Schweizerischer Reformierter Pfarrverein (SRPV) - Société pastorale Suisse (SPS)
The Swiss Reformed Pastor’s Association is an umbrella organisation in which the Cantonal Pastor’s Associations (sections) are united. Eighteen sections are members of the SRPV. Through this organisation, we can reach 2022 pastors who belong to one of these sections. Once a year, the members meet for the Assembly of Delegates. The association is managed by a board of six people, which gather about ten times a year for a full-day meeting.
A distinctive feature of the association is its bilingualism, German and French. Documents are made available in both languages. At conferences and meetings, everyone is welcome to speak in his or her preferred language.
For 181 years, the association has been promoting and supporting the particular concerns of pastors in Switzerland. Its primary goal is the exchange between the members. The association's website is a platform to facilitate discussions in forums, to provide information, and create cooperation.
Approximately every two years, the board organizes a national conference on a current topic. The last meeting was held in Basel, together with the Baden Pastor’s Association, on the topic "Der Mensch am Ende – am Ende der Mensch."
Lists of training pastors are made available on the website, obituaries of deceased colleagues are published, and the association publishes the Swiss pericope order on perikopen.ch, but without comments and materials.
Due to the different structures in the cantonal churches, there are considerable differences in the salaries of the pastors. With the Pastors Solidarity Fund, the Pastor’s Association maintains a foundation which provides compensatory solidarity.
With the transformation of the Federation of Swiss Protestant Churches into the Swiss Protestant Church (EKS) at the beginning of this year, the question of the position of the ordained ministers in the church, especially at the national level, has been raised once again. Swiss churches don’t know the bishop’s office. Here the association is active and in discussion with the governing bodies of the EKS and with colleagues from the grassroots.
Finally, the Pastor's Association maintains contacts with various pastor’s associations in Europe and is committed to the promotion of ecumenical and inter-religious dialogue.
"Interpares" is the quarterly publication of the SRPV.
Future challenges will increasingly be the definition of the relationship between church leadership and pastors at all levels, as well as the growing disinterest of pastors in looking beyond the confines of their parish to another canton, let alone to Europe.