Pastor in Gols

25 years in the service of the church and the people

Ingrid Tschank still enjoys holding trade fairs and chatting with her flock.

(Bild: Reinhard Judt)

Ingrid Tschank is a Protestant pastor in Gols. This year she is celebrating a quarter of a century for God - her heart always with her

Ingrid Tschank has been a pastor for 25 years. Her mother was Protestant, her father Catholic. "So I was born ecumenical," she smiles.

Tschank got to know both worlds and has always felt at home in religious understanding. First it was her grandmother who went to church with her, then her cousins. Ingrid Tschank was born in Stotzing, but from 1967 she grew up in Vienna - in Gumpendorf to be precise.

One of the people who influenced her there was Pastor Johannes Dantine. It was during her confirmation years that she first had the idea of becoming a pastor herself. Why? "Because a pastor has such a broad range of knowledge," she explains. "He can deal with young people as well as the elderly or those who are in the middle of their lives. Social issues, philosophy, history or culture, a pastor can have a say in many areas."

Ingrid Tschank in her spiritual beginnings.

(Bild: Reinhard Judt)

Tschank has been doing her job for 25 years and she still enjoys it. Nevertheless, some things have changed. "Religion and belonging to the church is no longer as self-evident for people as it was when I started," says the woman from Gols. She sees a general trend: "People are more critical of institutions and want to decide more than ever how they want to live their lives." Some turn their backs on the church, but often open up to other religious movements, such as esotericism. "They turn away from God and believe in many other things. Without wanting to devalue it, people today believe they have everything in their own hands. To put it bluntly, many believe they can do everything on their own."

Being close to people is important
On to what she still loves about her job. Without giving it much thought, it's the contact with people and the fact that she lives with them. Because: "A pastor has to be among the people and not in an ivory tower. You can often talk better over a glass of wine than in church." Tschank could already be retired, by the way. But on her 60th birthday, she extended her contract because she likes her job and the people in "her" Gols so much. Her last working day will be August 31, 2026.