Patrick Streiff
Encyclopedia
Patrick Philipp Streiff (born July 8, 1955, Birsfelden
, Switzerland
) is bishop
of the United Methodist Church
of Central and Southern Europe which comprises the countries Albania
, Algeria
, Austria
, Bulgaria
, Czech Republic
, Croatia
, France
, Hungary
, Macedonia
, Poland
, Serbia and Montenegro
, Slovakia
, Switzerland
, and Tunisia
.
. From 1975 to 1979 he studied at the theological seminary of the United Methodist Church in Reutlingen
(Germany
) and from 1979 to 1983 at the University of Bern (Switzerland).
1979 he married Heidi Albrecht, with whom he has four children, Rahel, Corinne, Manuel and Myriam.
1984 he was ordained elder (pastor) of the United Methodist Church. He served as pastor in Lausanne
-Vevey
, Neuchâtel and Biel.
From 1988 he was director of the Centre Méthodiste de Formation Théologique in Lausanne and from 1992 professor of modern Christian history.
2005 Patrick Streiff was elected bishop of the United Methodist Church in Central and Southern Europe. He is the successor of Heinrich Bolleter
has assumed his office on 1 May 2006.
Beside his service as pastor and professor, Patrick Streiff is also president of the European Section of the "World Methodist Historical Society" and works as consultant in establishing a theological education in French speaking countries of Africa
and in Cambodia
.
Birsfelden
Birsfelden is a municipality in the district of Arlesheim in the canton of Basel-Country in Switzerland.-History:Birsfelden is first mentioned in 1274 as minor Rinvelden. Around 1500 it was first mentioned as Birsfeld.-Geography:...
, Switzerland
Switzerland
Switzerland name of one of the Swiss cantons. ; ; ; or ), in its full name the Swiss Confederation , is a federal republic consisting of 26 cantons, with Bern as the seat of the federal authorities. The country is situated in Western Europe,Or Central Europe depending on the definition....
) is bishop
Bishop
A bishop is an ordained or consecrated member of the Christian clergy who is generally entrusted with a position of authority and oversight. Within the Catholic Church, Eastern Orthodox, Oriental Orthodox Churches, in the Assyrian Church of the East, in the Independent Catholic Churches, and in the...
of the United Methodist Church
United Methodist Church
The United Methodist Church is a Methodist Christian denomination which is both mainline Protestant and evangelical. Founded in 1968 by the union of The Methodist Church and the Evangelical United Brethren Church, the UMC traces its roots back to the revival movement of John and Charles Wesley...
of Central and Southern Europe which comprises the countries Albania
Albania
Albania , officially known as the Republic of Albania , is a country in Southeastern Europe, in the Balkans region. It is bordered by Montenegro to the northwest, Kosovo to the northeast, the Republic of Macedonia to the east and Greece to the south and southeast. It has a coast on the Adriatic Sea...
, Algeria
Algeria
Algeria , officially the People's Democratic Republic of Algeria , also formally referred to as the Democratic and Popular Republic of Algeria, is a country in the Maghreb region of Northwest Africa with Algiers as its capital.In terms of land area, it is the largest country in Africa and the Arab...
, Austria
Austria
Austria , officially the Republic of Austria , is a landlocked country of roughly 8.4 million people in Central Europe. It is bordered by the Czech Republic and Germany to the north, Slovakia and Hungary to the east, Slovenia and Italy to the south, and Switzerland and Liechtenstein to the...
, Bulgaria
Bulgaria
Bulgaria , officially the Republic of Bulgaria , is a parliamentary democracy within a unitary constitutional republic in Southeast Europe. The country borders Romania to the north, Serbia and Macedonia to the west, Greece and Turkey to the south, as well as the Black Sea to the east...
, Czech Republic
Czech Republic
The Czech Republic is a landlocked country in Central Europe. The country is bordered by Poland to the northeast, Slovakia to the east, Austria to the south, and Germany to the west and northwest....
, Croatia
Croatia
Croatia , officially the Republic of Croatia , is a unitary democratic parliamentary republic in Europe at the crossroads of the Mitteleuropa, the Balkans, and the Mediterranean. Its capital and largest city is Zagreb. The country is divided into 20 counties and the city of Zagreb. Croatia covers ...
, France
France
The French Republic , The French Republic , The French Republic , (commonly known as France , is a unitary semi-presidential republic in Western Europe with several overseas territories and islands located on other continents and in the Indian, Pacific, and Atlantic oceans. Metropolitan France...
, Hungary
Hungary
Hungary , officially the Republic of Hungary , is a landlocked country in Central Europe. It is situated in the Carpathian Basin and is bordered by Slovakia to the north, Ukraine and Romania to the east, Serbia and Croatia to the south, Slovenia to the southwest and Austria to the west. The...
, Macedonia
Republic of Macedonia
Macedonia , officially the Republic of Macedonia , is a country located in the central Balkan peninsula in Southeast Europe. It is one of the successor states of the former Yugoslavia, from which it declared independence in 1991...
, Poland
Poland
Poland , officially the Republic of Poland , is a country in Central Europe bordered by Germany to the west; the Czech Republic and Slovakia to the south; Ukraine, Belarus and Lithuania to the east; and the Baltic Sea and Kaliningrad Oblast, a Russian exclave, to the north...
, Serbia and Montenegro
Serbia and Montenegro
Serbia and Montenegro was a country in southeastern Europe, formed from two former republics of the Socialist Federal Republic of Yugoslavia : Serbia and Montenegro. Following the breakup of Yugoslavia, it was established in 1992 as a federation called the Federal Republic of Yugoslavia...
, Slovakia
Slovakia
The Slovak Republic is a landlocked state in Central Europe. It has a population of over five million and an area of about . Slovakia is bordered by the Czech Republic and Austria to the west, Poland to the north, Ukraine to the east and Hungary to the south...
, Switzerland
Switzerland
Switzerland name of one of the Swiss cantons. ; ; ; or ), in its full name the Swiss Confederation , is a federal republic consisting of 26 cantons, with Bern as the seat of the federal authorities. The country is situated in Western Europe,Or Central Europe depending on the definition....
, and Tunisia
Tunisia
Tunisia , officially the Tunisian RepublicThe long name of Tunisia in other languages used in the country is: , is the northernmost country in Africa. It is a Maghreb country and is bordered by Algeria to the west, Libya to the southeast, and the Mediterranean Sea to the north and east. Its area...
.
Life
Patrick Streiff made the schools in Birsfelden and MuttenzMuttenz
Muttenz is a municipality with a population of approximately 17,000 in the canton of Basel-Country in Switzerland. It is located in the district of Arlesheim and next to the city of Basle.-History:...
. From 1975 to 1979 he studied at the theological seminary of the United Methodist Church in Reutlingen
Reutlingen
Reutlingen is a city in Baden-Württemberg, Germany. It is the capital of the eponymous district of Reutlingen. As of April 2008, it has a population of 109,828....
(Germany
Germany
Germany , officially the Federal Republic of Germany , is a federal parliamentary republic in Europe. The country consists of 16 states while the capital and largest city is Berlin. Germany covers an area of 357,021 km2 and has a largely temperate seasonal climate...
) and from 1979 to 1983 at the University of Bern (Switzerland).
1979 he married Heidi Albrecht, with whom he has four children, Rahel, Corinne, Manuel and Myriam.
1984 he was ordained elder (pastor) of the United Methodist Church. He served as pastor in Lausanne
Lausanne
Lausanne is a city in Romandy, the French-speaking part of Switzerland, and is the capital of the canton of Vaud. The seat of the district of Lausanne, the city is situated on the shores of Lake Geneva . It faces the French town of Évian-les-Bains, with the Jura mountains to its north-west...
-Vevey
Vevey
Vevey is a town in Switzerland in the canton Vaud, on the north shore of Lake Geneva, near Lausanne.It was the seat of the district of the same name until 2006, and is now part of the Riviera-Pays-d'Enhaut District...
, Neuchâtel and Biel.
From 1988 he was director of the Centre Méthodiste de Formation Théologique in Lausanne and from 1992 professor of modern Christian history.
2005 Patrick Streiff was elected bishop of the United Methodist Church in Central and Southern Europe. He is the successor of Heinrich Bolleter
Heinrich Bolleter
Heinrich Bolleter was from 1989 to 2006 the bishop of the United Methodist Church of Central and Southern Europe which comprises the countries Albania, Algeria, Austria, Bulgaria, Croatia, Czech Republic, France, Hungary, Macedonia, Poland, Serbia and Montenegro, Slovakia, Switzerland, and...
has assumed his office on 1 May 2006.
Beside his service as pastor and professor, Patrick Streiff is also president of the European Section of the "World Methodist Historical Society" and works as consultant in establishing a theological education in French speaking countries of Africa
Africa
Africa is the world's second largest and second most populous continent, after Asia. At about 30.2 million km² including adjacent islands, it covers 6% of the Earth's total surface area and 20.4% of the total land area...
and in Cambodia
Cambodia
Cambodia , officially known as the Kingdom of Cambodia, is a country located in the southern portion of the Indochina Peninsula in Southeast Asia...
.
Works
- Reluctant Saint? A Theological Biography of Fletcher of Madeley, Epworth Press 2001, ISBN 0-7162-0546-7
- Methodism in Europe in the 19th and 20th century, Eesti Metodist Kirik, 2003, ISBN 9985-9129-1-8
- Der Methodismus in Europa im 19. und 20. Jahrhundert, EmK-Geschichte, Monografien, Band 50, 2003, ISBN 3-89725-029-2