Four parishes of the Northern Church in Germany live sustainability and the common good
The parishes of Nieharde, Witzwort, Oldenswort and Husum celebrated the successful completion of their common good balance sheet with Nora Steen, Bishop of the Schleswig and Holstein diocese, on 14 May 2025 at Christian Jensen Kolleg in Breklum. The parishes were the first in northern Germany to spend a year working on their contributions to the common good with the advice of Anke Butscher (PhD) and Gerd Lauermann.
Together, the four parishes discussed how their church activities relate to human dignity, solidarity and justice, ecological sustainability, transparency and co-decision-making. They clarified who their customers actually are, how they understand property and profit and how they can position and contribute as a church in an increasingly secular society. “The common good balance sheet is an important compass for aligning the actions of communities, organisations and companies sustainably and for the benefit of the community. The assessment of the four congregations shows how important churches are for the success of community and participation, for society and for a good life. The certification is a major step and success for the four parishes,” explains Hans-Pahl Christiansen, Funding Manager of the North Friesland church district and certified Common Good Consultant.
Martin Pankratz, Susanne Koring, Inke Thomsen-Krüger and Anke Butscher
At the closing event, Bishop Nora Steen explained what is so important about the Economy for the Common Good for the church and its congregations and why these four congregations in Schleswig-Holstein were particularly suitable for the joint process. Pastor Bendix Balke, coordinator of the working group for faith communities of the German Economy for the Common Good Association, then emphasised the importance of the Economy for the Common Good as a new economic concept and, together with Bishop Nora Steen, presented the congregations with their certificates. The entire process was accompanied by the documentary film team ‘hart film’. The film’s Trailer was shown as a prelude and the film ‘Who, if not us’ will be shown to the public for the first time in Husum cinema in June.
The Economy for the Common Good (ECG) is a civil society reform movement launched in 2010 with the aim of establishing an ethical economic culture. In future, values such as cooperation, respect for human dignity, solidarity and ecological sustainability should guide the organisation of economic and business processes. One instrument for this is the common good balance sheet, which can be used as a value-orientated measurement tool in companies, communities and institutions. Anke Butscher, managing partner of corsus, is a common good consultant and international coordinator of the HUB Public Sector of the ECG. She has been advising and supporting companies and local authorities on the path to the common good for 10 years.
Nora Steen, Heike Braren, Susanne Koring, Friedemann Magaard and Willi Christiansen
corsus
Charta der Vielfalt
