Delegates from the 39 member churches of the European area gathered in Edinburgh, Scotland, from August 28 to September 3 1995 for the first European area council to be held after the dramatic changes which had occurred on the European continent from 1989 onwards. With the theme, "Hope and renewal in times of change: New birth into a living hope (1 Pet 1.3)", the area council was an opportunity for the renewal of fellowship among the Reformed family of churches in Europe and a place to search our souls together, in study and prayer, on basic questions in relation to the theme:

How do we come to terms with the legacy of communism? Can European churches just celebrate the collapse of totalitarian powers as a sign of hope and renewal without understanding it, first of all, as a sign of the judgement of God?
How do we deal with the differing perception of historical events between delegates from eastern and western Europe? Can God transform us into agents of hope and renewal for our times if we do not face the fundamental question of how to deal with our recent past, in east and west?
How do the Reformed churches in Europe witness to the gospel in their secularized societies?
Can they envisage making binding resolutions (declare a status confessionis) on such issues as racism, weapons of mass destruction, economic injustice or responsibility for the environment?
Can there be full communion with churches which do not practise a fully inclusive partnership between women and men?
How can we affirm our ethnic-religious identity without becoming hostages of our own self-understanding as ethnic or national churches?

The European area committee has published the keynote addresses and major workshop papers presented in Edinburgh and will make them available to the delegates of the 23rd general council.

Area committee meetings, 1987-1997

The European area committee held its annual meetings in the following countries, as guests of the hosting member churches of WARC:

1987: Austria, Vienna (European area council)
1988: Portugal, Lisbon
1989: Korea, Seoul (22nd general council). No meeting of the European area committee in Europe.
1990: Yugoslavia, Vojvodina, Feketic
1991: England, Cambridge
1992: Carpatho-Ukraine, Uzgorod
1993: Greece, Athens
1994: Slovakia, Kosice
1995: Scotland, Edinburgh (European area council)
1996: Switzerland, Geneva
1997: Czech Republic, Prague

During these visits to member churches, emphasis was laid on contacts with local congregations, to give the committee members exposure to the local church, foster Christian solidarity and lay the ground for more lasting partnership. The members were frequently impressed by the joyful hope emanating from churches behind the iron curtain, their patience in suffering and their perseverance in prayer. The hospitality extended by these congregations to the committee members was overwhelming.

The committee, however, did not concentrate on the situation of churches in eastern Europe alone. In Portugal and Greece, the committee became aware of the tensions between majority churches, living and acting like national churches, and the rights of minority churches as well as those of other religious faiths.

Central and eastern European fund

After the fall of the iron curtain, WARC member churches and their agencies realized that the tremendous tasks facing the churches in central and eastern Europe would require a special effort. They decided to create a central and eastern European fund (CEEF) designed to complete the low salaries of ministers, renovate church premises turned over by the state, invest in ministerial and lay training, support the diaconal work of congregations, and strengthen the participation of the churches in the ecumenical movement, the overall aim being to foster their self-reliance.

WARC member churches in Germany, in addition to their transfer of resources to the churches in the former German Democratic Republic, have generously contributed to the CEEF.

Another valuable instrument for the coordination of sharing of resources are the round-tables of ecumenical partner organizations and churches for countries like Romania, former Czechoslovakia and the Carpatho-Ukraine. The setting up of the round-table structure for the church in the Carpatho-Ukraine was due to an initiative of the European area committee, with the Swiss interchurch agency HEKS as the lead agency.

It should be stressed that the European area is, by no means, the only body to be involved in partnership relations with these churches, although, as a regional body of WARC, it has a special concern for them.

Monitoring church-state relations

Substantial changes were to be expected in central and eastern Europe through the adoption of new laws on freedom of conscience and religion by the parliaments of the respective countries. The fact that many member churches of the Alliance in eastern Europe are ethnic minority churches conferred an even greater urgency to monitoring these developments. Wherever necessary, generally upon request of a particular member church whose legitimate claims were not sufficiently considered by the state authorities, the general secretary of WARC intervened at the appropriate level.

As an associate member of the European ecumenical commission for church and society (EECCS), the European area is carefully monitoring current developments in the institutions of the European Union which have a bearing on church-state relations.

Theological work

Experience has shown that the academic theologians, members of the committee, need a more permanent mandate within the European area in order to do professional work for the benefit of the Alliance, in cooperation with the department of theology. This legitimate request found an expression in the amended by-laws of the European area. The findings of the two workshops held in Edinburgh on ecclesiology and Reformed identity initiated a theological project for the new legislative term.

The decade of the churches in solidarity with women

It was only during the preparatory process for the European area council in 1995 that this issue really became part of the agenda of the area committee. The attention focused on the organization of parallel women's and men's days during the area council. The evaluation of this event differs widely from one delegate to the other. As for the men, it may be said that as long as they feel compelled to go through a process they have not agreed to, the subject will remain controversial.

Changes in membership

The political changes that occurred in Europe have modified the composition of the European area in terms of church membership.

Croatia

The Reformed Christian Church in Croatia came into being after Croatia gained international recognition and independence. Before Serbia occupied parts of Croatian territory, there was a single Reformed Christian Church in Yugoslavia stretching over the area of Vojvodina and Slavonia.

Slovenia

The Reformed Christian Church in Slovenia was also part of the Reformed Christian Church in Yugoslavia. When Slovenia became an independent country, the Reformed congregations had to organize themselves into an autonomous church.

Slovakia

As a consequence of the division of Czechoslovakia into two independent states, the Church of Brethren in the Slovak Republic was recognized as a new WARC member church.

Germany

The reunification of Germany led to a merger between the Reformierter Generalkonvent in the former German Democratic Republic and the Reformierter Bund.

Another merger occurred between the Evangelical Church in Bavaria and the Evangelical Reformed Church in NW Germany. The new church is called the Evangelical Reformed Church: Synod of Evangelical Reformed Churches in Bavaria and Northwest Germany.

Bulgaria

The Union of Evangelical Congregational Churches in Bulgaria was accepted into full membership in 1991.

Great Britain

The Congregational Federation, based in Nottingham, England, was accepted into full membership in 1995.

The European area at present has 40 member churches.

The European area committee, 1987-1995

Two major changes occurred among the office holders during the previous legislative term from 1987 to 1995. Dr Karel Blei had been elected president by the Vienna area council in 1987. When he was elected moderator of the department of theology at the 22nd general council in 1989, he asked to be relieved from his mandate as president of the European area. In 1990, the committee appointed Senior Jürgen Reuter as president and Dr Karel Blei became vice-president.

There was also a change in the position of secretary of the European area. Rev Edmond Perret, former general secretary of the Alliance, had agreed to remain in office as European area secretary. For various reasons he resigned in 1989. Subsequently the mandate was entrusted to Rev Hartmut Lucke from 1990 to 1995.

Amendment of the by-laws of the European area

The European area committee had received clear indications in Vienna 1987 that the by-laws of the European area needed some amendments. This work was carefully done and submitted for approval to the WARC executive committee in 1991 and 1994. All European member churches received the amended by-laws for study and reaction before they were formally adopted by the European area council 1995.

The major changes introduced into the by-laws:

Make provisions to ensure a better gender balance;
Reduce the number of academic theologians from 5 to 3 and allow the committee to appoint a theological subcommittee having power to appoint additional members;
Give the committee power to fill vacancies;
Appoint two vice-chairs to assure a better balance of gender and of clergy and laity;
Take account of the fact that the general secretary of WARC is no longer automatically the European area secretary; and
Make provisions for the appointment of alternates.

The newly elected area committee

The European area committee is composed of 20 delegates elected by the area council. The committee elected in Edinburgh in 1995 according to the amended by-laws includes 16 new members out of 20. There are 8 women and 12 men (previous committee: 5 women and 15 men).The following have been elected as officers of the European area:

President: Rev Krister Andersson, Mission Covenant Church of Sweden
Secretary: Rev Hinnerk Schröder, Synod of Evangelical Reformed Churches in Bavaria and Northwest Germany
Treasurer: Michael Hardon, Netherlands Reformed Church
Vice-president: Ms Evelyn Martin, Reformed Church in Austria
Vice-president: Rev Hartmut Lucke, Federation of Swiss Protestant Churches.

The future of the European area

A resolution was adopted by the Edinburgh area council 1995 urging the newly elected committee "to appoint during its next meeting a policy committee, with the mandate to develop proposals about aims, organization and procedures for the European part of WARC in relation to the expectations of the member churches about the priorities for the Reformed churches in Europe."

In order to implement this resolution, the committee decided to hold its first meeting in March 1996 in Geneva, Switzerland, for the following purposes:

Have an opportunity for dialogue with the Geneva staff on the life and work of the Alliance and current preparations for the 23rd general council
Discuss the purpose of the European area as a structure of WARC, the work entrusted to the area committee and the division of labour between the general secretariat and the European area committee
Make a thorough evaluation of the Edinburgh area council
Conduct a SWOT analysis (strengths, weaknesses, opportunities and threats) of the structure and performance of the European area
Implement the Edinburgh resolution in the light of this analysis and evaluation.

The European area committee met in April 1997 to receive the report of the policy committee and decide on the actions required to make the work of the European area meaningful for the committee members, the member churches and the Alliance as a worldwide body.