The head of the Secretariat of the Community of Protestant Churches in Europe (CPCE) – President Dr Wilhelm Hüffmeier of Berlin, has stated his expectations for the upcoming General Assembly.
In an interview he commented that his hope was for a “clear Yes to more committed collaboration from the Reformation churches of Europe” – theological, structural and financial.“There is no alternative,” said Dr Hüffmeier in the interview.
The Sixth General Assembly of the CPCE will meet in Budapest from 12 to 18 September with the theme ‘Strengthening Community – the Profile of Protestantism in Europe’.
It will be presented with the recommendation that the Secretariat should be moved to Vienna, as current President Hüffmeier is retiring at the end of the year.
Since 1987 he has been the director of the CPCE Secretariat in addition to his office as Oberkirchenrat (since 1995 president) of the head office of the Evangelical Church of the Union (now the Union of Evangelical Churches).
The full interview with Dr Hüffmeier is shown below:
Dr Hüffmeier, you have been head of the CPCE Secretariat for 19 years and will soon be retiring. The General Assembly in Budapest will be presented with the recommendation that the Secretariat should be moved to Vienna. What is your personal view of the work of the CPCE at this time?
Wilhelm Hüffmeier: The CPCE has grown in numbers and gained in theological profile. I’m glad about that. When I began as Secretary in 1987, 80 churches had signed the Leuenberg Agreement; today there are 105, including the Methodist churches of Europe and also the Lutheran churches in Denmark and Norway. It pains me that the Swedes, the Finns and the Icelanders are absent.
