Major changes characterize future of Protestant Church in the Nether..
01 maart 2016
`The church seems a distant and strange institution for many of our contemporaries, so now is an especially good time to rediscover what lies at the heart of the church and get back to basics', the secretary of the general synod of the Protestant Church in the Netherlands, dr. Arjan Plaisier,
said.
Pagina-inhoud
In the policy paper Church 2025 - Where there's a Word, there's a way he outlines his vision on the future of the Protestant Church in the Netherlands. "As a Protestant church, we have become heavily laden. Along the way, we have acquired and achieved things that have influenced our way of
following Jesus' path, and on that path we have experienced much of God's goodness. At the same time, we feel that the journey has become more and more difficult. It's as if we have become trapped in our own church culture. Many see us as a governing church. How can we step forward onto the
lighter path on which Jesus once sent his disciples? That is the challenge that this policy paper seeks to address (Church 2025 - p. 3)."
Democratic process
Since September 2014, the Protestant Church is focusing on the future. Since then, there have been many discussions with scientist, trend watchers, ministers, members of church councils, young people, etc. It's a subject on the agenda of every meeting of the general synod. In February 2015,
the Protestant Church even held a public survey under church members to ask them about their opinion on the future. Around 18,000 people participated.
Back to basics
Going `back to basics' requires personal answers according to Plaisier. Plaisier: "Of course, `back to basics' can also be seen or expressed in different ways. The most important thing is that this be discussed. Just addressing the question about what `back to basics' means can release energy,
both in the local congregation and in the national church."
Change
All the ministers and local congregations of the Protestant Church have received the paper Church 2025 with the recommendation to start the conversation about what `back to basics' means for their congregation. In April the general synod will discuss this subject again. This time with a focus
on more organizational matters.