Circle of Friends

of the

Center for Peace Church Theology at the University of Hamburg

The Center for Peace Church Theology continues to do research and teach from a Mennonite/Peace Church perspective. The Christian commitment to peace and justice, which is alive among Mennonites past and present, is to be further introduced into the academic discourse. In this way, this tradition should on the one hand be able to be perceived accordingly in the wider ecumenical community, and on the other hand Peace Church perspectives will be further developed and deepened – in dialogue with corresponding fields of practice.
Your support enables us to strengthen the voice of the Peace Church in the choir of church traditions, so that we can work for peace together.

Who are the Mennonites?

The Mennonite Church is the oldest protestant free church. It came into being during the Reformation of the 16th Century. Since then it has emphasized not only the separation of church and state, but also the peace testimony of the Church of Jesus Christ. Together with the Society of Friends (Quakers) and the Church of the Brethren, Mennonites are called the "Historical Peace Churches", since from the beginning they urged their members to follow the way of non-violence in all aspects of life.

What does the Center do?

The Center for Peace Church Theology was founded in 2006. Financially supported for five years by the "Hamburg Foundation for Science, Development and Culture Helmut and Hannelore Greve" it was initially established and integrated into the Department of Protestant Theology at the University of Hamburg. After those years, financing had to be put on a broader basis, through individual donations, foundations and contributions from churches. Since 2011, donations have been collected by the Foundation of the Association of Mennonite Congregations in Germany (AMG) and put to their purpose. In 2018 an endowed professorship was established – which has only become possible by firm promises of donations for the coming years.

Theology according to Mennonite understanding is not limited to the academic discipline, but is always part of church life. In addition to peace research and the training of pastors and teachers of religious education, the Center organizes guest lectures and study days to further develop peace theology and ethics in an international network of institutes and churches, and to expose fields of practice.

Detailed information about our activities in the years 2006-2010 can be found in our Activity Report (PDF) (German only).. Since 2011, current information has been published in biannual newsletters. You can subscribe to this free of charge at the Center for Peace Church Theology.