The volume offers a comparative legal analysis of the position of Evangelical Reformed churches in Polish and German religion-state law, examining their constitutional status, diaconal work, and digital transformation against the backdrop of societal change following the Covid-19 pandemic.
This volume examines the position of smaller religious communities in Polish and German religion-state law, using Evangelical Reformed churches as a case study. It emerged from a German-Polish research project comparing the legal status of these churches, whose origins lie in the Swiss Reformation, within the two legal systems. While the Evangelical Reformed Church in Germany forms part of the Evangelical Church in Germany (EKD) and enjoys the status of a public-law corporation, the Evangelical Reformed Church in Poland (
Kościół Ewangelicko-Reformowany w RP) is one of the few religious communities with its own statutory legal basis. The volume begins by exploring fundamental questions of Polish and German religion-state law before turning to the church law of Evangelical Reformed churches in both countries. Particular attention is paid to their internal constitutional structures, the organization of their diaconal work, and the ongoing digitalization of church activities. A dedicated contribution examines the parish of Zelów and the descendants of the Bohemian Brethren, highlighting the distinctive historical character of the Evangelical Reformed Church in Poland. Special emphasis is placed on the transformations experienced by smaller churches during and after the Covid-19 pandemic and on the new challenges these changes have created for their legal and institutional environment. The contributions demonstrate how comparative legal research in the fields of religion-state law and church law can help identify structural adaptation strategies developed by smaller religious communities. The volume is addressed to scholars and practitioners of religion-state law, theologians, and all those interested in the future of religious minorities in Central Europe. It offers an interdisciplinary and comparative contribution to the contemporary debate on the transformation of institutionalized religion in Germany and Poland.
Table of contents:
Bernard Łukańko: Die rechtliche Stellung der Evangelisch-Reformierten Kirche in der Republik Polen im Lichte des Religionsverfassungsrechts. Eine Analyse der Verfassungsbestimmungen und des Gesetzes vom 13. Mai 1994 über das Verhältnis des Staates zur Evangelisch-Reformierten Kirche in der Republik Polen -
Peter Unruh: Ein Recht für alle Religionsgemeinschaften. Grundlagen und Grundzüge des deutschen Religionsverfassungsrechts -
Grażyna Zboralska: Das Kirchenrecht der Evangelisch-Reformierten Kirche in der Republik Polen -
Arno Schilberg: Die Lippische Landeskirche. Geschichte, reformiertes Kirchenrecht, Strukturen und aktuelle Entwicklungen -
Hendrik Munsonius: Erwägungen zu den Herausforderungen der kirchlichen Arbeit in der digitalisierten Gesellschaft -
Anika Christina Albert: Vielfältig teilhaben. Zur Rolle der Diakonie in einer alternden Gesellschaft -
Bernard Łukańko: Diakonie der Evangelisch-Reformierten Kirche in der Republik Polen. Analyse der institutionellen Aspekte der karitativen Tätigkeit und der Funktionsweise -
Joanna Szczepankiewicz-Battek: Kleine Kirche, besondere Identität: Die Evangelisch-Reformierte Kirche in Polen rechtshistorisch betrachtet am Beispiel der Gemeinde Zelów
