June 16, 2005

REYKHOLT, Iceland/GENEVA – The church needs a "concrete utopia" to avoid the risk of wasting away, a Dutch theologian told participants in the Lutheran World Federation (LWF) European Church Leadership Consultation, held in Reykholt, Iceland, June 8-13.

Prof. Jan Hendriks, lecturer emeritus of practical theology at the University of Amsterdam, Netherlands, recounted his experience with so-called "hospitable churches" under the topic European church models with a viable future. To illustrate his concept of such a church, he gave the example of an international congregation in Antwerp, Belgium, in the city's district 24, under the right-wing populist party "Vlaamsch Blok," where various nationalities together celebrate worship and the Eucharist every Sunday. The atmosphere there is not one of an event hosted by a specific nation but of one of different nationalities who are mutual guests. The congregation that puts the guest in the center, according to Hendriks, demonstrates a pluralistic model.

The theologian pointed out that models of building congregations with a viable future needed to relate to everyday life, taking people and their own specific situations seriously into account. He mentioned the importance for successful congregation building of accompaniment, which created scope for the guest, and for one another, in encountering the unfamiliar. "It is only possible to speak about a hospitable congregation once hospitality characterizes the culture and structure of the congregation and church," he said, noting the communities of Taiz*, France, and Sant'Egidio in Rome, Italy as examples.

A concrete utopia, Hendriks said, is the basis for change within the church. He interprets this utopia as "a profound craving for an alternative to the current situation, an accessible and realistic pathway," such as faith and trust. "The core of the church is, therefore, the mission of the church, and not how it should be managed." The church, he said, is called not to rule, but to serve. For governing church ministries, this implies encouraging "joint deliberation instead of handing out instructions."

Some 90 high-level church representatives from 23 countries in Europe participated in the LWF regional consultation, hosted by the Evangelical Lutheran Church of Iceland.

Lutheran World Information