Das Bekennen der Mitglieder und das Bekenntnis der Kirche Zur ekklesiologischen Bedeutung der EKD-Mitgliedschaftsuntersuchungen

Taking into account the sociological insights resulting from the current research on church membership, this article provides a theological interpretation of some of the conclusions reached by this research. The group discussions held during the latest study done by the Protestant Church in Germany can at times be seen as interpretations of the Reformation's creed. The considerable tensions expressed by the interviewees between the church as a community and as a formal organization, between church membership as a deepening and as a burden of faith, or between familiarity and alienation of church life, could encourage a differentiation in traditional ecclesiology.