▁the ▁People ' s ▁Church ▁Union ▁() ▁was ▁formed ▁and ▁advoc ated ▁un ification ▁without ▁respect ▁to ▁the ological ▁tradition ▁and ▁also ▁increasing ▁input ▁from ▁lay men . ▁However , ▁the ▁People ' s ▁Church ▁Union ▁quickly ▁split ▁along ▁territorial ▁lines ▁after ▁the ▁churches ' ▁relationship ▁with ▁the ▁new ▁govern ments ▁improved . ▁ ▁It ▁was ▁real ised ▁that ▁one ▁main stream ▁Protest ant ▁church ▁for ▁all ▁of ▁Germany ▁was ▁impossible ▁and ▁that ▁any ▁union ▁would ▁need ▁a ▁federal ▁model . ▁The ▁churches ▁met ▁in ▁Dresden ▁in ▁ 1 9 1 9 ▁and ▁created ▁a ▁plan ▁for ▁feder ation , ▁and ▁this ▁plan ▁was ▁adopted ▁in ▁ 1 9 2 1 ▁at ▁Stuttgart . ▁Then ▁in ▁ 1 9 2 2 ▁the ▁then ▁ 2 8 ▁territorial ly ▁defined ▁Protest ant ▁churches ▁founded ▁the ▁German ▁Evangel ical ▁Church ▁Confeder ation ▁( , ▁DE K ). ▁At ▁the ▁time , ▁the ▁feder ation ▁was ▁the ▁largest ▁Protest ant ▁church ▁feder ation ▁in ▁Europe ▁with ▁around ▁ 4 0 ▁million ▁members . ▁Because ▁it ▁was ▁a ▁feder ation ▁of ▁independent ▁bodies , ▁the ▁Church ▁Union ' s ▁work ▁was ▁limited ▁to ▁foreign ▁miss ions ▁and ▁relations ▁with ▁Protest ant ▁churches ▁outside ▁Germany , ▁especially ▁German ▁Protest ants ▁in ▁other ▁countries . ▁ ▁In ▁July ▁ 1 9 3 3 , ▁the ▁German ▁Evangel ical ▁Church ▁( , ▁DE K ) ▁was ▁formed ▁under ▁the ▁influence ▁of ▁the ▁German ▁Christians , ▁a ▁pro - N azi ▁religious ▁movement . ▁They ▁had ▁much ▁influence ▁over ▁the ▁dec