The Community of Protestant Churches in Europe (CPCE, also GEKE for Gemeinschaft Evangelischer Kirchen in Europa) is a fellowship of over 100 Protestant churches which have signed the Leuenberg Agreement. Together they strive for realizing church fellowship, especially by cooperation in witness and service to the world. Prior to 2003 the CPCE was known as the "Leuenberg Church Fellowship".
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Members are most Lutheran and Reformed churches in Europe, the United churches that originated from mergers of these churches, and pre-Reformation churches such as the Waldensians. The European Methodist churches joined the CPCE by a common declaration of church fellowship in 1997.
The General Secretary is the Reverend Dr Michael Bünker (who is also Bishop of the Evangelical-Lutheran Church of Austria). The offices of the CPCE are located in Vienna, Austria, shared with the Evangelical-Lutheran Church of Austria.
History
In 1973, major European Lutheran and Reformed churches met at the Swiss conference centre Leuenberg (near Basle) and signed the Leuenberg Agreement or Leuenberg Concord. The number of churches involved has grown over the years, and now includes several Methodist churches.
The churches involved were originally joined in an organization called the "Leuenberg Church Fellowship". In 2003 this was renamed the "Community of Protestant Churches in Europe" as a sign of growing beyond the Lutheran and Reformed traditions. Since then, the CPEC has started ecumenical dialogue with Anglican, Baptist, and Orthodox churches.
The Agreement
The original Leuenberg Agreement declared unity through Jesus Christ. Under this agreement the churches agree on a common understanding of the Gospel, including elementary agreement on important doctrines including christology, predestination, Eucharist and justification. They declare church fellowship, understood as pulpit and table fellowship as well as full communion in witness and service.
In 2006, the CPCE published a statute of church constitution, and in 2011 published new guidelines for churches wishing to join. This declaration made clear that "churches wishing to join recognize the ordination and ministry of women ministers in other CPCE churches".