wfn.org | Church Needs 'Concrete Utopia' to Avoid Loss of Vitality,

["Frank Imhoff" <Frank.Imhoff@elca.org>]

Church Needs 'Concrete Utopia' to Avoid Loss of Vitality, Theologian
Cautions
Model of Hospitable Church Presented to LWF European Leaders in Iceland

REYKHOLT, Iceland/GENEVA, 16 June 2005 (LWI) * 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. (372 words)

(The LWF is a global communion of Christian churches in the Lutheran
tradition. Founded in 1947 in Lund, Sweden, the LWF currently has 138
member churches in 77 countries all over the world, with a total membership of nearly 66 million. The LWF acts on behalf of its member churches in
areas of common interest such as ecumenical and inter-faith relations,
theology, humanitarian assistance, human rights, communication, and the
various aspects of mission and development work. Its secretariat is
located in Geneva, Switzerland.)

[Lutheran World Information (LWI) is the LWF's information service. Unless
specifically noted, material presented does not represent positions or
opinions of the LWF or of its various units. Where the dateline of an
article contains the notation (LWI), the material may be freely reproduced
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