also provide services to state welfare agencies, fulfilling on their behalf community care tasks as a public welfare association.