Philipp Kuch: Commitment to the future of the Gruibingen parish

Philipp Kuch: Commitment to the future of the Gruibingen parish

With the upcoming election date on November 30th (1st Advent), parish council elections will take place in all Protestant parishes. In this context, Philipp Kuch, 31 years old, is a defining figure. As a parish councilor and chairman of the Gruibingen community, he has been involved in the church for 20 years. In addition to his church work, Kuch is also active as a master baker and farmer, where he produces grain, potatoes and chickens together with his family. He took over the parish council in 2014 from his mother, who previously served on the council, and is currently in his second legislative term.

The Gruibingen parish recently merged with the Wiesensteig parish and now shares a pastor's position. This brings with it new challenges, in particular the revival of community life after the corona pandemic and the energy-efficient renovation of the church and rectory. Kuch emphasizes the importance of encounters and social engagement in order to keep community work alive.

Merger processes in the Evangelical Church

The merger of church congregations is an increasingly common phenomenon in Germany. Many parishes are under pressure to merge with their neighboring parishes. This begins a comprehensive change process that places numerous demands on those involved. The Evangelical Church in the Rhineland (EKiR) supports the communities in this process with an advisory team led by Mirjam Steinhard and Claudia Zimmer. The guide “Merger of parishes” offers a concrete schedule for the merger process, which was created by presbyters with experience gemeinde-kirchenentwicklung.ekir.de.

Emotions play a significant role in these fusion processes. Fear and uncertainty are common, which is why conversations with parishioners and church leaders are crucial. In recent years, the demand for support in such mergers has been high, which is due, among other things, to a decline in church tax revenue due to falling membership numbers evangelisch.de.

The path to merger

The merger process goes through several phases: approach, preparation, working groups, application to the regional church and finally implementation. During this time, it is important to consider the identity and history of each community and encourage open communication. The advisory team usually stays with the communities until the merger is implemented, after which there are occasional questions. This support helps to reduce fears and prepare communities for a new common path gemeinde-kirchenentwicklung.ekir.de.

Overall, it can be seen that the election of parish councils has a signal effect: it signals support for volunteers who want to serve their communities. Philipp Kuch recommends that everyone should be active on the parish council for at least one legislative period in order to get to know the processes and the community. The upcoming elections are therefore an excellent opportunity to promote new commitment in the communities so that community life can be sustainably strengthened schwaebische-post.de.