Conference of European Churches

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The Conference of European Churches (CEC) is the regional ecumenical organization of the Orthodox , Anglican , Old Catholic , Protestant (including Lutheran , Reformed , United , Methodist , Baptist ) churches in Europe. It is one of the eight regional ecumenical associations which together encompass practically the whole world. The Roman Catholic Church is not a member of CEC, but works with CEC through the Council of European (Catholic) Bishops' Conferences.

The KEK (English CEC) has had its seat in Brussels since 2015. She has another office in Strasbourg. Until 2014 its seat was in the Ecumenical Center in Geneva (Switzerland). CEC is an independent organization, but it works closely with the World Council of Churches . Her constant concern is to promote Christian unity and service to the whole community.

history

The movement that led to the creation of the Conference of European Churches dates back to the Cold War . The fragmented and divided Europe of the forties and fifties first had to overcome political divisions in order to be able to turn again to the peoples that the Second World War had torn apart.

During this time a small group of church leaders in Eastern and Western Europe began to discuss ways of bringing the churches in the various European countries with their different political, economic and social systems into conversation with one another. Its aim was to help the churches of Europe to take on the role of mediator for peace and understanding.

In 1953 and 1957 the first exploratory and preparatory meetings took place. In January 1959, representatives from over forty churches gathered for the first CEC assembly in Nyborg Strand , Denmark . The second general assembly met here in 1960 and the third in 1962.

At the beginning the organization represented only a loose connection of churches. But with the adoption of a statute by the fourth general assembly in 1964 a significant step was taken towards the formation of a regional church conference. This general assembly took place at sea on board the Bornholm in order to avoid last-minute visa difficulties.

At the fifth general assembly, which took place in Pörtschach am Wörther See (Austria) in 1967 , it was decided to set up a full-time general secretariat from April 1968. Further plenary assemblies met in Nyborg Strand (Denmark) 1971, Engelberg (Switzerland) 1974, Chania (Crete) 1979, Stirling (Scotland) 1986, Prague (Czech Republic) 1992, Graz (Austria) 1997, Trondheim (Norway) 2003, Lyon (France 2009), Budapest (Hungary) 2013, Novi Sad (Serbia) 2018.

From the beginning, KEK has seen one of its main tasks to be to build bridges between Eastern and Western Europe. It has also sought such bridges between minority and majority churches and between Christians of different denominational traditions. CEC meetings are important opportunities for leaders and other members of the churches to meet and reflect together on theological and social issues. Such meetings also provide the necessary impetus for constructive action, especially in the area of ​​peace, justice and reconciliation .

CEC has endured some tensions in recent years. The Russian Orthodox Church suspended its work in the European Church Association in autumn 2008. The Bulgarian Orthodox Church and the Georgian Orthodox Apostle Church had already left the organization in 1997 .

Organizational form

The KEK is an association under Belgian law. The highest body is the general assembly, which meets at least every five years. In between, a 20-member governing board is responsible for managing the conference. The General Assembly also elects the three-person Presidium, which consists of full members of the Administrative Committee.

Bureau

The Presidium of the Conference of European Churches consists of three people. Christian Krieger , President of the Synodal Council of the Reformed Church of Alsace and Lorraine , Cleopas Strongylis , Orthodox Metropolitan of Sweden and all of Scandinavia, and Gulnar Francis-Dehqani , Anglican Bishop of the Diocese of Peterborough, have officiated since the 2018 General Assembly .

Staff

The KEK works with a small staff of 14 people. The main office was in Geneva in the Ecumenical Center until the end of 2014. Since 2015 it has been in Brussels, where the office of the Commission for Church and Society was previously located, with a branch in Strasbourg.

The general secretary is the Danish Lutheran Jørgen Skov Sørensen . His predecessors were the Finnish Orthodox Fr. Heikki Huttunen (2015–2019), the Belgian Protestant pastor Guy Liagre (2012–2015), the Romanian Orthodox theologian Viorel Ionița , the Anglican Archdeacon Colin Williams (2005–2010), the Baptist pastor Keith W. Clements , the Swiss Reformed Jean Fischer, and the Baptist Glen Garfield Williams .

membership

Today CEC has 126 member churches in all European countries, around half of them in Central and Eastern Europe. About 30 of the CEC member churches are not members of the World Council of Churches (WCC). With the exception of the Roman Catholic Church, all major denominational families are represented in CEC: Orthodox, Lutherans, Reformed, Anglicans, Methodists, Baptists, Old Catholics and Pentecostals. Some churches with ethnic minorities are also members. Member churches must agree to the following basic statement, which is closely based on the basic formula of the WCC:

“The Conference of European Churches is an ecumenical fellowship of churches in Europe, which confess the Lord Jesus Christ as God and Savior according to the Holy Scriptures and therefore seek together to fulfill what they are called to do, to the glory of God, the Father, the Son and the Holy Spirit."

German-speaking member churches

Germany

Liechtenstein

Luxembourg

Austria

Switzerland

Italy (South Tyrol)

Associated Organizations

Since 1992 it has been possible for church groups to become CEC associate organizations. To date, 43 such organizations have made use of this opportunity to establish a close relationship with the activities and programs of CEC. These organizations include national councils of churches and associations of lay people, women and young people, whose programs run parallel to and often in cooperation with CEC. With the new constitution passed at the General Assembly in Budapest in 2013, a distinction is now made between national councils of churches and organizations in partnership.

Cooperation with the Roman Catholic Church

The Roman Catholic Church is not a member, but there is close cooperation between CEC and the Council of (Catholic) European Bishops' Conferences (Consilium Conferentiarum Episcopalium Europae, CCEE). One result of this cooperation are six European Ecumenical Meetings between KEK and CCEE. These took place in 1978 in Chantilly / France, 1981 in Løgumkloster / Denmark, 1984 in Riva del Garda / Italy, 1988 in Erfurt / then GDR, 1991 in Santiago de Compostela / Spain and 2001 in Strasbourg / France. On the occasion of the meeting in Strasbourg, the Presidents of KEK and CCEE signed the Charter Oecumenica .

KEK and CCEE also jointly organized three European Ecumenical Assemblies , 1989 in Basel (Switzerland), 1997 in Graz (Austria) and 2007 in Sibiu (Romania).

In addition, the CEC works closely with the COMECE - the Commission of the Bishops' Conferences of the European Union - based in Brussels in their contacts to the EU institutions.

developments

Over the years, the expansion of activities and the increasing number of members brought structural changes with them. After the rapid succession of general assemblies in the early days, the general assemblies were held at longer intervals from the mid-1960s. In between, contact was maintained through a growing number of consultations on specific topics, each with 40 to 50 participants. About 10 years later, programs were created for special areas. The program of theological studies was followed in succession by the program for interchurch service and a program for human rights, which was placed in the framework of the Final Act of the Conference on Security and Cooperation in Europe (CSCE; now OSCE ) and jointly with the Canadian Council of Churches and the National Council of the Churches of Christ in the United States. Other areas of work today include “Islam in Europe” (in cooperation with the CCEE), refugees and asylum seekers, and public relations.

CEC must face specific European situations, such as the long history of divisions and hostility between churches, the relationship between church and state and culture, the situation of minority and majority churches, of old and younger churches, and the divisions and tensions that have emerged from the international upheavals in recent years. In order to better respond to the demands of the Church and society on the European continent, the General Assembly in 1997 approved the integration of CEC with the European Ecumenical Commission for Church and Society (EECCS), which has offices in Brussels and Strasbourg. This merger was carried out in 1999 and the EECCS became the Church and Society Commission - within CEC. This step was intended to facilitate the action of the churches, especially in the European political institutions.

There is close cooperation with the WCC, especially in the areas of faith and order , world mission and evangelism, interchurch aid and human rights . In some cases a division of labor has been made. There is also a close working relationship with the European National Councils of Churches. The annual meeting of their general secretaries has proven to be extremely valuable.

financing

The CEC is financed from the membership fees of the member churches. In 2017 her budget was €. A key for the calculation of the contributions has been worked out. He tries to distribute the burden as fairly as possible. Member churches also make a not insignificant contribution to the overall budget by assuming costs, hosting conferences, etc. However, CEC will continue to depend on solidarity between the member churches in the future. Grants from church aid organizations and other organizations are also still necessary so that CEC, as a European ecumenical association, can carry out the tasks assigned to it.

Previous CEC General Assemblies and their topics

  • 1959 Nyborg (Denmark): "European Christianity in today's secularized world"
  • 1960 Nyborg (Denmark): "The ministry of the Church in a changing world"
  • 1962 Nyborg (Denmark): "The Church in Europe and the Crisis of Modern Man"
  • 1964 on board the MS Bornholm: "Living together as continents and generations"
    Conference of European Churches --- Meeting 1964 --- Deposition of the participants from the GDR and other Warsaw Pact states in the dinghy before landing in Denmark
    Conference of European Churches --- meeting 1964
    Conference of European Churches --- meeting 1964
  • 1967 Pörtschach (Austria): "Serving and reconciling - the task of the European Church today"
  • 1971 Nyborg (Denmark): "Servants of God, servants of men"
  • 1974 Engelberg (Switzerland): "Be doers of the word - unity in Christ, peace for the world"
  • 1979 Chania (Crete): "In the power of the Holy Spirit, free for the world"
  • 1984 Geneva (Switzerland): "Witness to God in Secular Europe" (German witness of God in secular Europe , not published)
  • 1986 Stirling (Scotland): "Glory to God and peace on earth"
  • 1992 Prague (TSFR): "God unites - in Christ a new creation"
  • 1997 Graz (Austria): "Reconciliation - God's gift and source of new life"
  • 2003 Trondheim (Norway): "Jesus Christ heals and reconciles - Our testimony in Europe"
  • 2009 Lyon (France): "Called to one hope in Christ"
  • 2013 Budapest (Hungary): “And now what are you waiting for? CEC and its mission in a changing Europe "
  • 2018 Novi Sad (Serbia): "You will be my witnesses"

literature

  • Conference of European Churches: From Graz to Trondheim. Report to the General Assembly on the work and decisions of the Presidium and Central Committee between the 11th and 12th General Assembly , Geneva 2003, ISBN 2-88070-105-8 .
  • Conference of European Churches --- meeting 1964
    Council of European Bishops' Conferences, Conference of European Churches: Reconciliation - God's gift and source of new life. Documents of the Second European Ecumenical Assembly in Graz . Styria, Graz 1998, ISBN 3-222-12637-2 .
  • Hans-Ulrich Reuter: The European Ecumenical Commission for Church and Society (EECCS) as an example for the commitment of Protestantism at the European level . Dissertation University of Hannover, ibidem-Verlag, Stuttgart / Hannover 2002, ISBN 3-89821-218-1 .
  • ders .: Europa-Lobbyismus - Protestantisch, in: Handbuch der Religionen (LotR), Supplementary Delivery No. 35 (April 2013), http://www.olzog.de/articlesid/28839/Detail/Handbuch_der_Religionen.htm
Conference of European Churches --- Meeting 1964 --- MS Bornholm after landing in Denmark

Web links

Individual evidence

  1. ↑ Page no longer available , search in web archives: epd: European Church Conference opened in Lyon@1@ 2Template: Toter Link / www.epd.de
  2. ^ CEC elects presidency . KEK press release from June 12, 2018.
  3. ↑ Documentation of the 12th General Assembly (PDF, English).
  4. ↑ Documentation of the 13th General Assembly (PDF, English).
  5. ↑ Documentation of the 14th General Assembly (PDF, English).
Conference of European Churches --- Meeting 1964 --- Deposition of the participants from the GDR and other Warsaw Pact states in the dinghy before landing in Denmark