Hosting Committee & Churches
A warm invitation from 27 August to 2 September 2024 to the Transylvanian city of Sibiu, also known as Sibiu and Nagyszeben. As Protestant churches in Romania, we are honoured that our region has been chosen to host the Assembly of the Communion of Protestant Churches in Europe.
The local hosts are the Reformed Church in Romania, the Evangelical Lutheran Church in Romania, the Evangelical Church of the Augsburg Confession in Romania and the United Methodist Church in Romania. We are supported by the Unitarian Church, which is one of the historic Protestant churches in Transylvania, but is not a CPCE member. Three Hungarian-speaking, one German-speaking and one Romanian-speaking church are your hosts.
The Transylvania region is a historic Protestant area. Kronstadt/Brasov/Brasso was reformed as early as 1542. However, we are particularly proud of the fact that in 1568, for the first time in Europe, the principle of tolerance was made law by the Edict of Thorenburg/Turda. The Transylvanian-Saxon city of Sibiu, mentioned in documents in 1190, will certainly be a good host. The Assembly will meet in the heart of the medieval city, in and around the Protestant parish church, which is also included in the Assembly logo.
We are particularly looking forward to the meetings in Sibiu and in the region. We hope that during this time you will not only learn about our history, but also about our joys and sorrows, as well as the confidence that sustains us in these turbulent times.
The Chairmen of the Host Committee
Bishop Reinhart Guib
Reverend Ilona Szokacs-Nagy
Hosting Churches
Reformed Church in Romania –
Western District
The Reformed Church in Romania is primarily present in the Hungarian-speaking regions of the country. Accordingly, Hungarian is the dominant church language. The majority of congregations are located in Transylvania, but there is also the Western Church District based in Oradea. The Reformed Church of Romania considers the free practice of religion, the religious, human and community rights of its members and the restoration of its educational and social institutions to be its most important concerns. Through spiritual and material renewal, the church has established places of worship, diaconal institutions and denominational educational institutions and endeavours to promote missionary and social work.
Reformed Church of Romania –
District Transylvania
(Erdélyi Református Egyházkerület)
310.070 church members, 508 congregations, and 553 pastors
The Reformed Diocese of Transylvania is one of the oldest Protestant churches in Europe. Confessional movements in the 16th century formed three Protestant church structures in Transylvania. The period 1605-1691 can be considered the heyday of the Reformed Church in Transylvania, because the princes of Transylvania were of the Reformed confession. During this period the Academic College of Alba Iulia was founded (1622), one of the most prestigious educational institutions in the region.
The territory of the Reformed Eparchy of Transylvania covers almost the whole of Romania. The Eparchy has 15 dioceses and 507 parishes, 97 filial parishes and 553 dioceses. There are 539 pastors serving in these parishes. The diocese runs several secondary and higher education establishments. We have eight reformed colleges in six cities where 5342 children are studying.
Evangelical Lutheran Church in Romania
(Romániai Evanghélikus-Lutheránus Egyház / Biserica Evanghelica-Lutherana din Romania)
32.000 church members, 37 congregations und 116 subsidiary churches, 44 pastors
The Evangelical Lutheran Church in Romania belonged to the Evangelical Church of Hungary from the time of the Reformation until the Trianon border changes in 1920, since when it has lived as both an ethnic and religious minority in Romania. In the last twenty years, two values have been particularly important: its own Lutheran identity, and openness towards larger, Lutheran or Protestant sister churches, other cultures, denominations and peoples. With its 27,000 members and 45 pastors, it wants to use these values to help build the “soul of Europe” together.
Bischof: Dezső Zoltán Adorjáni
Bulevardul 21 Decembrie 1989 Nr. 1, 400105 Cluj (Kolozsvár/Klausenburg), RUMÄNIEN
Tel.: 0040 264. 59 66 14, Fax: 0040 264. 59 38 97
E-Mail: releph@yahoo.com
EVANGÉLIKUS.RO – Romániai Evangélikus-Lutheránus Egyház (evangelikus.ro)
The Evangelical Church A. C. in Romania
(Biserica Evanghelica C. A. din Romania)
11.616 church members, 236 congregations (including microcongregations and care points) , 34 pastors
The Evangelical Church A. C. in Romania is one of the historical churches in Transylvania and in modern Romania since 1918. With its 500 years of Lutheran, Transylvanian-Saxon, and German-speaking history and tradition, its faith and spirituality, language and culture, understanding of democracy and tolerance, sense of community and responsibility, commitment to ecumenism and dialogue, to education and the conveyance of values, to social affairs and the environment, justice and united Europe, it is close to its members at home and abroad, offers home and identification and also contributes to the democratic and ecumenical discourse within the country and Europe.
Bischof: Reinhart Guib
Landeskonsistorium: Strada General Magheru 4,
550185 Sibiu (Hermannstadt), RUMÄNIEN,
Tel.: 0040 269. 21 78 64 und 23 02 02 (Bischofsamt)
Fax: 0040 269. 20 68 64
E-Mail: ekr.landeskon@evang.ro
Unitarian Church
The Hungarian Unitarian Church was founded in Transylvania in 1568, together with the Edict of Torda, where the first law in global history protecting religious freedom was voted for. The name “Unitarian” comes from the latin expression: Unus est Deus, meaning God is one, as we are a Christian faith tradition that believes in the unity of God. The purpose of our existence is to create loving communities based on the love and service of God, and the service of our fellow brothers and sisters. For us, Jesus is the biggest prophet on Earth and the Holy Spirit is the power of God inside us. We are open to other religious traditions, considering everyone a partner into bringin peace, love and kindness into this world.
Főoldal – Unitárius Egyház Weboldala (unitarius.org)
United Methodist Church in Romania
The beginnings of today’s Methodist work in Romania date back to 1995. The first congregation was founded in Cluj-Napoca. Those responsible decided to join the United Methodist Church in 2011. The church’s work comprises three congregations with around thirty church members and three active pastors.
The church is involved in social-diaconal issues. Among other things, orphans, teenagers and young people, cancer patients as well as refugees from Ukraine are cared for and supported. The church also runs a hotel with church rooms as a community center. The UMC maintains close ecumenical relations with the Greek Catholic Church, the Hungarian-speaking Reformed Church, the German-speaking Evangelical Lutheran Church and the “Lords Army”, a renewal movement within the Romanian Orthodox Church.
https://www.bisericametodista.ro/
