Free Evangelical Congregations in Switzerland
| Free Evangelical Congregations in Switzerland (FEG Switzerland) |
|
|---|---|
|
|
| legal form | Nonprofit organization |
| founding | 1910 |
| Seat |
Pfäffikon ZH , Switzerland
|
| motto | Diversity in unity |
| main emphasis | Umbrella organization of the Free Evangelical Congregations in Switzerland |
| Action space | Switzerland |
| Chair | Peter Schneeberger |
| Employees | Over 300 employees, 150 of them with pastoral tasks |
| Members | 94 local congregations, approx. 8,000 members, approx. 12,500 worshipers (2017) |
| Website | www.feg.ch |
The Association of Free Evangelical Congregations in Switzerland ( FEG Switzerland for short , formerly Bund FEG) is a non-profit association that primarily comprises independent congregations, but also friendly congregations and congregations of the domestic mission “Vision Switzerland”. The association belongs to the pietistic- evangelical tradition of Protestantism. As Protestant free churches they are organized under private law and institutionally independent from other churches, but see themselves as part of the worldwide community of Jesus Christ.
The basis of faith of the FEG Switzerland and its communities is the Bible. The events of Free Evangelical Congregations are open to all interested parties. The cooperation in the communities and in the FEG Switzerland is done out of conviction and predominantly on a voluntary basis - with time, talents and finances.
The congregations are mainly financed by donations from their members. The FEG Switzerland supports its congregations spiritually, personally and administratively, and they found new congregations in Switzerland, Austria, Italy, France, Spain and Poland. It encourages the congregations and their members to live out and communicate the Gospel of Jesus Christ in a contemporary, innovative and transparent manner.
structure
In 2017 there were 94 Free Evangelical Congregations in Switzerland. The communities were visited by around 12,500 people. About 8,000 people were also members of the local community association.
In addition to many volunteers, more than 300 employees are currently working in the parishes, of which around 150 are responsible for pastoral tasks. The local communities are legally independent and therefore financially responsible. The association mainly takes care of the education and training of pastors, church counseling and inter-congregational diaconal tasks such as child, youth, adult, family and senior work.
history
The Eglise du Bourg-de-Four in Geneva , founded on October 5, 1817 and shaped by Scottish Congregationalism in its organizational form, is considered to be the first predecessor of the Free Evangelical Congregations . The foundation of the FEGs goes back to the work of Karl von Rodt (1805–1861), who from 1833 founded various free, awakening Christian communities. The first Free Evangelical Congregation emerged from the small francophone Eglise de Dieu in Bern, which was led by the evangelist Jean-François Ronget. It was first mentioned in a document in September 1828. This community was taken over by von Rodt in 1833. In the cantons of Bern, Schaffhausen, Thurgau and Zurich, the evangelist and revival preacher Johannes Winzeler (1815–1863) worked from 1838 to 1849 as a preacher, church planter and founder of the Storzeln village community.
In 1877 the free Protestant congregations formed a federation. After a long dry spell, the Bund was re-established on July 5, 1910 in Winterthur by 17 congregations under the name Bund der Free Evangelical Congregations in Switzerland . In 1970 30 municipalities were counted, 38 in 1980, 57 in 1990, over 70 independent municipalities in 2009 and the 2015 annual report mentions 82 federal municipalities.
Relationships
FEG Switzerland has a social welfare organization, the Tabor children's home in Aeschi near Spiez . The FEG Switzerland was significantly involved in the development of the Federation of Protestant Swiss Youths (BESJ) and is still one of the most important sponsors of this youth association.
Many congregations are members of the local section of the Evangelical Alliance .
Since evangelism, mission and intercultural work are important to the FEG, a partnership with the Swiss Alliance Mission is maintained.
Most of the pastors who work in the local congregations were educated at the State Independent Theological University (STH Basel) , the St. Chrischona Theological Seminary , the Beatenberg Biblical Theology Seminar , the Institute for Church Building and World Mission and the International Seminary of Theology and Leadership (ISTL) trained.
The Federation of Free Evangelical Churches in Switzerland is a member of the International Federation of Free Evangelical Churches (IFFEC), which was founded in Bern in 1948, but dates back to 1834 in Bern.
See also
Web links
Individual evidence
- ↑ Annual report FEG Switzerland 2015
- ↑ Andrea Vonlanthen: The FEG is doing very well , ideaSpektrum , Liestal November 15, 2017, p. 16
- ↑ Andrea Vonlanthen: The FEG is doing very well , ideaSpektrum, Liestal November 15, 2017, pp. 14-17
- ↑ Andrea Vonlanthen: The FEG is doing very well , ideaSpektrum, Liestal, November 15, 2017, pp. 14-17
- ↑ Hartmut Weyel: Timeline for the early history of the Free Evangelical Churches. In: An Act of Conscience. Memories of Hermann Heinrich Grafe. Bundes-Verlag, Witten 1988, 3-926417-50-1, p. 285.
- ^ Rolf Ch. Strasser: Notes on the history of the Free Evangelical Congregations . Text archive of the Evangelical Remote Library (PDF; 199 kB), p. 9.
- ^ Armin Mauerhofer: A revival movement in the 19th century. Karl von Rodt and the emergence of the Free Evangelical Congregations in Switzerland. Brunnen, Giessen / Basel 1987, ISBN 3-7655-9331-1 (also dissertation Uni Bern 1986). P. 92.
- ^ History of the FEG Bern: The time it was founded on the FEG Bern website (accessed on September 9, 2012).
- ↑ Hanspeter Nüesch: Johannes Winzeler, 1815-1863, revival preacher, church planter , social manager, song writer and founder of the Christian village community Storzeln , Boppelsen 2017, p. 23
- ^ Ueli Junge: The Free Evangelical Congregations in Switzerland. In: Johannes Demandt (ed.): The churches of the present . Volume 4. In: Evangelischer Bund (Ed.): (= Bensheimer Hefte. Issue 114). Vandenhoeck & Ruprecht, Göttingen 2012, ISBN 978-3-525-87242-0 , pp. 134-137.
- ↑ Sections and municipalities without a section on www.each.ch (accessed on September 9, 2012).
- ↑ Andrea Vonlanthen: The FEG is doing very well , ideaSpektrum, Liestal November 15, 2017, p. 16
- ↑ History section on the IFFEC website (accessed September 9, 2012).