Protestant Reformed Church of Alsace and Lorraine
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Église protestante réformée d'Alsace et de Lorraine Protestant Reformed Church of Alsace and Lorraine |
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|---|---|
| Classification | Protestant |
| Orientation | Reformed |
| Polity | Presbyterian |
| Leader | Christian Krieger |
| Associations | CCR, CPCE, FPF, UEPAL, WCC and WCRC |
| Headquarters | Strasbourg, Alsace |
| Origin | 1895 Strasbourg |
| Branched from | pre-1905 Reformed Church of France |
| Congregations | 52 |
| Members | 33,000 |
The Protestant Reformed Church of Alsace and Lorraine (French: Église protestante réformée d'Alsace et de Lorraine; EPRAL) is a Reformed denomination in Alsace and Northeastern Lorraine (Département Moselle), France. As a church body it enjoys the status as an établissement public du culte (public establishment of cult).
The EPRAL adheres to the Apostles Creed, Nicene Creed, Heidelberg Catechism and the Second Helvetic Confession. The EPRAL has approximately 33,000 members in 52 congregations served by 50 pastors. Congregations holding services in German language use the current German Protestant hymnal Evangelisches Gesangbuch issued by the Protestant church bodies in Austria, France (Alsace-Moselle), Germany and Luxembourg (1993–1996), in a regional edition (Ausgabe Baden / Elsass-Lothringen) including traditional hymns from Alsace, Baden and Moselle.
In 2006 the EPRAL formed with the EPCAAL the Union of Protestant Churches of Alsace and Lorraine. This is no united body, but it provides common decision making structure and single body of pastors. However, the two churches maintain their own organisation. The EPRAL is member of the Protestant Federation of France and of the World Communion of Reformed Churches, and the World Council of Churches. The EPRAL was a founding member of the Conference of Churches on the Rhine in 1961, which now functions as a regional group of the Community of Protestant Churches in Europe (CPCE). The EPRAL has close fellowship with the Reformed Church of France.
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