Astrid Weyermüller took over as Head of Communication and Fundraising at the Evangelical Mission in Solidarity (EMS) on 1 September 2025.  

Astrid Weyermüller comes to her new role with many years of professional experience in an international church context. “I appreciate the diversity within the ecumenical context and the opportunity to work with people from different churches and backgrounds,” says Weyermüller. “In my work, the important thing for me is to bear witness to God’s message of hope in word and deed and raise the voice of the voiceless,” she points out, also adding that "Justice, peace and the care for creation are issues that the EMS is also committed to and which require active involvement and advocacy."

Astrid Weyermüller was born in Windhoek (Namibia) in 1968. She graduated at the University of Natal in Pietermaritzburg (South Africa) with a Bachelor of Arts and then completed a diploma in translation. In addition, she became a parish deaconess. After being a trainee at a public relations agency in Hamburg, she served as press spokesperson and public relations officer for the Protestant Church District of Bielefeld. Since 2016, she held a position as public relations officer for the Lutheran World Federation (Geneva).

“I am pleased that our Management Board and the Department of Communication and Fundraising are now once again fully staffed,” says Dr Dieter Heidtmann, General Secretary of EMS. “This also marks another important step in our efforts to position EMS as a more international and gender-inclusive organization. Our Management Board now comprises a majority of women and individuals with international backgrounds.”

Press contact: Astrid Weyermüller, weyermueller@dont-want-spam.ems-online.org, Tel. +49 711 63678 -11

The Evangelical Mission in Solidarity (EMS) is a fellowship of churches and mission societies on three continents. 25 Evangelical churches and five mission societies in Europe, Africa, Asia and the Middle East together form an international network of long-term partnerships. Members of the EMS in Germany include the Protestant Churches in Baden, Hesse and Nassau, Kurhessen-Waldeck, the Palatinate and Wuerttemberg as well as the Moravian Church, the German East Asia Mission (DOAM), the Basel Mission – German Branch (BMDZ) and the Evangelical Association for the Schneller Schools (EVS).