Abstract
The article aims to introduce a theory of church as it has evolved in the past two decades mainly in German speaking countries and thus to enable a deeper reflection of contemporary issues discussed in the Czech churches. They are becoming more and more independent of the Czech state and are facing the necessity of rediscovering their identities and missions as well as are forced to rationalize their resources in order to survive.
Theory of church is a contemporary scientific discipline that tries to incorporate insights of sociology and economy into the field of practical theology and to reinforce the cooperation between the church leadership on the one side and the academic research on the other.