Revolution in Faith: Conference on the Future of the Church in Kassel!

Revolution in Faith: Conference on the Future of the Church in Kassel!

In November 2025, the conference “Nevertheless. Continues. Differently” will take place at the Kulturbahnhof Kassel. which promises an exciting exchange about the role of the church in today's and future society. This event, which will take place on November 13th and 14th, follows on from the first “denoch” conference in Hanover and focuses on creative initiatives and networks. The aim is to provide impulses for pastoral work, faith and the church and to emphasize the importance of church work in a plural and secular society. Diocese of Dresden-Meissen also emphasizes that the focus should be on the exchange and interaction between participants, without any frontal lectures.

At the opening on November 13th at 12:30 p.m., participants can look forward to external impulses from important personalities such as Sandra Bils, Bernhard Hanel, Oliver Mergens and Anna Reppel. These experts bring valuable experience and insights that will stimulate thought and action. The first day of the conference ends with a “galactic evening” and a common evening prayer, whereby the leitmotif of the event is: “Sent out… so that the different may work.”

Innovative pastoral care in focus

Innovative approaches also play a central role in the church's current discussions. It's about making the local church lively and finding new ways to bring people into contact with the Gospel. The Diocese of Münster describes aspects of innovative pastoral care that focus on networking, creative ways of preaching and spirituality in one's own living space. To support these projects, the innovation fund “Dare to Experiment” is available, which not only supports creative ideas, but also supports them – from idea generation to evaluation.

The discussion about disruptive developments and the need for transformation processes in the church landscape cannot be dismissed either. This shows that the experiences from the Corona pandemic are encouraging many churches to rethink their worship landscape, digitalization and networking with civil society. According to Futur2, there are already steering groups for the reform process that receive multi-professional support in order to also address questions about the church's responsibility in society. The focus is on the communities – their active involvement is considered crucial.

The diverse challenges facing the church today require rethinking and new strategies. With the conference and the initiatives aimed at innovative pastoral care, a promising path lies ahead of us to make the church fit for the future and to intensify the dialogue with society. Let's stay tuned to see what impulses and ideas the participants take home from Kassel!