Constitution of the Hungarian Reformed Church

PREAMBLE

Dating back to the Reformation, the Hungarian Reformed Church has always flourished within the territory of various countries and the frameworks of different states, embracing in Canon Law with other ethnic churches of the Carpathian Basin who joined the Reformation.

In the 16th century, after the rupture of the historical territory of Hungary into two - and later three parts - the Western region was brought under the rule of the Habsburg Empire. The Principality of Transylvania was established in the Eastern territory. The region encircled by these two witnessed the development of Ottoman dominion with its changing borders. After the expulsion of the Ottomans, Transylvania maintained its independence.

Following the Austro-Hungarian Compromise of 1867, 14 years of preparatory work gave birth to the complete organisational structure of the Hungarian Reformed Church in 1881 at Debrecen.

Until the issuance of the Trianon Peace Treaty, the Reformed population in the Carpathian Basin lived within the territory of one state; however, as a result of Western and Eastern immigration, the "Overseas Diocese" formed in the United States of America and the "Old Romanian Diocese" within the borders of the Romanian Principality.

After WWI, Hungarian Reformed people lived in Austria, Czechoslovakia, Romania, and Yugoslavia, alongside the remaining territories of Hungary.

Following the provisional re-annexation, the situation remained unchanged until 1989/90. Since the changes, the Reformed population of the Carpathian Basin and outside of Hungary have lived in Slovakia, Ukraine, Romania, Serbia, Croatia, and Slovenia. Hungarian Reformed people live in Western Europe, the United States of America, and Canada, either engaged in independent Reformed ecclesiastical organisations or in the Reformed church of those countries. Hungarian Reformed people also live or serve in other dozens of countries, either as independent congregations or in varying degrees of ecclesiastical organisations.

As a result of further historical changes in the early 21st century, the Hungarian Reformed population of the Carpathian Basin, except for Ukraine and Serbia, now lives on the territory of the European Union.

The external legal framework of the the Hungarian Reformed Church ceased to exist.. The Hungarian Reformed people in the Carpathian Basin continuously preserved their unity of faith and theology based on God's Word, creeds of the ancient church, the Heidelberg Catechism, and the Second Helvetic Confession. Worship agendas maintained their common principles, and the unity in serving the sacraments - baptism and communion - has never been discarded. Reformed Christian education, pastoral service, mission, Christian charity, Synod-Presbyterian governance based on parity and the basic principles of exercising ecclesiastical discipline never questioned unity and communion, nor unity with non-Hungarian Reformed church people.

For the purposes of restoring organisational unity, the member churches adopt their common Constitution as follows.

CHAPTER 1

Spiritual Foundations, Common Confessions

1.(1) The Hungarian Reformed Church belongs to the universal Christian Church of Jesus Christ, which is part of the Body of Christ. The Hungarian Reformed Church confesses her only head, the Lord Jesus Christ, and adopts the Apostle's Creed, the Second Helvetic Confession (1566), and the Heidelberg Catechism (1563) as her only expressions of faith based on the fullness of the Holy Scripture.

(2) Member churches and associate community members of the Hungarian Reformed Church live in synodal unity based on identical creed, teaching and traditions. They form an ecclesiastical and spiritual community in faith and love with all Hungarian-speaking Reformed churches, and cherish brotherhood with the Reformed churches from all around the world. They endeavour to establish and maintain ecumenical relations with all the Christian churches within the universal Christian church.

CHAPTER 2

Scope of Common Constitution

2.Reformed churches in the Carpathian Basin and associate communities of faith express their unity by adopting the common Constitution.

3.The scope of the Constitution extends to the member churches which have joined the Hungarian Reformed Church by ratification and to the associate community members admitted under the legal provisions set by the Constitution.

4.Accession may be requested only by churches and communities of faith which are recognised by the state in the territory where they operate.

5.(1)The member churches of the Hungarian Reformed Church, as well as the churches, ecclesiastical bodies, congregations, and communities of faith that are included in its unity and are to be included in it, shall form the unity of the Hungarian Reformed Church, belonging to one of the following categories, with regard to the legal status according to their membership:

a) A member church from the Carpathian Basin is a church or ecclesiastical body that has signed and ratified the common Constitution of the Hungarian Reformed Church, has undertaken the ministries, professional activities, and financial responsibilities associated with unity, and is thus represented in the constituent membership of the Common Synod by the number of voting delegates specified in the appendix to the Constitution. The bishops, lay presidents, deans, and chief elders of the member churches from the Carpathian Basin participate in the plenary session of the General Convent with voting rights, and the bishops and lay presidents of the member churches constitute the Presidium of the General Convent.

b) An associate member church is a church, ecclesiastical body or association of congregations which has been admitted to the unity of the Common Synod and whose Presidencies are voting members of the Synod and may participate in the plenary sessions of the General Convent with consultative rights.

c) An associate community member is a church, ecclesiastical body, or association of congregations - collectively a community of faith - which, on the basis of its confessional and linguistic unity, wishes and is able to commit itself to at least faith and spiritual unity with the community of the Hungarian Reformed Church, and thus may participate in the Common Synod with one representative with voting rights.

(2) No new member may be admitted to the categories of member churches from the Carpathian Basin and associate member churches; admission to the category of associate community members shall be decided by the plenary session of the General Convent, on the basis of a proposal of the Presidium of the General Convent, by application and after a substantive examination of the conditions, with the proviso that the religious community from the region from which there is already an associate community member may join only through the associate community member.

CHAPTER 3

Church Membership

6.Members of the Hungarian Reformed Church are those who received the sacrament of baptism and who declare themselves members of the Hungarian Reformed Church based on historical continuity, regardless of their location in the world or their mother tongue.

7.Full church members are those who took the vow of Confirmation according to the Reformed church tradition, who live according to the confessions and laws of the Reformed church, who partake in bearing the material burdens of the church, and are voting members registered in one of the parishes.

8.Voting rights and eligibility are regulated by the internal rules of member churches and associate community members.

CHAPTER 4

Language of Services and Administration

9.The common language of services and administration of the Hungarian Reformed Church is Hungarian.

10.Member churches and associate community members in territories with other official languages of liturgy and administration shall keep using those according to their internal rules.

CHAPTER 5

Principles of Church Administration

11.Member churches and associate community members of the Hungarian Reformed Church are administered according to the Holy Scripture and creeds, the principle of priesthood of all believers, and the principles of Synod-Presbyterian governance.

12.Organisational units of the Church, as defined in Chapter 6 of this Constitution, are autonomous as regulated by ecclesiastical law.

CHAPTER 6

Organisational Units

Parishes

13.Ministry in the church materialises in the congregation where its members listen to, take heed of, and obey the Gospel by the ministry of the Holy Spirit. Parishes are organisations of church members in a certain territory established for divine service, charity, mission, and Christian life according to our faith.

14.The minimum or maximum number of members, forms, rights, and obligations of parishes are governed by the internal rules of the member churches.

Presbyteries

15.Presbyteries are organised communities of parishes serving the purposes of common spiritual life, mission, education, and deaconship. The tasks of the presbytery are church governance, supervision, administration, and discipline.

Church Districts

16.Church districts are organised communities of presbyteries serving common purposes of spiritual life, mission, education, and deaconship in a given territory. Their tasks are training and ordaining ministers, church governance, supervision, administration, and discipline.

The National Church

17.The national church is the member church of the Hungarian Reformed Church registered in the state according to its place of operation.

18.If organisation of church governance in certain member churches or communities of faith does not call for the establishment of some organisational unit, such are governed by the internal rules of the church or the community of faith.

CHAPTER 7

Synod of the Hungarian Reformed Church

19.(1) The Hungarian Reformed Church is the synodal community of its member churches and associate community members.

(2) The constitutional and legislative body of the Hungarian Reformed Church is the Common Synod.

(3) Its authority extends to adopt and amend the common Constitution. It shall legislate on all common issues for which it is authorised by the highest forums of the member churches.

(4) The Common Synod shall be convened by the General Convent, as necessary.

(5) Incumbent bishops and lay presidents of the member churches are ex officio members of the Common Synod. Other representatives - within the limits set forth by the annex of this Constitution - are elected and delegated by the member churches, half of them being ministers and half of them elders. The Common Synod representative of an associate community member is delegated by the supreme body of the organisation from among its Reformed members.

CHAPTER 8

The General Convent

20. (1) The General Convent is the common representative body of the Hungarian Reformed Church.

(2) Its task is to prepare the common constitution and common laws, to ensure their entry into force, to coordinate common affairs and to work to achieve unity.

(3) Constituent members of the General Convent are all the deans and chief elders in the office of all the presbyteries of the member churches from the Carpathian Basin, as well as the bishops and lay presidents in the office of the church districts. The bishop and the lay president of an associate member church have consultative rights. The representative of an associate community member may also be invited to attend the meeting with consultative rights.

(4) The General Convent meets once a year, but may be convened whenever necessary. It is convened by the Presidium, designating its location and agenda.

(5) The managing body of the General Convent is the Presidium. Its members are the incumbent bishops and lay presidents of the member churches from Carpathian Basin. It is responsible for the management of common affairs in accordance with §20(2). The body convenes whenever necessary, but at least three times a year. It designates the place of each meeting and its chairman from among its members.

(6) The General Convent may establish committees to carry out common tasks.

CHAPTER 9

Church Servants

21. The Hungarian Reformed Church performs its activity through the service of ministers, elders, deacons, teachers, cantors, and other office-bearers.

Ministers

22. (1) A minister of the Hungarian Reformed Church is a church servant who obtained a degree in a mutually recognised higher education institution and who passed the standard minister training examination, was ordained, elected, appointed, delegated, and commissioned according to local rules, and who serves with full dedication in the spirit of the Holy Scripture and our confessions as a way of life.

(2) Those not active can only be recognised as ministers if the competent presbytery and church district maintain their capacity as a minister.

(3) Retired ministers maintain their capacity as a minister according to the rules of their church.

(4) Those whose capacity of minister is terminated cannot be permitted to serve or act as a minister or make representations in this capacity in other member churches.

Elders

23. (1) Elders are the stewards of the spiritual and material property of the parish, elected by registered church members for the responsible management of parish affairs.

(2) The rules of their election are set forth by the internal regulations of member churches.

CHAPTER 10

Church Discipline

24. (1) Church jurisdiction and procedures are provided by separate internal regulations within each member church.

(2) Disciplinary resolutions are executed by the competent church authority, but they are accepted by all member churches.

(3) Member churches undertake to inform each other of final decisions.

CHAPTER 11

Unity of the Hungarian Reformed Church and Autonomy of its Member Churches

25. Unity extends to all the matters that are subject to common regulation by the Constitution or by the authority of member churches and associate community members.

26. (1) Member churches and associate community members retain their autonomy and independence when establishing their internal organisational system. Exceptions to this are those matters which fall within the common constitution or common regulation.

(2) In the interest of establishing and maintaining a church organization with the same principles and legal orientation, the member churches of the Hungarian Reformed Church – in order to strengthen legal unity – undertake to create legislation within the framework of their internal legal system on the mission of the church, on church administration, church discipline, on the order of holding church office, on the election and ministry of ministers, on the system of administration, on the status of church bodies, and the conditions of the performance of church rites.

(3) Associate community members shall provide for these matters in their internal rules.

27. Member churches and associate community members are autonomous with regards to their election system, church governance activities, the internal regulation of ministries, church discipline, and management.

28. Member churches and associate community members collaborate in legislation, common representation, development, and organisation of ecumenical and other external relations, charity, mission, media, communication, education, youth work, information technology, as well as retirement matters.

29. Common committees and institutions may be established to carry out common tasks and collaboration.

CHAPTER 12

Explanatory and Enforcement Provisions

30. (1) For the purposes of the Constitution, member churches are recognised churches with legal personality in their own countries which ratify this common Constitution. For the purposes of the Constitution, the terms "church body" or "national church" are used as synonyms.

(2) For the purposes of the Constitution, the term "community of faith" is to be understood as a diaspora community which is an "associate community member," organising itself on the foundations of the Reformed faith and holding itself together in a specific organisation.

31. Qualification for ministers: a degree in theology and divinity from a mutually recognized higher education institution in the territory of the churches from the Carpathian Basin and a subsequent ordination exam. To serve as a minister with full rights also requires the ordination of the minister. The adhering member churches strive for uniform requirements for qualification for ministers and, to this end, will set up a unified Committee for ordination exam.

32. (1) This constitution was adopted by the Synod of the Hungarian Reformed Church on 22nd May 2009.

(2) Member churches undertake to incorporate the common constitution in their national church law and therefore make the statement of ratification annexed to this Constitution.

(3) The Constitution was amended by the Common Synod of the Hungarian Reformed Church on 13th July 2023.

CHAPTER 13

Annex

Symbol and Seal

The symbol of the Hungarian Reformed Church is a pelican feeding its chicks with her blood. This symbol also features on the round seal.

Establishment of representation ratios in the Common Synod

The number of Common Synod members is 128 - based on the number of acceding members.

The number of seats is allocated as follows:

Reformed Church in Hungary: 60 members
- Danubian Reformed Church District: 14 members
- Transdanubian Reformed Church District: 10 members
- Cistibiscan Reformed Church District: 10 members
- Transtibiscan Reformed Church District: 18 members
Presidium: 8 members

Calvin Synod of the United Church of Christ: 2 members

Association of the Hungarian Reformed Churches in Canada: 2 members

Reformed Church in Romania: 32 members
- Transylvanian Reformed Church District: 18 members
- Királyhágómellék Reformed Church District: 10 members
Presidium: 4 members

Hungarian Reformed Church in America: 2 members

Reformed Christian Church in Slovakia: 10 members
Representatives: 8 members
Presidium: 2 members

Reformed Church in Transcarpathia: 8 members
Representatives: 6 members
Presidium: 2 members

Reformed Christian Church in Serbia: 6 members
Representatives: 4 members
Presidium: 2 members

Reformed Christian (Calvinist) Church in Croatia: 2 members

Reformed Christian Church in Slovenia: 2 members

The Federation of Hungarian-Speaking Protestant Congregations in Western Europe: 1 member

Hungarian Reformed Pastoral Service in Western Europe: 1 member

Ratification Declaration

The Reformed Church in Hungary,
The Reformed Church in Romania,
The Reformed Church in Transcarpathia,
The Reformed Christian Church in Serbia,
The Reformed Christian Church in Slovenia

as successors of the Hungarian Reformed Church created on the historical territory of Hungary during the Reformation and consolidated in the following centuries, in recognition of their obligations to the nation of present and future Hungarian Reformed people, aspiring to perform this task in the most efficient manner, and with the conviction that the time of joint action has come, hereby decide to integrate the constitution (basic law) of our national church into the constitution adopted by the common body, the Synod of the Hungarian Reformed Church. In consideration thereof, we adopt the common constitution and incorporate it into our national church law.

Done at Debrecen, 22 May 2009

Addendum to the list of ratifications:

The Reformed Christian Church in Slovakia (21 June 2011)
Reformed Christian (Calvinist) Church in Croatia (28 June 2013)Association of the Hungarian Reformed Churches in Canada (24 June 2017)

Hungarian Protestant Parish in Luxemburg (24 June 2017)

Calvin Synod of the United Church of Christ (17 May 2019)

The Federation of Hungarian-Speaking Protestant Congregations in Western Europe (14 July 2023)

Hungarian Reformed Pastoral Service in Western Europe (14 July 2023)