Weiz, Whitsun 1995

The Church is in a phase of an epochal crossing and change now. To benefit from this chance to some kind of renovation, a renovation that is connected with this change, we commit ourselves to live according to the following principles:

1. We want to organize our lives and our living together out of a vivid relationship with God.

It is God who builds His church (Ps. 127,1). We want to be an element of the healing "The Kingdom of Heaven-Movement" of Jesus Christ within the church. So we want to unite ourselves especially with those who wish to trace out God in the world and in their lives. We want to experience the church as a community that has got an idea of the search for God.

2. As the church we are living with and for the handicapped, fringe groups, minorities and people who just go short as far as their lives are concerned.

We are defending ourselves against the fact that more and more people, even in rich and affluent societies, are becoming undesired, superfluous and endangered to be pushed off in some war or another: people who are dying, unborn children, disabled persons, the unemployed, the sich and the old. We want to "have an eye and ear" for all the suffering people in a somehow "heavently manner", according to God´s principles. Because we know that God is also at their side. (Ex. 3, 7-10).

3. The unjustice towards the so-called Third World is like a sting in our flesh.

We want to stand up for peace and social justice.

4. The keeping of the creation is a burning concern to us.

With our way of acting we want to show that we are deeply interested in the big question of survival regarding manhood.

5. Everybody has got the same dignity within the community of God´s people.

Man or woman, layman or cleric; there are only people who are called for, and nobody is uncalled for. So everybody has got the same worth or value.

6. Openness and the willingness to have a dialogue are characteristic features of our church.

Jesus Christ Himself said (John. 18, 20), "I spoke frankly before the world. Nothing did I speak in secret."

7. We want to participate in the life of our church and help to carry our church.

We know that the ecclesiastical communities are somehow "poorer" without us, and that they have more and more difficulties to accomplish their tasks and duties. We want to bring in time, imagination, critism and joy.

Decisions should only be made together with those who are affected by these decisions.

8. Our ecclesiastical communities are open to all ways of living.

Singles, one-parent-families, remarried people, divorced people, families.. We want to aid and support especially families in order to help them to work in this time. Within our ecclesiastical communities everybody is allowed to turn up and to appear, with any performance and contribution, and in any guilt or fault - in the sam way as in the presence of God.

9. We want to develop a new "culture of conflict and controversy"

Conflicts are not only irksome, they can also bear fruit. The rules of mastering conflict situations according to the "Matthew-community" (Mt. 18, 15-18) must be revived.

10. In our view, the duty and function of the church are an irreplaceable service to communtiy.

It is a serious responsiblility within and for the church. So we want to have office-holders with leading competence who are experienced and – for the Gospel – winning or engaging spiritual advisers, and whom the members of the church can really trust. Their most important tast is to precede the church-goers (or take the lead of them) with great visions, (Sam. 3,1-10) and to strengthen the brothers and sisters. (Lk. 22, 32)