Gottfried W. Locher (theologian)

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Gottfried W. Locher (2013)

Gottfried Wilhelm Locher (born October 31, 1966 in Bern , resident in Zurich and Bern) is a Swiss pastor and Protestant Reformed theologian . From January 1, 2011, he was President of the Evangelical Reformed Church in Switzerland (EKS for short; former name: Swiss Evangelical Church Federation) until he announced his resignation with immediate effect on May 27, 2020. From 2015 to June 2020 he was also the Executive President of the Community of Evangelical Churches in Europe (CPCE).

Life

Locher received his PhD in systematic theology (Ph.D.) from King's College , University of London in 2000 ( Sign of the Advent: A Study in Protestant Ecclesiology, published as a book in 2004). He also received a Master of Business Administration (MBA) from London Business School . In the Swiss military he commanded a battalion as a lieutenant colonel. From 1994 to 1999 he worked as a pastor at the Swiss Church in London . From 2001 to 2005 he was head of the external relations department of the Federation of Swiss Protestant Churches and from 2006 to 2010 he was head of the Institute for Ecumenical Studies at the University of Friborg (Switzerland) . In 2008 he was elected to the Synodal Council of the Reformed Churches in Bern-Jura-Solothurn , where he worked until 2010.

Locher was the full-time President of the Council of the Evangelical Reformed Church in Switzerland from 2011 to 2020, his predecessor in office was Thomas Wipf . In June 2018, Locher was elected Council President for the third time; he received 43 of the 70 MPs, his challenger Rita Famos received 24 votes.

On October 12, 2015, Locher was elected as the successor to Regional Bishop Friedrich Weber, who died in 2015, as the Executive President of the Council of the Community of Evangelical Churches in Europe (CPCE). He was re-elected in 2018. He shared the bureau with Miriam Rose and John Bradbury. Locher has also been chairman of the Swiss Council of Religions since 2015 .

Locher networks the Swiss Reformed world-wide, maintains active relationships on many sides, especially with the Roman Catholic Church , without giving up fundamental Protestant concerns. The freedom gained from faith in Christ and the act for which prayer is responsible are particularly important to him. In addition, he wants to wake up the Protestant Reformed churches in Switzerland, reform them and give them more profile. In 2014 he hit the headlines because he made pointed statements in a book interview about men, women, sexuality , prostitution and other topics and was sometimes accused of sexism . In August 2019, Locher advocated marriage for same-sex couples .

After Sabine Brändlin, a colleague of Locher's EKS, resigned from the executive branch in spring 2020 because of “irreconcilable differences”, several women accused Locher of having “violated boundaries”. Among other things, under pressure from four large regional churches, Locher finally resigned as president on May 27th. The allegations have not yet been clarified. In June 2020 he also announced his resignation from the Council and Presidium of the Community of Evangelical Churches in Europe (CPCE).

Locher is married and has three children.

Honors

The University of Debrecen in eastern Hungary awarded him an honorary doctorate (Dr. theol. H. C.) In 2013 . He is an honorary knight of the Swiss Order of St. John . In 2017 he was installed as Ecumenical Dome of Honor at London's St Paul's Cathedral .

literature

Web links

  • Brigitta Rotach: Gottfried Locher. Pastor Gottfried Locher, the new President of the Council of the Federation of Swiss Evangelical Churches, explains why the Church makes you happy. “ Sternstunde Religion ”, Schweizer Fernsehen , Zurich January 30, 2011 online

Individual evidence

  1. ↑ Naturalized in 2009 in Bern ( Gesellschaft zum Distelzwang ); Directory of the citizens of the city of Bern on January 1st, 2010. Burgerbuch. Edited from official sources and from private communications , Bern 2010, p. 445.
  2. ↑ Swiss Evangelical Church Federation, Council President Gottfried Locher ( Memento from December 14, 2014 in the Internet Archive )
  3. ↑ Vaness Buff: Gottfried Locher resigns. ref.ch, accessed on May 27, 2020.
  4. ↑ https://www.handelszeitung.ch/management/ich-erwarte- Resistance-von- der-basis
  5. ^ Giorgio V. Müller: The President of the Federation of Churches succeeds in re-election. In: www.nzz.ch. June 17, 2018, accessed June 17, 2018 .
  6. ^ Gottfried Locher again elected President of the Evangelical Churches in Europe Communique des SEK.
  7. ↑ Gottfried Locher: Christianity in the Middle East - impressions of two journeys. Filzbach June 16, 2013.
  8. ↑ Gottfried Locher: [1] The change . The problem. On the importance of the Last Supper for ecumenism . Keynote speech at the conference "Ecumenism where?" Focolare Movement , Bern November 8, 2012.
  9. ↑ Gottfried Locher: Silence - Movement - Community. Three insights into the Reformation anniversary. Synod of the Evangelical Reformed Church in Zurich, November 27, 2012.
  10. ^ Gottfried Locher: Word of the Council President. Scuol June 17th, 2014.
  11. ↑ Stefan von Bergen: Words of faith like sin are not slow-moving. If Gottfried Locher, President of the Federation of Swiss Protestant Churches (SEK) wants to reform the church structures, he is too brisk for many. When he speaks strongly about sin and suicide, he may seem too Catholic or too modern to some. Berner Zeitung , November 10, 2014.
  12. ↑ René Donzé: Gottfried Locher praises the services of prostitutes. NZZ on Sunday , November 8, 2014.
  13. ↑ Sexism allegation to Gottfried Locher by Rebecca Angelini from the Zurich specialist office for trafficking in women. ref.ch November 10, 2014.
  14. ↑ Michael Meier: A politically not entirely correct shepherd. Gottfried Locher, President of the Federation of Swiss Protestant Churches, is sharpening his profile. Tages-Anzeiger , November 11, 2014.
  15. ↑ Roger Köppel : Organizational Charts of Redemption. Gottfried Wilhelm “Godi” Locher, 48, is the President of the Federation of Swiss Protestant Churches. His bold plans arouse opposition. Spicy: Locher wants to make the Reformed more Catholic in order to save them from dwindling membership, loss of substance and ruin. World Week , November 21, 2014.
  16. ↑ Liechtenstein Fatherland: Supreme Protestant Supports Homosexual Marriage , accessed on August 20, 2019
  17. ↑ Simon Hehli: Amorous entanglements plunge the Reformed Church into crisis. In: Neue Zürcher Zeitung from June 15, 2020.
  18. ↑ Press release of the Community of Evangelical Churches in Europe from June 26, 2020 .
  19. ↑ Death does not have the last word. NZZ on Sunday. March 27, 2016, accessed June 17, 2020.
  20. ^ Martin Garbani: Honorary Ecumenical Canon of St. Paul's. In: Johanniter Bulletin 2017 No. 1. Accessed June 1, 2020 .
  21. ^ Martin Garbani: Honorary Ecumenical Canon of St. Paul's. In: Johanniter Bulletin 2017 No. 1. Accessed June 1, 2020 .
personal data
SURNAME Locher, Gottfried W.
ALTERNATIVE NAMES Locher, Gottfried Wilhelm (full name); Locher, Godi (nickname)
BRIEF DESCRIPTION Swiss Evangelical Reformed pastor and theologian and President of the Federation of Swiss Evangelical Churches
DATE OF BIRTH October 31, 1966
PLACE OF BIRTH Bern