Catholic and Protestant Churches Protest Exclusion from Population Information
Legislation puts an end to a program that helped churches keep track of their local memberships using data provided by the municipal administration.
In the Netherlands, all population data (such as births, deaths, marriages, and relocations) is maintained by the municipal administration (the GBA). This information was passed on to churches through an interchurch foundation (the SILA). Recent legislation puts an end to this, so that churches are no longer notified if when a church member relocates or dies, thus preventing the churches from being able to keep track of membership.
The legislation, passed by a parliamentary majority without any consultation with the churches, applies exclusively to churches and other organizations will still have access to the GBA. The SILA now manages the data of 5.7 million church members.
The Dutch Bishops’ Conference has protested this measure and in a letter to the Prime Minister on behalf of both the Roman Catholic and Protestant Churches explained the consequences of this discriminatory legislation:
We give you a few examples that illustrate why the SILA is a very useful and important tool for the churches to maintain their membership information:
- When an 80 year old woman moves to a nursing home and the nursing home is unaware that they must notify a change of address to an ecclesiastical office, the move is still transmitted and she may receive a visit from the church community or parish at her new address.
- When someone dies and his relatives fail to pass this death, the fact of this death is still recorded in the membership records and can avoid embarrassing situations.
- When a young person goes to study elsewhere, but does not intend to leave the church, his move is noted in the membership records, and it remains clear he has not left the church permanently.
Sources: Joint Letter from Roman Catholic and Protestant Churches and liefdeentrouwaandekerk