The Church at Life’s Transitions

Communion of Protestant Churches in Europe CPCE
PRESS RELEASE, October 21, 2026

The Church at Life's Transitions

Protestant Churches from Europe Meet in Frankfurt to Discuss Weddings, Funerals, and Blessings.

Vienna/Frankfurt am Main, October 21, 2026. How do Protestant churches accompany people through life’s decisive turning points? How can weddings, funerals, and blessing ceremonies be designed to be personal and contemporary—while remaining recognizably Christian? The Communion of Protestant Churches in Europe (CPCE) will address these questions from November 2 to 5, 2026, during its worship consultation “Occasional Services” at the Zentrum Verkündigung in Frankfurt am Main.

The CPCE is organizing the consultation jointly with the Protestant Church in Hesse and Nassau (EKHN).

What makes this consultation unique is its European perspective: experts and church leaders from diverse Protestant traditions and social contexts will share their experiences and engage in dialogue. What does a church wedding or funeral mean in places where the church’s presence in public life is taken for granted—and in places where Protestant congregations are in the minority? What forms of support can we learn from one another? Despite all their differences, the participating churches are united by their commitment to the Gospel.

The focus is on weddings and funerals as examples. Discussions will center on the theological foundations of blessing, different liturgical traditions, and new prayer and blessing ceremonies for specific life situations.

“When people get married or say goodbye, many of the things that define their lives come into sharp focus. Protestant churches accompany these moments in different ways—depending on tradition and social context. Especially through European dialogue, we can learn from one another how such celebrations can do justice to people’s lives while at the same time drawing from the message of the Gospel,” says Rev. Dr. Susanne Schenk, General Secretary of the CPCE.

The sixth Church Membership Survey in Germany also shows that church services marking life transitions hold special significance: 89 percent of people who had attended at least one worship service in the past year cited a special occasion service as the reason for their visit. Special occasion services are thus important points of contact between the church and people who otherwise participate less frequently in church life. This figure refers to Germany and is not representative of all of Europe.

European Experiences, Shared Questions

Reports from Denmark, Germany, Croatia, the United Kingdom, and France open the consultation with insights into diverse Protestant contexts. Additional perspectives come from Norway, Scotland, and Finland, among others. The program features presentations, panel discussions, and workshops on blessings, funerals, and weddings; on new church celebrations marking life transitions; and on language, music, and prayer.

Ulrike Scherf, Deputy Church President of the EKHN and a member of the CPCE Council, will welcome participants at the opening and preach at the evening communion service (Feierabendmahl).

The opening lecture on changes in Protestant church membership will be delivered by Daniel Hörsch, a social scientist and consultant at midi—Future Workshop of the Church and Diakonia. John Bell, a Scottish minister of the Church of Scotland, hymn writer, and member of the ecumenical Iona Community, will respond. Prof. Dr. Harald Hegstad, professor of systematic theology at the MF Norwegian School of Theology, Religion, and Society in Oslo and chair of the Church Council of the Church of Norway, will speak on Christian rituals and rites of passage in post-secular Europe.

Prof. Dr. Jochen Arnold, Senior Church Councilor for Theological Issues and Education in the Evangelical Church of Westphalia, will address the biblical-theological and systematic foundations of blessing. Rev. Dr. Annette Gruschwitz, who serves in the United Methodist congregations of Marburg, Kirchhain, and Lohra and is a member of the CPCE Council, will moderate the session on funerals. A visit to the chapel at Eintracht Frankfurt’s stadium also offers a glimpse into church services held outside traditional church buildings.

To conclude, participants will explore the theological core of Christian occasional services: When does an occasional service cease to be Christian? The discussions are intended to yield perspectives for the European church community’s future worship ministry.

The consultation is supported by the CPCE’s Liturgy Advisory Board. The CPCE unites Protestant churches of various traditions in Europe and promotes their exchange on common theological and social issues.

Further information and program: https://www.leuenberg.eu/frankfurt-2026/

CPCE press and materials page: https://www.leuenberg.eu/frankfurt-2026/#press

About the CPCE

The Communion of Protestant Churches in Europe comprises 96 Lutheran, Reformed, United and Methodist churches. It represents around 40 million Protestants in Europe and overseas. The basis of this church communion is the Leuenberg Agreement of 1973. Through it, Protestant churches of different confessions declared pulpit and table fellowship: their members can worship together, and ministers can preach in one another’s churches. The CPCE has been based in Vienna since 2007.

Further information: www.leuenberg.eu

Press contacts:
Dr. Stefan Cosoroaba (CPCE)
Email: s.cosoroaba@leuenberg.eu

Jutta Winkler (EKHN)
Email: jutta.winkler@ekhn.de