European Baptists, other Protestants sign pact

ROME  — Baptists in Europe pledged to work more closely with other Protestants on the continent in an agreement signed Sept. 24.

Leaders of the European Baptist Federation (EBF) and the Community of Protestant Churches in Europe (CPCE) signed an accord declaring themselves to be “mutually cooperating bodies.”

One of six regional bodies comprising the Baptist World Alliance, the EBF is a union of 51 regional and national Baptist bodies. The CPCE formed in 1973 with adoption of an agreement ending 450 years of division between the Lutheran and Reformed churches dating back to the Protestant Reformation. It numbers more than 105 Lutheran, Reformed and Methodist bodies in more than 30 countries in Europe. The body also includes a handful of South American denominations whose roots are in Protestant immigration from Europe. Tony Peck, general secretary of the EBF, called the agreement a “clear sign of closer cooperation.”

Michael Bünker, general secretary of the CPCE, said the agreement “has strengthened the common voice of Protestantism in Europe.” The agreement outlines specific steps toward cooperation. They include inviting each other to council meetings and general assemblies, regular meetings between the general secretaries and their staffs, greater exchange of information and conferences and consultations seeking common ground. That includes continuing theological dialogue that has been going on since 1999. The Baptist group stopped short of seeking full membership into the CPCE due to theological differences over the meaning of baptism.