Diversity and Identity among Protestant Congregations in Croatia: Negotiating Minority Status and (In)Visibility - Dr. Enoh Šeba, Prof. Dr. Siniša Zrinščak - University of Hamburg
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06.07.2026
Diversity and Identity among Protestant Congregations in Croatia: Negotiating Minority Status and (In)Visibility
The lecture presents the main findings of empirical research on Protestant congregations in Croatia, conducted between October 2022 and February 2023, which covered 62% of all Protestant communities in the country. Although Protestants constitute only a small minority — 0.33% of the population according to the 2021 Census — there are significant differences among various Protestant communities. Still, Protestants in Croatia share some basic features. They are mostly inward-oriented, focusing on the needs and interests of their members, while their broader social involvement remains limited. Thus, we will reflect on how their minority status shapes both the theological and social identities of Protestant congregations.
Enoh Šeba is Director of the International Baptist Theological Study Centre (IBTS), a collaborative partner of the Faculty of Humanities at Vrije Universiteit Amsterdam (The Netherlands). His research focuses on congregational studies, homiletics and liturgical innovation, combining empirical research methods with theological reflection.
Siniša Zrinščak is Professor and Head of the Chair of Sociology at the Faculty of Law, University of Zagreb (Croatia). His main scientific interests include religious and social policy changes in postcommunism, state-church relations, and religion and human rights.
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Religion, for many individuals, is practiced not in the abstract, but in concrete, embodied ways—through participation in local religious groups. These groups, often referred to as congregations, are central sites where religious belief, belonging, and behavior are lived out. They provide not only spaces for worship, but also platforms for socialization, community-building, charity, and political engagement. Local religious groups are remarkably diverse. They vary in size, resources, denominational affiliation, organizational form, leadership structure, activities, and their relationship with their surrounding context. They include parish-based Christian congregations, free churches, mosques, synagogues, temples, and spiritual centers. They can be embedded in religiously diverse urban metropolises or operate in rural, mono-religious settings. Despite this diversity, and despite their centrality in the religious field, our systematic knowledge of congregations remains limited—especially in the European context. The lecture series presents current congregational studies from various contexts such as Italy, Denmark, Germany, Switzerland, Croatia, and the USA. The lecture series is organized by the Academy of World Religions at the University of Hamburg with support from the Udo Keller Foundation Forum Humanum.
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Religion, for many individuals, is practiced not in the abstract, but in concrete, embodied ways—through participation in local religious groups. These groups, often referred to as congregations, are central sites where religious belief, belonging, and behavior are lived out. They provide not only spaces for worship, but also platforms for socialization, community-building, charity, and political engagement. Local religious groups are remarkably diverse. They vary in size, resources, denominational affiliation, organizational form, leadership structure, activities, and their relationship with their surrounding context. They include parish-based Christian congregations, free churches, mosques, synagogues, temples, and spiritual centers. They can be embedded in religiously diverse urban metropolises or operate in rural, mono-religious settings. Despite this diversity, and despite their centrality in the religious field, our systematic knowledge of congregations remains limited—especially in the European context. The lecture series presents current congregational studies from various contexts such as Italy, Denmark, Germany, Switzerland, Croatia, and the USA. The lecture series is organized by the Academy of World Religions at the University of Hamburg with support from the Udo Keller Foundation Forum Humanum.
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