The Communion of Protestant Churches in Europe (CPCE, also GEKE for ''Gemeinschaft Evangelischer Kirchen in Europa'') 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 Lutheranism is one of the largest branches of Protestantism, identifying primarily with the theology of Martin Luther, the 16th-century German monk and reformer whose efforts to reform the theology and practice of the Catholic Church launched ...

and Reformed churches in Europe, the

united churches A united church, also called a uniting church, is a church formed from the merger or other form of church union of two or more different Protestant Christian denominations. Historically, unions of Protestant churches were enforced by the state ...

that originated from mergers of those churches, and such pre-Reformation churches as the

Waldensians The Waldensians (also known as Waldenses (), Vallenses, Valdesi or Vaudois) are adherents of a church tradition that began as an ascetic movement within Western Christianity before the Reformation. Originally known as the "Poor Men of Lyon" in ...

. The European

Methodist Methodism, also called the Methodist movement, is a group of historically related denominations of Protestant Christianity whose origins, doctrine and practice derive from the life and teachings of John Wesley. George Whitefield and John's ...

churches joined the CPCE by a common declaration of church fellowship in 1997. The General Secretary of the CPCE is the Reverend Dr Mario Fischer. The Community's offices are located in

Vienna en, Viennese , iso_code = AT-9 , registration_plate = W , postal_code_type = Postal code , postal_code = , timezone = CET , utc_offset = +1 , timezone_DST ...

Austria Austria, , bar, Östareich officially the Republic of Austria, is a country in the southern part of Central Europe, lying in the Eastern Alps. It is a federation of nine states, one of which is the capital, Vienna, the most populous ...

, and are shared with those of the Evangelical Church of the Augsburg Confession in Austria.

History

In 1973, theologians from major European Lutheran and Reformed churches met at the Swiss conference centre Leuenberg (near

Basel , french: link=no, Bâlois(e), it, Basilese , neighboring_municipalities= Allschwil (BL), Hégenheim (FR-68), Binningen (BL), Birsfelden (BL), Bottmingen (BL), Huningue (FR-68), Münchenstein (BL), Muttenz (BL), Reinach (BL), Riehen (B ...

) and finalized the Leuenberg Agreement or Leuenberg Concord, an

ecumenical Ecumenism (), also spelled oecumenism, is the concept and principle that Christians who belong to different Christian denominations should work together to develop closer relationships among their churches and promote Christian unity. The adjec ...

document declaring unity through Jesus Christ. Under this agreement the churches agree on a common understanding of the

Gospel Gospel originally meant the Christian message (" the gospel"), but in the 2nd century it came to be used also for the books in which the message was set out. In this sense a gospel can be defined as a loose-knit, episodic narrative of the words a ...

, including elementary agreement on important doctrines including

christology In Christianity, Christology (from the Greek grc, Χριστός, Khristós, label=none and grc, -λογία, -logia, label=none), translated literally from Greek as "the study of Christ", is a branch of theology that concerns Jesus. Diff ...

predestination Predestination, in theology, is the doctrine that all events have been willed by God, usually with reference to the eventual fate of the individual soul. Explanations of predestination often seek to address the paradox of free will, whereby ...

Eucharist The Eucharist (; from Greek , , ), also known as Holy Communion and the Lord's Supper, is a Christian rite that is considered a sacrament in most churches, and as an ordinance in others. According to the New Testament, the rite was institu ...

and justification. They declare church fellowship, understood as pulpit and table fellowship as well as

full communion Full communion is a communion or relationship of full agreement among different Christian denominations that share certain essential principles of Christian theology. Views vary among denominations on exactly what constitutes full communion, but ...

in witness and service. The churches involved were originally joined in 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, and now includes several Methodist churches. Since then, the CPCE has started ecumenical dialogue with

Anglican Anglicanism is a Western Christian tradition that has developed from the practices, liturgy, and identity of the Church of England following the English Reformation, in the context of the Protestant Reformation in Europe. It is one of t ...

Baptist Baptists form a major branch of Protestantism distinguished by baptizing professing Christian believers only ( believer's baptism), and doing so by complete immersion. Baptist churches also generally subscribe to the doctrines of soul c ...

, and Orthodox churches. In 2006, the CPCE published a statute of church constitution, and in 2011 published new guidelines for churches wishing to join. 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

*Iceland ** Church of Iceland *Norway **

Church of Norway The Church of Norway ( nb, Den norske kirke, nn, Den norske kyrkja, se, Norgga girku, sma, Nöörjen gærhkoe) is an evangelical Lutheran denomination of Protestant Christianity and by far the largest Christian church in Norway. The church ...

*Denmark ** Church of Denmark ** Reformed Synod of Denmark *United Kingdom **

Church of Scotland The Church of Scotland ( sco, The Kirk o Scotland; gd, Eaglais na h-Alba) is the national church in Scotland. The Church of Scotland was principally shaped by John Knox, in the Reformation of 1560, when it split from the Catholic Church ...

** German-Speaking Evangelical-Lutheran Synod in Great Britain ** Presbyterian Church of Wales ** Methodist Church in Ireland ** Methodist Church of Great Britain ** United Reformed Church *Ireland **

Lutheran Church in Ireland The Lutheran Church in Ireland ( ga, An Eaglais Liútarach in Éirinn, german: Evangelisch-Lutherische Kirche in Irland) is a Lutheran church, operating across the island of Ireland. In 1955 the Lutheran church was re-established in Dublin and m ...

Presbyterian Church in Ireland The Presbyterian Church in Ireland (PCI; ga, Eaglais Phreispitéireach in Éirinn; Ulster-Scots: ''Prisbytairin Kirk in Airlann'') is the largest Presbyterian denomination in the Republic of Ireland, and the largest Protestant denomination in ...

*Netherland **

Protestant Church in the Netherlands The Protestant Church in the Netherlands ( nl, de Protestantse Kerk in Nederland, abbreviated PKN) is the largest Protestant denomination in the Netherlands, being both Calvinist and Lutheran. It was founded on 1 May 2004 as the merger of the ...

Remonstrant Brotherhood The Remonstrants (or the Remonstrant Brotherhood) is a Protestant movement that had split from the Dutch Reformed Church in the early 17th century. The early Remonstrants supported Jacobus Arminius, and after his death, continued to maintain his ...

*Luxembourg **

Protestant Church of Luxembourg The Protestant Church of Luxembourg ( lb, Protestantesch Kiirch vu Letzebuerg, french: Église Protestante de Luxembourg, german: Evangelische Kirche von Luxemburg) is a Protestant denomination that operates solely in Luxembourg. It is a united ...

** Protestant Reformed Church of Luxembourg *Austria ** Evangelical Church of the Augsburg Confession in Austria ** Reformed Church in Austria *Liechtenstein ** Evangelical Church in Liechtenstein *Germany ** Evangelical Church in Germany **

Evangelical Reformed Church in Germany The Evangelical Reformed Church (german: Evangelisch-reformierte Kirche), until 2009 Evangelical Reformed Church – Synod of Reformed Churches in Bavaria and Northwestern Germany (german: Evangelisch-reformierte Kirche – Synode evangelisch-reform ...

Union of Evangelical Churches The Union of Evangelical Churches (German: ''Union Evangelischer Kirchen'', UEK) is an organisation of 13 United and Reformed evangelical churches in Germany, which are all member churches of the Evangelical Church in Germany. Member church ...

Conference of Churches on the Rhine The Conference of Churches on the Rhine (German: Konferenz der Kirchen am Rhein (KKR); French: Conférence des églises riveraines du Rhin) is an ecumenical organization of European Christians founded in 1961. It is a member of the World Council of ...

** ** Evangelical Lutheran Church in Northern Germany **

Evangelical Lutheran Church of Mecklenburg The Evangelical Lutheran Church of Mecklenburg (german: Evangelisch-Lutherische Landeskirche Mecklenburgs; abbreviated ELLM) was a Lutheran church in the German state of Mecklenburg-Vorpommern, serving the citizens living in Mecklenburg. The seat ...

Pomeranian Evangelical Church The Pomeranian Evangelical Church (german: link=no, Pommersche Evangelische Kirche; PEK) was a Protestant regional church in the German state of Mecklenburg-Vorpommern, serving the citizens living in Hither Pomerania. The Pomeranian Evangelical C ...

Evangelical Lutheran Church in Oldenburg Evangelical Lutheran Church in Oldenburg (german: Evangelisch-Lutherische Kirche in Oldenburg) is a Lutheran church in the German state of Lower Saxony. The seat of the church leaders is in Oldenburg, as is the preaching venue of its bishop at St ...

Evangelical Lutheran Church in Bavaria The Evangelical Lutheran Church in Bavaria (german: Evangelisch-Lutherische Kirche in Bayern) is a Lutheran member church of the Evangelical Church in Germany in the German state of Bavaria. The seat of the church is in Munich. The '' Landesbischo ...

** Evangelical Church of Bremen **

Evangelical Church in Berlin, Brandenburg and Silesian Upper Lusatia The Evangelical Church Berlin-Brandenburg-Silesian Upper Lusatia (german: Evangelische Kirche Berlin-Brandenburg-schlesische Oberlausitz, EKBO) is a United Protestant church body in the German states of Brandenburg, Berlin and a part of Saxony ( ...

** Evangelical Church of Anhalt ** Evangelical Church in Central Germany ** Evangelical Lutheran Church in Brunswick **

Evangelical-Lutheran Church of Hanover The Evangelical-Lutheran Church of Hanover (german: Evangelisch-lutherische Landeskirche Hannovers) is a Lutheran church body ''(Landeskirche)'' in the northern German state of Lower Saxony and the city of Bremerhaven covering the territory of t ...

Evangelical Lutheran Church of Schaumburg-Lippe The Evangelical Lutheran Church of Schaumburg-Lippe (german: Evangelisch-Lutherische Landeskirche Schaumburg-Lippe) is a Lutheran member church ( Landeskirche) of the Evangelical Church in Germany. It covers the former principality of Schaumburg- ...

Church of Lippe The Church of Lippe (german: link=no, Lippische Landeskirche) is a Reformed (Calvinist) member church of the Evangelical Church in Germany that covers what used to be the Principality of Lippe. Seat of the church administration is Detmold. The ...

** Evangelical Church of Westphalia **

Evangelical-Lutheran Church of Saxony The Evangelical-Lutheran Church of Saxony (''Evangelisch-Lutherische Landeskirche Sachsens'') is one of 20 member Churches of the Evangelical Church in Germany (EKD), covering most of the state of Saxony. Its headquarters are in Dresden, and its b ...

Evangelical Church of Hesse Electorate-Waldeck The Evangelical Church of Hesse Electorate-Waldeck (german: Evangelische Kirche von Kurhessen-Waldeck; EKKW) is a United Protestant church body in former Hesse-Cassel and the Waldeck part of the former Free State of Waldeck-Pyrmont. Constitut ...

Protestant Church in Hesse and Nassau The Protestant Church in Hesse and Nassau (german: Evangelische Kirche in Hessen und Nassau, EKHN) is a United Protestant church body in the German states of Hesse and Rhineland-Palatinate. There is no bishop and therefore no cathedral. One of ...

Evangelical Church in the Rhineland Protestant Church in the Rhineland (german: Evangelische Kirche im Rheinland; EKiR) is a United Protestant church body in parts of the German states of North Rhine-Westphalia, Rhineland-Palatinate, Saarland and Hesse ( Wetzlar). This is actual ...

** **

Evangelical Church of the Palatinate Evangelical Church of the Palatinate (german: Evangelische Kirche der Pfalz (Protestantische Landeskirche)) is a United Protestant church in parts of the German states of Rhineland-Palatinate and Saarland, endorsing both Lutheran and Calvini ...

Protestant Church in Baden The Protestant Church in Baden (german: link=no, Evangelische Landeskirche in Baden; i.e. Evangelical Regional Church in Baden) is a United Protestant member church of the Evangelical Church in Germany (EKD), and member of the Conference of Churc ...

** Evangelical-Lutheran Church in Württemberg ** Evangelical Reformed Church in Bavaria and Northwestern Germany ** Evangelical Lutheran Church of Lithuania in Exile (Germany) * Switzerland ** Protestant Church of Switzerland **

Federation of Evangelical Lutheran Churches in Switzerland and the Principality of Liechtenstein The Federation of Evangelical Lutheran Churches in Switzerland and Liechtenstein (''In German'': Bund Evangelisch-Lutherischer Kirchen in der Schweiz und im Fürstentum Liechtenstein; and ''in French'': Fédération des Eglises évangéliques luthé ...

* France ** United Protestant Church of France *** Evangelical Lutheran Church of France *** Reformed Church of France) **

Union of Protestant Churches of Alsace and Lorraine The Union of Protestant Churches of Alsace and Lorraine (french: Union des Églises protestantes d'Alsace et de Lorraine, UEPAL; german: Die Union der Protestantischen Kirchen von Elsass und Lothringen; gsw-FR, D' Union vu da Protäschtàntischa ...

*** Protestant Reformed Church of Alsace and Lorraine *** Protestant Church of Augsburg Confession of Alsace and Lorraine * Belgium ** United Protestant Church in Belgium * Spain ** Spanish Evangelical Church * Portugal ** **

Evangelical Presbyterian Church of Portugal The Evangelical Presbyterian Church in Portugal ( pt, Igreja Evangélica Presbiteriana em Portugal) is a result of evangelistic effort in Madeira between 1838 and 1846 by Robert Kalley, a Scottish minister, the mission continued in the continent in ...

* Italy ** Union of Methodist and Waldensian Churches *** Waldensian Evangelical Church *** Methodist Church in Italy ** Lutheran Evangelical Church in Italy * Romania ** Evangelical Lutheran Church of Romania ** Reformed Church in Romania ***

Reformed Diocese of Királyhágómellék The Reformed Diocese of Királyhágómellék or Királyhágómellék Reformed Church District ( hu, Királyhágómelléki Református Egyházkerület; ro, Episcopia Reformată de pe lângă Piatra Craiului) is one of the two dioceses of the Reforme ...

*** Reformed Diocese of Transylvania **

Evangelical Church of Augustan Confession in Romania The Evangelical Church of the Augsburg Confession in Romania (german: Evangelische Kirche A.B. ugsburgischen Bekenntnissesin Rumänien, ro, Biserica Evanghelică de Confesiune Augustană în România) is a German-speaking Lutheran church in Rom ...

* Greece **

Greek Evangelical Church The Greek Evangelical Church (Greek: Ελληνική Ευαγγελική Εκκλησία, ''Elliniki Evangeliki Ekklisia'') is a Presbyterian denomination in Greece. It was the first Protestant church established in the country. History Greek ...

** * Croatia ** Evangelical Church in the Republic of Croatia ** Reformed Christian Church in Croatia * Slovenia ** Evangelical Church of Slovenia * Serbia ** Slovak Evangelical Church of the Augsburg Confession in Serbia **

Reformed Christian Church in Serbia Before World War I, the Reformed Christian Church in Serbia (Szerbiai Református Keresztén Egyház in Hungarian) was part of the Reformed Church in Hungary. In the period of the Reformation, Rev Sztáray planted 120 Calvinist congregations in th ...

* Hungary ** Evangelical-Lutheran Church in Hungary **

Reformed Church in Hungary The Reformed Church in Hungary ( hu, Magyarországi Református Egyház, MRE) is the largest Protestant church in Hungary, with parishes among the Hungarian diaspora abroad. Today, it is made up of 1,249 congregations in 27 presbyteries and fou ...

* Slovakia ** Evangelical Church of the Augsburg Confession in Slovakia **

Reformed Christian Church in Slovakia The Reformed Christian Church in Slovakia has 110,000 members in 205 parishes and 103 mission churches and 59 house fellowships in 10 presbyteries. The bishop is the head of the church, in contrast with other Calvinist churches. History Before Wo ...

* Czech Republic ** Czechoslovak Hussite Church **

Church of the Brethren in the Czech Republic Church of the Brethren ( cs, Církev bratrská) is an Evangelicalism, evangelical free church in the Czech Republic and Slovakia. It was formed in 1882 as the Free Reformed Church by merging the Czech Free Evangelical Church based in Bystré near ...

** Evangelical Church of Czech Brethren ** Silesian Evangelical Church of the Augsburg Confession *Poland ** Polish Reformed Church ** Evangelical Church of the Augsburg Confession in Poland *Ukraine ** Reformed Church in Transcarpathia * Russia ** Evangelical Lutheran Church in Russia, Ukraine, Kazakhstan and Central Asia * Estonia ** Estonian Evangelical Lutheran Church * Latvia ** Evangelical Lutheran Church of Latvia *Lithuania ** Evangelical Lutheran Church in Lithuania **

Lithuanian Evangelical Reformed Church The Evangelical Reformed Church of Lithuania or latin: "Unitas Lithuaniae"; polish: "Jednota Litewska" ( lt, Lietuvos evangelikų reformatų bažnyčia) is a Calvinist denomination in Lithuania which uses presbyterian polity. History The church w ...

Other countries

* Argentina ** United Evangelical Lutheran Church in Argentina ** Evangelical Methodist Church in Argentina ** Reformed Church of Argentina * Argentina – Uruguay – Paraguay ** Waldensian Church of the River Plate ** Evangelical Church of the River Plate * Ecuador ** Iglesia Evangélica Luterana del Ecuador (Evangelical Lutheran church of Ecuador)

International churches

United Methodist Church The United Methodist Church (UMC) is a worldwide mainline Protestant denomination based in the United States, and a major part of Methodism. In the 19th century, its main predecessor, the Methodist Episcopal Church, was a leader in evangelica ...

** Central and Southern Europe Central Conference ** Germany Central Conference **

Northern Europe Central Conference Northern may refer to the following: Geography * North, a point in direction * Northern Europe, the northern part or region of Europe * Northern Highland, a region of Wisconsin, United States * Northern Province, Sri Lanka * Northern Range, a ra ...

** United Methodist church, Nordic and Baltic Area ** United Methodist Church Eurasia Episcopal Area *

Moravian Church The Moravian Church ( cs, Moravská církev), or the Moravian Brethren, formally the (Latin: "Unity of the Brethren"), is one of the oldest Protestantism, Protestant Christian denomination, denominations in Christianity, dating back to the Bohem ...

Latvian Evangelical Lutheran Church Abroad The Latvian Evangelical Lutheran Church Abroad (LELCA) ( lv, Latvijas Evaņģēliski luteriskā baznīca ārpus Latvijas (LELBĀL); german: link=no, Lettische Evangelisch-Lutherische Kirche im Ausland) is a Lutheran denomination with a presence in ...

Participating churches

* Sweden **

Church of Sweden The Church of Sweden ( sv, Svenska kyrkan) is an Evangelical Lutheran national church in Sweden. A former state church, headquartered in Uppsala, with around 5.6 million members at year end 2021, it is the largest Christian denomination in Sw ...

** Uniting Church in Sweden (part of the Swedish Free Church Council) * Finland **

Evangelical Lutheran Church of Finland The Evangelical Lutheran Church of Finland ( fi, Suomen evankelis-luterilainen kirkko; sv, Evangelisk-lutherska kyrkan i Finland) is a national church of Finland. It is part of the Lutheran branch of Christianity. The church has a legal positi ...

References

External links

*
A history of the Leuenberg Agreement
{{Authority control International organisations based in Vienna Protestant ecumenism Christian ecumenical organizations 20th-century Lutheranism 20th-century Calvinism 1973 in Christianity 1973 documents Church of Scotland