Evangelical Church of Czech Brethren
Encyclopedia
The Protestant Church of Czech Brethren (PCCB) , was formed in 1918 in Czechoslovakia
through the unification of the Protestant churches of the Lutheran and Reformed confessions. The PCCB has about 120,000 members in more than 260 local congregations, which are broken down into 14 seniorates (presbyteries) throughout the Czech Republic
.
The Lutheran and Reformed Churches were permitted only after the harsh counter-reformation movement, which lasted from 1620 until the issuing of the Edict of Toleration in 1781. However, the PCCB has deeper roots in the Czech reformation: in the Utraquist Hussite Church (1431–1620) and in the Unity of Brethren aka Moravian Church (1457–1620).
The PCCB is a member of the World Council of Churches
, the Conference of European Churches
, the Lutheran World Federation
and the World Alliance of Reformed Churches
.
In 2009, it reported 115,000 baptized members.
Czechoslovakia
Czechoslovakia or Czecho-Slovakia was a sovereign state in Central Europe which existed from October 1918, when it declared its independence from the Austro-Hungarian Empire, until 1992...
through the unification of the Protestant churches of the Lutheran and Reformed confessions. The PCCB has about 120,000 members in more than 260 local congregations, which are broken down into 14 seniorates (presbyteries) throughout the Czech Republic
Czech Republic
The Czech Republic is a landlocked country in Central Europe. The country is bordered by Poland to the northeast, Slovakia to the east, Austria to the south, and Germany to the west and northwest....
.
The Lutheran and Reformed Churches were permitted only after the harsh counter-reformation movement, which lasted from 1620 until the issuing of the Edict of Toleration in 1781. However, the PCCB has deeper roots in the Czech reformation: in the Utraquist Hussite Church (1431–1620) and in the Unity of Brethren aka Moravian Church (1457–1620).
The PCCB is a member of the World Council of Churches
World Council of Churches
The World Council of Churches is a worldwide fellowship of 349 global, regional and sub-regional, national and local churches seeking unity, a common witness and Christian service. It is a Christian ecumenical organization that is based in the Ecumenical Centre in Geneva, Switzerland...
, the Conference of European Churches
Conference of European Churches
The Conference of European Churches was founded in 1959 to promote reconciliation, dialogue and friendship between the churches of Europe at a time of growing Cold War political tensions and divisions. It is an ecumenical fellowship of Christian churches in Europe; its membership consists of most...
, the Lutheran World Federation
Lutheran World Federation
The Lutheran World Federation is a global communion of national and regional Lutheran churches headquartered in the Ecumenical Centre in Geneva, Switzerland. The federation was founded in the Swedish city of Lund in the aftermath of the Second World War in 1947 to coordinate the activities of the...
and the World Alliance of Reformed Churches
World Alliance of Reformed Churches
The World Alliance of Reformed Churches is a fellowship of more than 200 churches with roots in the 16th-century Reformation, and particularly in the theology of John Calvin...
.
In 2009, it reported 115,000 baptized members.