The Community of Protestant Churches in Europe and the Evangelical Academy in the Rhineland have hosted an international consultation on social challenges for Protestant churches in Europe.

The CPCE said that the meeting, which took place from 18 to 20 April, marked the start of a study phase that will initially last one year.

During the consultation, delegates were asked 'How are the European Protestant churches of the CPCE to react to current social challenges in Europe?'

Thirty young representatives from CPCE member churches across 17 countries and from European networks and alliances looked for an answer to this question.

The meeting took place in Bad Godesberg at the invitation of the CPCE and the Evangelical Academy in the Rhineland.

Miriam Haar, a theologian at the Irish School of Ecumenics, emphasised the need for ecclesiologically-based ethics, since ethical action was part of the real essence of the church.

However, Mihaly Szabo, pastor of the Reformed Church in Transylvania, stressed that the involvement of people at grass roots level was just as important as theoretical reflection: "We need the voices of those who are not church pros or theologians. In that way we broaden the perspective and get nearer to the real situation."

Following the consultation futher work on the theoretical foundations and the questions of practical implementation will be done by several new international working groups. The next joint consultation is planned for Pentecost 2008.