The Protestant churches are organised in a rather confusing way. The EKD was founded in 1945 as an umbrella organisation for the Lutheran, Reformed and United regional churches, which did not even practise inter-communion at the time. Like the EKD, most of these denominational associations have their own synods and church offices, commissions and courts. The umbrella organisation EKD has to all intents and purposes become a church in its own right since its member churches began to practise inter-communion. It has also gained in public stature by making joint statements with the Catholic Church.
Individual churches have a much harder time trying to obtain media attention for their statements.
Younger church members do not know anything about denominational differences between Protestants anyway. Not least of all, German Finance Minister Theo Waigel has impressed upon the church the need for a reform, predicting an annual shortfall of 2.5 billion DM in church coffers from 1999 onwards when new tax laws come into force. Embarrassingly enough, the controversial debate on reform is being conducted between the two competing monthly journals German Protestants are apparently still able to afford, one of them Lutheran, and the other with United leanings. Dual structures are mainly defended by Lutherans. Christoph Schwoebel, professor of theology at Kiel University, called for fundamental changes in the Church of the future in the light of the current financial, structural and orientational crisis.