Church and Society Commission

The Church and Society Commission is one of the commissions of the Conference of European Churches (CEC). The Church and Society Commission links CEC’s 125 member churches from all over Europe and its associated organisations with the European Union institutions, the Council of Europe, the OSCE, NATO and the UN (on European matters). It engages its member churches and associated organisations in studies and projects relevant to church and society and thus supports and strengthens the common witness of European churches vis-à-vis the European Institutions and in the respective European societies.

The Church and Society Commission was established in 1999 as a result of an integration process between CEC and the European Ecumenical Commission for Church and Society (EECCS), both of which had a long-standing record of working in the field of church and society.

Church and Society Commission Mandate and methods

Our mandate
• To foster greater ecumenical dialogue, co-operation and fellowship between CEC member churches on Church and Society issues
• To create a space for member churches to meet and find ways to act together for the common good in Europe
• To encourage and sustain a Christian contribution to political, social and economic life in Europe
• As a strong partner to the European institutions, to advocate and promote a Europe of solidarity, reconciliation and human dignity

How we work
• The Church and Society Commission monitors developments in the European Institutions and makes inputs to the institutions on behalf of its member churches.
• The Church and Society Commission acts through its working groups, which study church and society issues, and engages member churches in consultations and projects on specific topics.
• The Church and Society Commission closely cooperates with other church-related organisations and NGOs such as CCME, Eurodiaconia, APRODEV and COMECE.
• The Church and Society Commission bases its actions on its work programme through flexible and ad hoc working mechanisms and methods.
• In the implementation of its agenda, regular communication between the Church and Society Commission and its member churches and the Institutions are of crucial importance.

Long-term working groups have been established for the following priority areas of the 2004-2009 work programme:
• European Integration
• EU Legislation
• Peace, Security and Reconciliation
• Bioethics and Biotechnology
• Human Rights and Religious Freedom
• Social Issues ( a joint Working Group with Eurodiaconia)

The Church and Society Commission also addresses the following themes with appropriate working mechanisms:
• Globalisation
• Sustainable Development
• Environmental Issues
• Agriculture and Rural life
• Gender Equality
• Education
• Inter-religious Dialogue


Reference documents

The current 5-year work programme was adopted by the Commission at its meeting in Wavre in 2004. The other Church and Society Commission reference documents include its Annual Reports (2007, 2006, 2005, 2004), and the Synopsis of CSC Priorities for the upcoming year (2007-2008).