On Friday, November 8 and Saturday, November 9, the Kirche Kunterbunt conference took place at the LUX – Junge Kirche Nürnberg and was a complete success. The ecumenical event was fully booked four weeks before the registration deadline, a clear sign of the great interest in new and interactive forms of church fellowship. Over 400 participants experienced an inspiring mix of idea confetti, XXL Kirche Kunterbunt, creative forms of blessing, stimulating workshops and motivating talks over the two days.
In her talk, Prof. Dr. Sandra Bils (mi-di) called on the participants not to underestimate the potential of their actions: “Don’t think ‘I’m just tinkering a bit. – No, what you are doing right now is the church of the future! You are the face of the church for many people. You are the church!” Another highlight was the contribution by Catholic church developer Tobias Aldinger (Archdiocese of Freiburg), who emphasized: “The church can be a child – because we are growing towards Christ!” Dr. Katharina Freudenberg, a member of staff at the Church and Community Theory Research Centre in Halle, presented the initial results of an initial study of the Kirche Kunterbunt movement, which showed that the relaxed atmosphere at Kirche Kunterbunt is so attractive to many families.
Kirche Kunterbunt is a missional church format that is part of the fresh expressions of church movement and integrates influences from the Messy Church movement in England. The aim is to bring children and their adult caregivers into contact with God’s love in a creative way and at the same time to promote the development of community. The conference was characterized by a special culture of hospitality, creativity and intergenerational cooperation, which was positively emphasized by many participants. The lived values – Christ-centered, intergenerational, joyful and celebratory, hospitable and creative – were at the forefront.
The event was accompanied by the narrative from Psalm 1: “Happy is the man who is like a tree planted by the water. It bears fruit in its season, and its leaves do not wither.” A symbolic tree made of papier-mâché was transformed during the two-day conference by representing different seasons.
Church councillor Michael Wolf (Evangelical Lutheran Church in Bavaria) summed up the significance of the conference: “The conference is representative of the new beginnings that we are experiencing – in addition to all the challenges: We are allowed to try things out, laugh, dance, be creative and live the church together in a theological breadth.” An Instagram post by a participant summed up the experience as follows: “When confetti cannons, campfires, challenging talks, movement songs, blessing stations, excellent workshops and an ingenious organization happen in two days – that’s really wonderful! Simply wow! This is what church can be like!”
The conference was led by a small team from the German-speaking Kirche Kunterbunt movement, consisting of Sara Bardoll (Evangelisches Jugendwerk Württemberg), Laura Müller (Archdiocese of Freiburg), Nicola Nitz (Evangelical Lutheran Church in Bavaria), Janina Crocoll (Evangelisches Jugendwerk Württemberg) and Daniela Mailänder (mi-di). The organizers were very satisfied with the smooth running of the conference. “We have painted pictures of the church in people’s hearts. It is our hope and motivation that these impulses will be passed on!”
The Kirche Kunterbunt conference left lasting impressions and encouraged the participants to play an active and creative role in shaping the future of the church.
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