The volume is the result of discussions held during the KAAD Annual Academy 2022 on the topic of "Synodal Church – Global Church Perspectives." The editor is Professor Esther-Maria Guggenmos, a religious studies scholar at Lund University, who heads the expert group.
While in Germany there is discussion about the decline in church ties and the loss of social majority status, life as a Christian minority has long been part of everyday church life in many regions of Africa and Asia. These different starting points shaped the discussions within the expert group and form the background to the contributions now collected in this volume.
The volume focuses on the concept of "minority," which touches on both legal protection dimensions and social relations. The contributions take up this ambivalence and link it to considerations of citizenship, recognition, and social participation. The aim is not to provide a uniform assessment, but rather to describe the specific historical and political conditions under which religious communities determine their identity and exercise responsibility.
The collected country studies lead to different constellations: to the Muslim-dominated coastal region of Kenya, to the Confucian-influenced society of Vietnam, to contexts of indigenous communities in the Amazon region, to Thailand, Georgia, China, the Philippines, and Iran. Issues addressed include state regulation of religion, cultural and religious identity formation, forms of interreligious dialogue, confessional boundaries, and educational and social initiatives.
In addition to these case studies, there are analyses of institutional networks in the educational and social sectors, particularly in Asia. Church university associations, university cooperations, and charitable structures are described in their transregional contexts. In addition, there are theological contributions that reflect on the relationship between majority and minority, leadership and service, vulnerability and responsibility, thus opening up a further level of debate.
Professor Thomas Söding provides a perspective on the situation in Germany by analyzing the current transformation processes of the churches in the context of long-term secularization dynamics, social megatrends, and church reform debates. He describes the churches in Germany as a "qualified minority" that is becoming smaller in number but still has institutional structures, educational work, social presence, and international networks at its disposal. In this context, he addresses issues of credibility, ecumenism, synodal reform, educational mission, and social responsibility, relating them to the experiences of other local churches. His contribution thus places the situation in Germany in the larger context of the global church, which shapes the publication.
The publication was made possible financially by the KAAD Foundation Peter-Hünermann.
Bibliographic information
Esther-Maria Guggenmos (ed.): When Christians are in the minority. International perspectives on the social role of Christianity. Freiburg im Breisgau: Verlag Herder 2026. 238 pages. ISBN 978-3-451-02445-0.
