Vienna – According to a report from the Austrian Broadcasting Company, five Free Churches in Austria are planning to establish a common umbrella organization. The formation of “Free Churches in Austria” is intended to make recognition as a religious organization possible. As a result, they would be able, for example, to hold religion classes in schools and to offer counseling in hospitals. A minimum number of members is required for official recognition as a religious organization, such as the Catholic and Protestant Churches enjoy. That number must be at least 0.2 percent of the population, or, as things currently stand, over 16,000 persons. No single Free Church has that many members. It is estimated that all Free Churches together represent no more than 20,000 members. Currently, Free Churches in Austria are recognized only as “Confessional Organizations”. The new umbrella organization would include the Free Christian Pentecostal Church, the Union of Baptist Churches, the Mennonite Free Church, and the Elaia Churches, which unite five churches. The direction of the process for the merger lies in the hands of the Secretary General of the Austrian Baptists, Walter Klimt. As he told the European Baptist Press Service (EBPS), he is already in discussion with two other Free Churches who are also interested in joining the umbrella organization. Klimt expects the recognition process to be completed before summer: “That will put an end to a 100-year period of disagreement and misunderstandings among the Free Churches. What a sign!”

 In the religion magazine of the Austrian Broadcasting Company, “Orientation”, representatives of the Free Churches emphasized that the merger is not merely motivated by legal issues. There is great agreement on core beliefs, with the differences involving merely “nuances”, according to Klimt. The “Free Churches in Austria” are led by a Counsel, with representatives from each member union. Once a year, the national leadership and executive boards of the membership unions come together in a “Forum”.

The Protestant Church in Austria has about 320,000 members. The largest religious organization among the 8.4 million Austrians is the Catholic Church, with 5.6 million members. The approximately 350,000 Muslims form the second-largest religious group. Nearly one in four Austrians has no religious affiliation.