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Communion of Protestant Churches in Europe#History

{{Short description|Fellowship of Protestant churches}}

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{{Infobox religion|name=Communion of Protestant Churches in Europe|image=Communion of Protestant Churches in Europe Emblem.png|caption=Gemeinschaft Evangelischer Kirchen in Europa

Communion d'Églises protestantes en Europe|abbreviation=CPCE, GEKE, CEPE|type=Communion|main_classification=Protestant|leader=Presidium|area=Europe|headquarters=Vienna, Austria|other_names=|website=https://www.leuenberg.eu/}}

The Communion of Protestant Churches in Europe (CPCE; German: Gemeinschaft Evangelischer Kirchen in Europa, GEKE) is a fellowship of over 100 Protestant churches which have signed the Leuenberg Agreement. Together they strive for realizing church communion, especially by cooperation in witness and service to the world. Prior to 2003 the CPCE was known as the "Leuenberg Church Fellowship".

In membership are most Lutheran and Reformed churches in Europe, the united churches that originated from mergers of those churches, and such pre-Reformation churches as the Waldensians. The European Methodist churches joined the CPCE by a common declaration of church fellowship in 1997.

The General Secretary of the CPCE is Mario Fischer. The Community's offices are located in Vienna, Austria, and are shared with those of the Protestant Church of the Augsburg Confession in Austria.

History <!--'Leuenberg Agreement' and 'Leuenberg Concord' redirect here-->

In 1973, theologians from major European Lutheran and Reformed churches met at the Swiss conference centre Leuenberg (near Basel) and finalized the Leuenberg Agreement or Leuenberg Concord, an ecumenical document declaring unity through Jesus Christ.{{citation|title=Agreement between Reformation churches in Europe|date=16 March 1973|url=http://www.leuenberg.net/sites/default/files/media/PDF/publications/konkordie-en.pdf|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20160812081150/http://leuenberg.net/sites/default/files/media/PDF/publications/konkordie-en.pdf|url-status=dead|archive-date=12 August 2016|website=Community of Protestant Churches in Europe}} Under this agreement the churches agree on a common understanding of the Gospel, including elementary agreement on important doctrines including christology,"Agreement" (1973), §2, 4, 9, 21-23 predestination,"Agreement" (1973), §24-25 Eucharist"Agreement" (1973), §13, 15, 18-20 and justification."Agreement" (1973), §6, 8, 10, 12, 13 They declare church fellowship, understood as pulpit and table fellowship as well as full communion in witness and service.

The churches involved were originally joined by an organization called the "Leuenberg Church Fellowship". In 2003 this was renamed the "Community (since 2020: "Communion") of Protestant Churches in Europe" as a sign of growing beyond the Lutheran and Reformed traditions,{{citation |last=Henkel |first=Reinhard |title=State-church relationships in Germany: past and present |journal=GeoJournal |volume=67 |issue=4 |year=2006 |pages=307–316 |doi=10.1007/s10708-007-9063-2 |jstor=441148127|s2cid=145144675 }}, p. 314 and now includes several Methodist churches. Since then, the CPCE has started ecumenical dialogue with Anglican,{{citation |title=Memorandum of Affirmation and Commitment Between the British and Irish Anglican Churches and the Community of Protestant Churches in Europe – Leuenberg Church Fellowship |website=Community of Protestant Churches in Europe |year=2012 |url=http://www.leuenberg.net/sites/default/files/basic-page/cpce_anglican_memorandum_dec_2012.pdf}} Baptist,{{citation |title=Agreement for EBF and CPCE to become mutually Co-operating bodies |url=http://www.leuenberg.net/sites/default/files/basic-page/future_cooperation_between_ebf_and_cpce-final.pdf |website=Community of Protestant Churches in Europe |year=2010}} and Orthodox{{citation |title=Dialogue with the Orthodox churches |year=2006 |website=Community of Protestant Churches in Europe |url=http://www.leuenberg.net/dialogue-orthodox-churches}} churches.

In 2006, the CPCE published a statute of church constitution,{{citation|title=Statute of the Community of Protestant Churches in Europe (CPEC) – Leuenberg Church Fellowship|date=18 September 2006|url=http://www.leuenberg.net/sites/default/files/media/PDF/publications/statute_en.pdf|location=Budapest|website=Community of Protestant Churches in Europe}} and in 2011 published new guidelines for churches wishing to join.{{citation|title=Guidelines on the Establishment of Membership in the CPCE|date=12 February 2011|url=http://www.leuenberg.net/sites/default/files/media/PDF/publications/leitlinien_mitgliedschaft_en.pdf|location=Frankfurt|website=Community of Protestant Churches in Europe}} This declaration made clear that "churches wishing to join recognize the ordination and ministry of women ministers in other CPCE churches"."Guidelines" (2011), §6

Member churches

= European countries =

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= Other countries =

= International churches =

= Participating churches =

See also

References

{{Reflist}}

External links

{{Portal|Reformed Christianity|Christianity}}

  • {{Official website|http://www.leuenberg.eu}}
  • [https://web.archive.org/web/20070927192257/http://www.warc.ch/dt/erl3/11.html A history of the Leuenberg Agreement]

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Category:International organisations based in Vienna

Category:Protestant ecumenism

Category:Christian ecumenical organizations

Category:20th-century Lutheranism

Category:20th-century Reformed Christianity

Category:1973 in Christianity

Category:1973 documents

Category:Church of Scotland