Mission thrives on personal encounters and reciprocal exchanges. Mission needs ecumenical vision and ecumenical cooperation if it is to consider itself part of God's work in this world. Partnerships at church and congregation level play an important role in this.

A group of participants from Ghana and Germany is wandering through the Palatinate Forest (Germany). in late summer. The group is guided through the biosphere reservation by Simone Kiefer, one of the forest officials working there, and she answers all their questions. Yes, forest fires are gradually becoming a major concern in the Palatinate. Poaching is not really a problem, but the rubbish that many people leave behind in the forest is, along with climate change. At some point, the forester pauses, turns to the group and says, “Tell me about your forests. I've never been to Ghana!” 

That evening, Ghanaians and Germans sit together and read the Bible. Someone remarks, “So, this verse here is all about the birds in the sky. But here in the German forest, I hardly saw any birds at all and I hardly see any in the fields either. It's completely different at home. Perhaps people in Germany should think more about the habitat that birds still have and where they find their food."

Finally, on the last day of the visit, Ghanaians and Germans talk bout what they would remember the most. The bag of memories quickly fills up – with visits and encounters in the congregations, church services and pictures of old churches. But also with memories of trees in the forest damaged by climate change, an irrigation system in the fields of the Rhine valley and amazement at how much solar power is produced in Germany, even though there seems to be comparatively little sun here.

Ten Christians from the Presbyterian Church of Ghana (PCG) visited their Protestant partner congregations in the Protestant Church of the Palatinate (EKP) in September 2024. The three-week visit was organised by the Missionary Ecumenical Service (MÖD) of the Protestant Church of the Palatinate and German members of the partnership groups.

Learning from one another – this was repeatedly mentioned by the group as an important factor in partnerships. And everyone agreed that a visit like this is also about friendships and shared experiences. But regardless of whether they were German or Ghanaian, they all learned a great deal about nature conservation, environmental protection, sustainable agriculture and biodiversity. At the end of the trip, they again contemplated together on how they could put this knowledge and these impressions to practical use in their own congregations and began to develop ideas for confirmation and youth projects or the use of solar energy in their communities.

Experiencing Diversity and Friendship

Learning from one another, making new experiences and helping one another: This is repeatedly mentioned in conversations with those involved as a key motivation for continuing to breathe life into relationships between EMS member churches in “partnerships" One committed member from South Africa put it this way: “Our aim is to experience diversity, to give and receive friendship, because a partnership is all about relationships and togetherness. That's why we come together to share with each other and support one another.”

The international EMS Fellowship has set itself the task of strengthening these relationships between and with one another. The EMS constitution states: “The EMS brings partnerships to life through mutual empowerment and solidarity, learning together, common planning, decisions and actions, and through the sharing of resources, gifts and abilities.”

But how this shared togetherness can be brought to life naturally takes many different forms that are as varied as the individual congregations, districts and member churches. They organise visits and exchanges, share worship liturgies, cultivate personal friendships and support local diaconal projects. Some partnerships have existed for decades, others only for a short time. Some are in regular contact with each other, while with others it is not certain whether the channels still exist at all or have fallen into a deep slumber.

The key question for anyone who wants to maintain or establish new contacts is how Christians from different cultural backgrounds can engage in an equal exchange with one another, and what topics, activities and projects can they focus on.? To achieve an equal exchange and shared learning in an ecumenical context, we need to reflect on whether and how the structures and patterns of stereotypes and power asymmetries between the so-called ‘Global North’ and ‘Global South’ are reflected in the partnerships and how they are addressed.

There are an estimated 2,000 to 3,000 international Protestant churches in Germany. Many of these congregations were founded by pastors from West Africa. The Presbyterian Church of Ghana (PCG) also has numerous foreign congregations located in Germany. These kinds of international congregations could be important bridge builders, especially for relationships between EMS member churches, as they already have experience from various church and cultural contexts.

Starting Points for an Exchange 

The PCG and German EMS member churches are presented here as examples of the starting points for exchanges and shared learning, as well as their own cultural and spiritual influences, challenges and current issues.

The PCG is a young church. 59 per cent of congregation members are under 30 years old. This is mainly due to the demography in Ghana and has resulted in a church where young people form a broader base than in Germany. These differing circumstances could provide an opportunity to exchange ideas about the role of young adults in the churches and to look at one another's contexts through the eyes of the other. A mutual exchange could be used to seek out different ideas for young members to participate in congregational life and decision-making bodies.

Issues that could play a role in Ghanaian congregations include equality and opportunities in education, healthcare, sustainable agriculture, peace education and interfaith dialogue. All these aspects offer starting points for shared learning since they can also offer a basis for critical consideration in the German context. In principle, the question can be asked how churches contribute to local life and what role religion plays in society in terms of promoting peace and preventing extremism.

German EMS member churches are facing completely different challenges and developments. Church membership is declining. This means that the regional state churches are undergoing a process of transformation and are preparing for fewer members and fewer resources in the future. At local level, this often leads to mergers between congregations or church districts. It can be assumed that this trend will continue in the coming years.  In 2022, a study showed that two thirds of Protestant church members were tending towards leaving the church. The main reason cited was a lack of interest in religion and the church. It seems that many people no longer perceive the church as relevant.

Partnership groups could address this issue and ask each other where and how the church is relevant and visible within their own contexts. Sharing information about the contexts and conditions of church life can lead to new ideas, comfort, encouragement or self-reflection about the changes taking place on the German side.

The (re)use of church buildings is a much-discussed topic in many German congregations. Partnership groups could jointly address issues relating to buildings and worship locations and shed light on different prospects.

The majority of German church members state social motives for their membership: 43 per cent cite that an important motivation for them is the church's “commitment to solidarity and justice in the world and the future of humanity”. This touches on a key aspect of partnership work, namely practising mutual solidarity across countries and church boundaries. How can this mutual solidarity and the pursuit of justice be made a common theme in church life on both sides and how can it be expressed and publicised in projects or campaigns?

Rev. Theresa Gilcher
Theresa Gilcher is a pastor of the Protestant Church in the Palatinate.