Joint Press Release
Building on their first doctrinal dialogue over two decades ago and subsequent cooperation, the European Baptist Federation (EBF) and the Communion of Protestant Churches in Europe (CPCE) are deepening their dialogue in response to the changing situation of Christianity in Europe and their shared commitment to Christian unity.
The second meeting of the EBF–CPCE Dialogue Commission in this new round of dialogue took place from 21 to 23 October 2026 at the Reutlingen School of Theology, an institution of the United Methodist Church in Germany, Austria and Switzerland, which is part of the worldwide United Methodist Church.
This was the second of five or six planned meetings between the two delegations mandated by the EBF and the CPCE. The dialogue was formally initiated in autumn 2024 by the CPCE General Assembly and the EBF Council, and its first meeting took place in spring 2026.
Grounded in a shared call and commitment to the unity of the church of Jesus Christ, the participants explored how to deepen their common witness to the Gospel and addressed questions concerning church communion in a changing Europe. Building on the results of the earlier dialogue and taking into account more recent regional dialogues, particular attention was given to baptism and Christian initiation, as well as to the theological foundations and implications of church communion. The discussions also considered recent developments in relations among Baptist, Methodist and Waldensian churches in Italy, as well as the experience of declaring and realizing church communion between the CPCE and Methodist churches.
Following the initial meetings of this new round of dialogue, an online conference with broader participation from both sides is envisaged in order to deepen the contextual exchange. A final joint text should be presented to the CPCE Council and the EBF Council in 2028. Following a period of consultation and feedback from the churches concerned, the results of the dialogue are also expected to inform the deliberations of the CPCE General Assembly in 2031.
Dialogue Commission Members
EBF Delegation
- Prof. Dr. Oliver Pilnei (Elstal) – Chair
- Prof. Dr. Otniel Bunaciu (Bucharest)
- Rev. Dr. Ruth Moriarty (Oxford)
- Rev. Dr. Christian Wehde (Burscheid)
- Rev. Karin Wiborn (Stockholm)
- Kieryn Wurts, M.A. (Berlin) – Delegation Secretary
CPCE Delegation
- Prof. Dr. Miriam Rose (Basel) – Chair
- Rev. Prof. Dr. Pawel Gajewski (Napoli)
- Rev. Prof. Dr. Ábrahám Kovács (Debrecen)
- Rev. Dr. Peter McEnhill (Cambridge)
- Rev. Dr. Jørgen Thaarup (Copenhagen)
- Rev. Prof. Dr. Thomas-Andreas Põder (Tartu / Vienna) – Delegation Secretary
About the European Baptist Federation
The European Baptist Federation was founded in 1949 to unite Baptists across Europe in the aftermath of the Second World War. Today, the EBF comprises 59 member bodies in 52 countries, representing approximately 750,000 Baptists across Europe, the Middle East, and Central Asia. European Baptist Federation
About the Communion of Protestant Churches in Europe
The Communion of Protestant Churches in Europe (CPCE) comprises 96 Lutheran, Reformed, United and Methodist churches. It represents around 40 million Protestants in Europe and beyond. The Leuenberg Agreement of 1973 is the foundational document of this church communion; in it, Protestant churches of different confessional traditions declared pulpit and table fellowship on the basis of their common understanding of the Gospel. This church communion is lived in common worship, in common learning and teaching, in common witness and service, in reliable common structures, and in service to the unity of the Church. The CPCE has been based in Vienna since 2007. Communion of Protestant Churches in Europe
Group Photo
Front row, left to right: Ruth Moriarty, Pawel Gajewski, Oliver Pilnei, Miriam Rose, Jørgen Thaarup, Kieryn Wurts. Back row, left to right: Christian Wehde, Ábrahám Kovács, Thomas-Andreas Põder, Otniel Bunaciu. Photo: Reutlingen School of Theology