What We Believe

In the New Testament the church is a body of believers united by their faith in one Lord: “For where two or three come together in my name, I am there with them” (Matthew 18: 20). No Christian denomination has an exclusive right to the truth or to salvation. The Church of Jesus Christ is one, holy, apostolic and catholic (i.e. universal) but its human realisation is reflected in churches with different doctrine, structure and worship styles. For the Gospel to be preached and applied more faithfully, the road ahead is unity through diversity.

Ministers
All functions in the church can be taken by men or women. In a protestant church there are different ministries (pastors, teachers, elders, deacons and others, according to their spiritual gifts) but they do not form a clergy or a hierarchy and are allowed to marry. The only head of the church is Jesus Christ, who has no substitutes on earth. Church government is entrusted to elected assemblies, under the guidance of the Holy Spirit.

Sacraments
In the Bible there are only two sacraments (i.e. special signs linked to the person of Jesus): Baptism and the Lord’s Supper. In our churches baptism is administered in two forms: either to young children, if their parents are Christians, or to adults after a personal confession of faith. A public confession is required for the act of Confirmation by those who were baptised as infants.

The Lord’s Supper, consisting of holy bread and wine, is a sign of God’s love in Jesus Christ, who gave his life for our salvation; it is also a sign of his real presence within us and among us and a foretaste of his glorious return. It does not require a priesthood nor does it imply the physical presence of Christ’s body.

Sin and grace
Sin means that we focus only on ourselves and our needs. In this sense we are all sinners and yet we are also saved by God’s grace in Jesus Christ. Through faith we realise and accept this gift. Good deeds, therefore, do not ensure eternal life nor do they make us an instrument of our salvation. The notions of purgatory, holy year, pardons, etc. have little in common with the Gospel of Jesus Christ.

Worship
The essential parts of protestant worship are: the reading and preaching of God’s Word, prayer, confession of sins, announcement of forgiveness, hymns and praises, Holy Communion (not every Sunday). The dates we celebrate are Advent, Christmas, Easter week and Pentecost. Our chapels are simply a place of worship because God’s home is his entire creation.

Saints
For the New Testament all believers are “saints”. Even the greatest Christians, the most devoted, those who give their life for others, are saved by Grace alone. Protestants thank God for their leading figures (Luther, Calvin, Wesley, Bonhoeffer, M.L. King) but do not consider them holy or pray to them for intercession.

Jesus’s mother
Mary is “blessed among women” for she was chosen by God as the human mother of Jesus. According to the Gospels, she gave her husband Joseph several sons and daughters. Protestants recognise her role as an early witness of Christ’s ministry and as an example of faith and obedience but refuse to consider her holy or make her an object of devotion.

Images and signs
Protestant churches avoid the use of images and statues because they are banned by the second commandment and because people tend to confuse them with God himself. The cross is our only emblem; not the crucifix, because Christ is risen! We do not cross ourselves, because in Roman Catholic countries this has become a form of mindless superstition.

Organisation
The Union of Methodist and Waldensian Churches seeks to reconcile two key aspects of the Christian faith: individual freedom and unity in witness. Each congregation manages its own activities, as decided by its general assembly; the assembly elects a Church Council (which in Brescia consists of 7 members, including the pastor) for day-to-day decisions. Churches in the same area form a Circuit and Circuits are grouped into four Districts. The highest level of church government is the National Synod, which meets every summer near Turin. For Protestants there is no apostolic succession and the episcopacy does not make the church any more faithful to God. Instead, there is a close link between democracy in the church and in society, as shown by the birth of modern democracy in protestant nations like Holland, Britain, Scandinavia and the US.

Social work
Despite their small membership, Methodist and Waldensian churches in Italy run dozens of institutes: hospitals, social centres and schools, retirement homes, bookshops, cultural societies and a School of Theology in Rome.

Relations with Government
Like Jews, Italian protestants were only granted freedom in 1848. Since then hundreds of congregations have been established throughout the country. The Waldensian community in Brescia dates from 1860. We believe that no religion or denomination should be supported by Government, which must remain neutral. For this reason all our religious work is funded entirely by members and friends. We oppose the teaching of Roman Catholic religion in state schools and institutional privilege for the Church of Rome. Relations between Government and the Union of Methodist and Waldensian Churches are regulated by an agreement (“Intesa”) that ensures freedom and independence for both sides under the Italian Constitution.

Ecumenism
The Union of Methodist and Waldensian Churches (Chiesa Evangelica Valdese) is a founding member of the World Council of Churches, which brings together all mainstream Christian denominations except the Church of Rome. In 1975 Italian Methodists and Waldensians overcame their differences and formed a united church. We do not believe in high-level ecumenical talks because the Vatican still seeks to bring all churches under the pope. Ecumenical work is possible locally with catholic, orthodox and pentecostal Christians who are willing to recognise that every church is imperfect and in need of renewal.

Media coverage
Our church publishes a weekly newspaper (Riforma) with the Italian Baptist Union and has regular features on national radio and TV. See the section News, radio, TV.

FURTHER READING
Giorgio Girardet. Cristiani secondo l’Evangelo (RTF)

Giorgio Girardet. Protestanti e cattolici: le differenze (PDF)