Regional and/or local: Can church be present in close proximity and in regional cooperation at the same time?

Abstract

The article deals with the efforts of the churches in Germany to rebuild the structures of church life in view of the loss of members and resources. The experiences with structural reforms of the last 20 years are evaluated. A critical light is shed on the associated danger of prioritizing structural issues and losing sight of theological aspects as well as the missional calling. In addition, structural reforms are creating ever larger units; the life of the local community is drying up more and more. In contrast, it is proposed here to pay equal attention to local and regional church work, to promote the maturity of the local community (also with regard to worship services without a pastor), to promote regional cooperation and to focus on the church's mission to serve the Kingdom of God in local and regional social spaces. Missional ecclesiology proves to be a critical and constructive corrective to a church reform that is only oriented towards structures.