Swiss association
The
Protestant Church in Switzerland
(
PCS
),
[3]
[a]
formerly named
Federation of Swiss Protestant Churches
[b]
until 31 December 2019, is a
federation
of 25 member churches ? 24
cantonal churches
and the
Evangelical
-
Methodist
Church of Switzerland. The PCS is not a church in a theological understanding, because every member is independent with its own theological and formal organisation. It serves as a legal umbrella before the federal government and represents the church in international relations.
Except for the Evangelical-Methodist Church, which covers all of Switzerland, the member churches are restricted to a certain territory.
[4]
The president of the PCS is
Rita Famos
.
History
[
edit
]
The
Reformation
spread primarily into the cities of Switzerland, which was then composed of loosely connected
cantons
. Breakthroughs began in the 1520s in Zurich under Zwingli, in Bern in 1528 under
Berchtold Haller
, and in Basel in 1529 under Johannes Oecolampadius. After the death of Zwingli in 1531, the Reformation continued. The French-speaking cities
Neuchatel
,
Geneva
and
Lausanne
changed to the Reformation ten years later under
William Farel
and
John Calvin
coming from France. The Zwingli and Calvin branches had each their theological distinctions, but in 1549 under the lead of Bullinger and Calvin they came to a common agreement in the
Consensus Tigurinus
(Zurich Consent), and 1566 in the
Second Helvetic Confession
. The German Reformed ideological center was Zurich, while the French-speaking Reformed movement bastion was Geneva.
A feature of the Swiss Reformed churches in the Zwinglian tradition is their historically very close links to the cantons, which is only loosening gradually in the present.
[
citation needed
]
. In cities where the Reformed faith became leading theology, several confessions were written, some of them:
- The 67 Articles of Zurich
- Theses of Berne 1528
- Berne Synodus 1532
- Confession of Geneva 1537
- Second Helvetic Confession
written by
Bullinger
in 1566
In the mid-19th century, opposition to liberal theology and interventions by the state led to secessions in several cantonal churches. One of these secessionist churches still exists today, the
Evangelical Free Church of Geneva
, founded in 1849, while two others reunited with the Swiss Reformed Church in 1943 and 1966.
[5]
An important issue to liberal theologians was the
Apostles' Creed
. They questioned its binding character. This caused a heated debate. Until the late 1870s, most cantonal reformed churches stopped prescribing any particular creed.
[6]
In 1920 the
Federation of Swiss Protestant Churches
(
Schweizerischer Evangelischer Kirchenbund
,
Federation des Eglises protestantes de Suisse
,
Federazione delle Chiese evangeliche della Svizzera
- SEK-FEPS), with 24 member churches - 22 cantonal churches and 2 free churches (Free Church of Geneva and the Evangelical-Methodist Church of Switzerland), was formed to serve as a legal umbrella before the federal government and represent the church in international relations.
Social issues
[
edit
]
The ordination of women
is allowed in all member churches.
As with most mainline European denominations, the Protestant Church in Switzerland has many member churches that permit prayer services or blessings for same-sex civil unions. As early as 1999, the Reformed churches in St. Gallen, Fribourg, and Lucerne had allowed church celebration services for same-sex couples.
[7]
The Reformed Church in Aargau has also permitted prayer services of thanksgiving to celebrate a same-sex civil union.
[8]
The Reformed Church of Vaud, in 2013, also permitted prayer services as a way for same-sex couples to celebrate their civil union.
[9]
Other member churches that allow either prayer services or blessings for same-sex union are the churches in Bern-Jura-Solothurn, Schaffhausen, Tessin, Thurgau, and Zurich.
[10]
Like many European Protestant denominations, several of the Swiss Reformed churches have openly welcomed gay and lesbian members to celebrate their civil unions within a church context. As early as 1999, the Reformed Churches in St. Gallen, Fribourg, and Lucerne had permitted prayer and celebration services for same-sex couples to recognize their civil unions.
[11]
Since then, the Reformed Church in Aargau has also allowed for prayer services to celebrate same-sex couples.
[12]
To date, seven other Swiss Reformed churches, including Bern-Jura-Solothurn,
[13]
Graubunden,
[14]
Schaffhausen, Ticino, Thurgau, Vaud,
[15]
and Zurich,
[16]
have allowed the
blessing of same-sex unions
for same-sex civil unions.
[17]
In August 2019 with the
Evangelical Reformed Church of the Canton of Zurich
the first church of the Swiss Reformed Church allowed the blessing of same-sex marriages and the Swiss Reformed Church allowed blessing of same-sex marriages for their member churches.
[18]
[19]
Members of the communion
[
edit
]
Organizationally, the Reformed Churches in Switzerland remain separate,
cantonal
units. The German churches are more in the Zwinglian tradition; the French more in the
Calvinist
tradition. They are governed synodically and their relation to the respective canton (in Switzerland, there are no church-state regulations at a national level) ranges from independent to close collaboration, depending on historical developments. The exception is the Evangelical-Methodist Church, which is nationally active.
Reformed Churches in the Swiss cantons:
See also
[
edit
]
Notes
[
edit
]
- ^
German
:
Evangelisch-reformierte Kirche Schweiz
(EKS);
French
:
Eglise evangelique reformee de Suisse
(EERS);
Italian
:
Chiesa evangelica riformata in Svizzera
(CERiS);
Romansh
:
Baselgia evangelica refurmada da la Svizra
(BRRS)
- ^
German
:
Schweizerischer Evangelischer Kirchenbund
(SEK);
French
:
Federation des Eglises protestantes de Suisse
(FEPS);
Italian
:
Federazione delle Chiese evangeliche della Svizzera
;
Romansh
:
Federaziun da las baselgias evangelicas da la Svizra
References
[
edit
]
- ^
"Organization"
.
- ^
"Switzerland: Record Number of People Leave the Church in 2022"
. Retrieved
2023-12-25
.
- ^
"Constitution - The Church and its mission"
.
evref.ch
. Retrieved
December 2,
2020
.
- ^
"Kirchenmitgliedschaft in der romisch-katholischen und evangelisch-reformierten Kirche nach Kantonen (2017)"
(Table 1.4 on the lower part of the page) (in German). SPI St. Gallen. 2018
. Retrieved
2019-02-22
.
- ^
"Overview of Switzerland"
.
Reformed Online
.
- ^
Rudolf Gebhard:
Apostolikumsstreit
in
German
,
French
and
Italian
in the online
Historical Dictionary of Switzerland
, 2011-01-27.
- ^
"Service But No Blessing for homosexual partners. The Reformed Church"
.
archive.thetablet.co.uk
. The Tablet UK
. Retrieved
April 17,
2016
.
- ^
"Segen und Segnungsfeiern"
.
ref-ag.ch
. Reformed Church in Aargau
. Retrieved
4 August
2021
.
- ^
"Schwule durfen keine Eheringe tauschen"
.
blick.ch
. Blick
. Retrieved
April 17,
2016
.
- ^
Bechtold, Markus.
"Homosexuelle machen die Ehe stark"
.
evangelisch.de
. Retrieved
April 19,
2016
.
- ^
"Service But No Blessing For Homosexual Partners. The Reformed Church"
.
archives.thetablet.co.uk
. The Tablet UK
. Retrieved
April 17,
2016
.
- ^
"Segnungsfeiern"
.
ref-ag.ch
. Reformed Church in Aargau
. Retrieved
April 17,
2016
.
- ^
"Gleichgeschlechtliche Paare"
.
refbejuso.ch
. Reformed Church in Bern-Jura-Solothurn
. Retrieved
April 18,
2016
.
- ^
"Eine Frage des Liebesgebotes"
.
reformiert.info
. Reformiert Info
. Retrieved
April 18,
2016
.
- ^
"Schwule durfen keine Eheringe tauschen"
.
blick.ch
. Blick
. Retrieved
April 18,
2016
.
- ^
"Stellungnahme zu Homosexualitat"
.
zh.ref.ch
(in German). Reformed Church in Zurich
. Retrieved
April 18,
2016
.
- ^
Bechtold, Markus.
"Homosexuelle mache die Ehe stark"
.
evangelisch.de
(in German). Zeitzeichen
. Retrieved
April 19,
2016
.
- ^
"Eine Landeskirche outet sich - ≪Ehe fur alle≫ sorgt kirchenintern fur Unmut"
.
Schweizer Radio und Fernsehen (SRF)
(in German). 2019-08-08
. Retrieved
2023-07-12
.
- ^
Kirchenbund.de: Rat des Kirchenbundes befurwortet die Offnung der Ehe fur gleichgeschlechtliche Paare (german)
, August 29, 2019
External links
[
edit
]
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Regional
[a]
"Federations"
| |
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United
(1.94 million)
| |
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Lutheran
(8.84 million)
| |
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Reformed
(3.06 million)
| |
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Methodist
(12.23 million)
| |
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Hussites
(1 million)
| |
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Other
| |
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Outside Europe
(0.04 million)
| |
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Observers
| |
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- ^
Those are legal umbrella bodies which represent their member churches before the national government. They encompass multiple individual autonomous churches of differnet traditions which are themselves members of the CPCE.
International churches
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International
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National
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Other
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