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Bishop Dr Heinrich Bedford-Strohm, moderator of the WCC central committee, described Held as “a global Christian citizen in the best sense, who thereby gave an example of what we need more than ever in this divided world.”
“In a recent exchange with him, I could feel the ecumenical passion that characterized his whole life. We will honor his legacy by striving to be ambassadors of reconciliation and to work for a world in which peace and justice embrace,” said Bedford-Strohm.
Held helped shape modern ecumenism by grounding it firmly in theology while remaining keenly aware of political realities, without allowing the church to become partisan. He championed a globally inclusive vision of the Christian community, ensuring that voices from both the Global South and politically divided regions were heard and respected.
Above all, he was committed to sustaining Christian unity amid real-world tensions, demonstrating that faithful ecumenical engagement requires patient dialogue, moral clarity, and a willingness to remain together even in the face of profound disagreement.
At a sensitive time, he helped stabilize the WCC by balancing prophetic witness with institutional unity, keeping diverse member churches engaged. He supported the WCC’s engagement with issues such as peace and nuclear disarmament, human rights, racism and apartheid, and economic justice.
Born on 16 May 1928 in Wesseling am Rhein, Germany, into a pastoral household where his father exercised his ministry, Held grew up shaped by a history that would mark him forever. His father, Heinrich Held, was a pastor of the Confessing Church during the Nazi regime, and the family’s experiences during the Second World War left a profound imprint on his theological, ethical, and ecclesial consciousness.
From an early age, Held lived an intense and conscious spirituality. Reading the Word of God was for him not merely an intellectual exercise, but an attentive listening to a voice that spoke to his heart. This foundational experience marked his entire life: he was a sharp and demanding theological thinker, always committed to understanding, questioning, and probing more deeply, yet with a clear and deliberate boundary—never to deprive God of the sovereignty that is God’s own.
Held studied theology at the Church University of Wuppertal and at the universities of Göttingen, Heidelberg, and Bonn, earning his doctorate in Heidelberg in 1957.
In both his ministry and his personal life, he adopted as his motto the biblical text from 1 Corinthians 16:14: “Let all that you do be done in love” (Omnia in caritate), which guided him in many different circumstances.
From 1964 to 1968, he was Professor of Systematic Theology at the Lutheran Faculty of Theology in José C. Paz, near Buenos Aires, Argentina, and subsequently served as President of the Evangelical Church of the River Plate (1968–1974).
The ten years he lived and served in the countries of the River Plate region marked him for life.
In an obituary published on 8 January, the Evangelical Church of the River Plate remembered Held as “a man of profound spirituality, a theologian of notable distinction, and an influential voice of twentieth-century Protestantism.”
“Preacher, professor, pastor, and ecumenist, Heinz Joachim Held was, above all, a man of the Church in the broadest and deepest sense of the term,” the tribute reads.
From 1975 until his retirement in 1993, Held served in senior leadership positions within the Evangelical Church in Germany (EKD), heading its Office for Foreign Affairs - initially with the title of President and later as Bishop. In this role, he was deeply involved in global ecumenical relations.
As head of the Church Foreign Office of the EKD, he maintained dialogue with churches in Eastern Europe, the Soviet bloc, and the Global South. He argued that ecclesial unity must not mirror political divisions, insisting that churches remain in conversation even when governments were hostile. He strengthened the understanding that ecumenism is a theological commitment, not a political convenience.
Bishop Kirsten Fehrs, Chair of the Council of the EKD, and Dr Hans Ulrich Anke, President of the Church Office of the EKD, expressed their sorrow at his passing.
“Warmly devoted to people, Heinz Joachim Held drew strength from his deep faith. Eloquent and endowed with the broad perspective of someone who also became at home abroad,” they wrote. “With great gratitude, we bid farewell and will honor his memory.”
Held was also co-editor of the periodical Ökumenische Rundschau for nearly two decades and authored numerous scholarly and theological works, including studies on ecumenism, the WCC, and the New Testament.
A husband, father, and grandfather, he leaves a deep mark on his family—his daughters Annedore Venhaus, Ulrike Held, and Beate Held, and his son Joachim Held—as well as on the churches he accompanied and the generations he helped form.
The funeral service will take place on 16 January at 15:00 at the Herrenhäuser Church in Hannover, Germany.
WCC letter of condolences to the family of Bishop Em. Heinz Joachim Held
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Geneva, Switzerland, 12 June 1984. Pope John Paul II visits the World Council of Churches. The second visit by the head of the Roman Catholic Church to the Geneva headquarters of the WCC. From left: Pope John Paul II, Rev. Dr Philip Potter, WCC general secretary and Rt. Rev. Dr Heinz-Joachim Held, moderator of the WCC central committee.
Peter Williams/WCC
