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The Kirchentag – impressive, informative and affirming

Br Stephen Smyth, Ecumenical Officer of Glasgow Churches Together, reports from the 30th German Protestant Kirchentag (Churches Gathering), held in Hannover, Germany from 25–29 May 2005. He was there representing Action of Churches Together in Scotland (ACTS).

This year’s Kirchentag was hosted by the local state church, the Lutheran Church of Lower Saxony. The international representatives were welcomed warmly by the bishop, Rev Margot Kässmann, and the mayor of Hannover. Both of these also led Bible Studies later in the five days programme.

The slogan for the Kirchentag was ‘When your child asks in time to come…’ (Dt 6:20-25). The programme had two main concerns, spirituality and globalisation. These were approached under three main topic areas: How can we believe? How do we want to live? How are we to act? These topics were addressed by a huge number of speakers and workshop leaders from all over the world and from many different denominational backgrounds.

Impressive

The statistics, venue and administration were all truly impressive. Over 100,000 people took part every day, about 40% of these under the age of 30. Some 4,000 international visitors had come from 87 countries, including 250 from the UK.

About 50,000 people from all across Germany were involved in the preparation and voluntary support: from staffing stalls, offering hospitality and accommodation or simply doing home baking. There were 4,500 stewards, mostly scouts, throughout the five days.

There were over 3,500 events in about 500 venues at the Exhibition Centre and in various churches and other locations. For the opening service, the city centre was closed to traffic and an estimated 300,000 people gathered in three main squares for the split-site service and the massive street party that followed. About 200,000 people met in a city park for the closing service.

The Exhibition Grounds were immense, as big as an airport. The Kirchentag used over 20 halls, at least 7 of which were set up as auditoriums for 5,000 people. Then there were the open air stages catering for perhaps 10,000 people, and the many giant screens. Then there was the youth programme…

Everywhere you turned there was music: from local brass bands to ageing rock groups; from solo guitars to African drums; from opera to barrel organ.

It was also impressive to see such a healthy relationship between the church and civic authorities. This event would have been impossible without the substantial cooperation and joint funding from the church, city, state and federal authorities.

The relationship between the Lutheran and Catholic Churches was clearly long established and warm. Cardinal Lehmann and several bishops were among the many Catholics who contributed to services, workshops and presentations.

The organisation ran very smoothly, including the provision of English and French translation at a limited number of events. And, the sun shone every day!

Informative

Participants were encouraged to begin the day with one of the many Bible Studies on offer. Beyond that you had to be selective – the programme ran to 600 pages! I personally gained a much better understanding of Protestant theology and practice: particularly regarding some key understandings on Scripture, Freedom and the Priesthood of All Believers.

It was good to see major politicians recognising the importance of dialoguing directly with the Church community. Chancellor Schröder took part; as did the Leader of the Opposition, the Federal President, and other local and national politicians. I enjoyed the session where, before a packed hall of 5,000 people, Chancellor Schröder was grilled by young adults from several countries on serious global and national issues.

The Churches were also involved in addressing key internal issues. Matters being covered included falling numbers, organisational restructuring, church finance, youth ministry, liturgy and prayer. Just like being at home!

Affirming

The atmosphere at the Kirchentag was friendly, relaxed and dignified. It was deeply affirming to see so many people openly and confidently celebrating their faith; to see them actively and eagerly seeking to learn more about what they believe and how they put it into practice. I found myself talking with people from all sorts of backgrounds about the struggles and joys of faith and about the thirst for Christian unity.

It was wonderful to see so many young people with their family, school, parish or scout groups enjoying the whole experience.

Especially affirming was the ‘Marketplace of Possibilities’: two giant halls where hundreds of small stalls showcased a wonderful range of local and national church groups. What a magnificent collage of faith-in-action.

I came upon one particularly memorable experience quite by accident. At 11 pm, I was returning from a jazz / soul recital and came across an open air Taize prayer session. There were over 5,000 people on the amphitheatre of a huge flight of stairs at one of the main entrances to the Exhibition Grounds. The stillness, gentle singing, candles and warm evening air made the experience one of deep prayer and unity. Crossing the motorway bridge to my hotel then brought me into the tail end of a concert of rock gospel music: thousands of people; a different kind of prayer – but definitely part of the same unity.

All in all, the Kirchentag was a most wonderful and affirming experience. It served to increase my respect for our different Christian traditions and their founding visions and principles. It reinforced my belief in the value of dialogue and personal encounter. It showed that Christians can engage creatively and meaningfully, together and with civil society, with the major issues of our time. It witnessed the fact that living out and learning about one’s faith can be fun – no matter what age you might be.

More information can be found at the Kirchentag website.

The Protestant Kirchentag alternates annually with the Katholikentag (Catholic Gathering). The 2006 Katholikentag is in Saarbrüken (24-28 May) and 2007 Kirchentag is in Köln (Cologne, 6-10 June). I should put these dates in my diary now!