Constitution

The Church and its mission

The Protestant Church in Switzerland PCS professes God as the creator, Jesus as the savior and the sole head of the Church, and the Holy Spirit as comforter and succor. The church recognizes the scriptures of the Old and New Testaments as a witness to divine revelation. It confesses that we are saved through grace and justified by faith. (Preamble to the Constitution)

The PCS is founded in the Constitution revised in the years 2014-2019 and taking effect on January 1, 2020. By establishing the church mission, the Constitution provides the basis for the existence and work of the Protestant Church: “The PCS proclaims the Gospel of Jesus Christ in word and deed” (Sect. 2.1).

In its first sections, the Constitution outlines the church’s foundations (I) and tasks (II), before establishing the structures of its constituent bodies. This includes the Synod, the Council, the Council Presidium, the Conference of Church Presidiums, and the strategic committees. The Constitution contains, furthermore, provisions on gender equality, the balanced representation of the national languages, and a prohibition on discrimination.

New Constitution

Protestant Church in Switzerland PCS

Legal form

The PCS is a community of the 24 Protestant churches of Switzerland as well as the Evangelical-Methodist Church of Switzerland.

The PCS is an association organized in accordance with Article 60 of the Swiss Civil Code. Its Members form the association’s Assembly as the supreme governing body in accordance with Article 64 of the Swiss Civil Code.

The Assembly elects the board (PCS Council) and is responsible for making fundamental decisions. The Council is responsible for management in accordance with Article 69 of the Swiss Civil Code and represents the PCS as an association.

The PCS revised its statutes as of January 1, 2020. The PCS is identical, in terms of association law, with the association previously known under the name of the Federation of Swiss Protestant Churches FSPC.