Evolving regulatory structure of European church-state relationships

In Western Europe, many contemporary churches have achieved remarkable levels of administrative autonomy and tangible resource support. Yet paradoxically, public participation in the traditional churches appears marginal. In Eastern Europe under Communism, churches experienced varying levels of hostility and bare toleration. Yet also paradoxically, some Eastern European churches nevertheless sustained membership growth. Since the fall of the Soviet communist regimes, moreover, a number of churches have re-emerged as vibrant forces in their respective nations. Is the inference to be drawn that state hostility produces strength while state support produces neglect? Of course, an impressive number of factors other than the state help shape the organizational presence of a church. The concern of this essay, however, is the state regulation of churches and the consequences of the regulatory environment, often unintended, for both state and church.