The Presidium of the CPCE travelled to Sweden in February 2022. \u201cIn the run-up to the next General Assembly in 2024, we want to speak to as many churches as possible about what they consider to be the most urgent tasks for the Communion until 2030,\u201d says Dr John Bradbury, the Executive President of the CPCE.<\/p>\n
The visit to the Church of Sweden\u2019s (Svenska kyrkan) central dioceses of Karlstad and V\u00e4ster\u00e5s revealed that their main concerns focus on the upcoming generation \u2013 primarily passing on faith and working with children and young people, but also how to recruit pastors. In some rural areas, it is proving challenging to preserve parish life.<\/p>\n
\u201cDuring our visit, we were able to highlight that the CPCE is already addressing problems in these areas and will do so more vigorously in the future,\u201d said General Secretary Dr Mario Fischer. Hence strengthening the collaboration between the Church of Sweden and the CPCE would benefit both sides.<\/p>\n
After helping to draft the Leuenberg Agreement in 1973, the Church of Sweden has since held the status of a \u2018participating church\u2019. \u201cThe CPCE is keen to intensify collaboration and to attract the Lutheran Churches in Sweden and Finland, too, as (full) members,\u201d Dr Bradbury points out. The Lutheran Church, formerly the national church, of Sweden still has a large membership and a stable social and economic base; however, participation in church life and the ability to speak out on religion are waning.<\/p>\n
The photo shows the delegation from the CPCE: President Dr John Bradbury, Professor Miriam Rose, Revd Marcin Brz\u00f3ska, General Secretary Dr Mario Fischer, the retiring Study Secretary Professor Martin Friedrich and his successor Professor Thomas-Andreas P\u00f5der. The delegation was welcomed by Bishop Dr Mikael Mogren in V\u00e4ster\u00e5s, Bishop Dr S\u00f6ren Dalevi in Karlstad, and experts in a range of fields of the church\u2019s work.<\/p>\n
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Im Februar 2022 reiste das Pr\u00e4sidium der GEKE nach Schweden. \u201eWir m\u00f6chten im Vorfeld der n\u00e4chsten Vollversammlung 2024 mit m\u00f6glichst vielen Kirchen dar\u00fcber sprechen, wo sie die dr\u00e4ngendsten Aufgaben unserer Gemeinschaft f\u00fcr die Zeit bis 2030 sehen\u201c, sagt Dr. John Bradbury, der gesch\u00e4ftsf\u00fchrende Pr\u00e4sident der GEKE.<\/p>\n