The CPCE is a solid Protestant network but not yet a fellowship which would be in a position to bring together the diversity of its voices and give them common expression. After the almost euphoric mood at the last General Assembly and the call for a prominent Protestant voice in Europe, a degree of restraint is also detectable. It is as if the churches did not complete trust their courage, I hope that the theological work on foundations which has been done since Belfast can give further nourishment to the will to grow together in a binding and visible way.
The last General Assembly called for the Protestant voice in Europe to be strengthened. Has this goal been achieved?
Thomas Wipf: The General Assembly in Belfast was a starting point. We will not go back on this starting point, The CPCE churches want to strengthen and reinforce their fellowship in witness and service. But Belfast also sparked off new reflection on the diversity which is a constituent part of Protestant witness. For the Protestant churches, unity cannot mean unification or uniformity. The important thing is to accept constructively the tension between unity and diversity.
We must also become aware that the history of the CPCE - which has always been the history of Leuenberg – is closely bound up with the growing together of Europe. Just as the political and economic situations of the member states of the European Union are different, so too are the situations of the CPCE member churches. It is part of Leuenberg that things grow slowly and that further development takes time.
After the last General Assembly the Leuenberg Church Fellowship renamed itself the Community of Protestant Churches in Europe. Have the expectations that it will be seen more clearly through the new name been fulfilled?Thomas Wipf: The change in name involves more than the marketing aspect. I believe that the CPCE member churches were aware that primarily a substantive programme is bound up with the new name. Leuenberg must be more than a list of signatures under a document. Europe needs our common witness and our common service. We would be unfaithful to our task as churches if we stopped at a merely voluntary declaration of church fellowship.
The assent of the churches to the change of name also meant assent to the programme. The fellowship of churches must become binding, visible and audible – for the sake of the gospel and our fellow men and women. The slogan for the coming General Assembly in Budapest will be ‘Strengthening Community – The Profile of Protestantism in Europe’.
What do you expect of the General Assembly in Budapest?
Thomas Wipf: The doctrinal conversation groups have worked out documents for the General Assembly which make possible substantive discussions at a high level and provide the foundations for different options of further development of the CPCE.
