Hungarian evangelical fellowship regains church status

In Hungary, the Metropolitan Court definitively registered the Evangelical Fellowship of Hungary (MET) as a church.

The MET, founded by pastor Gábor Iványi, had been fighting to regain its church status after it was revoked in 2011. The court initially granted the status in 2022, but the public prosecutor appealed. In December 2024, the Curia annulled the previous rulings, placing the MET’s church status in limbo until a July 2026 decision.

Because the prosecutor did not appeal the latest ruling, it became legally binding on September 7, 2026. The MET stated that as a registered church, it will automatically receive supplemental state support tied to the one percent income tax donations made to it. The organisation noted it lost nearly two billion forints in supplemental funding over the past three years due to its downgraded status.

The MET aims to achieve “accepted church” status, which would provide even greater rights and benefits. To become an “accepted church,” the MET needs to reach a comprehensive cooperation agreement with the state. The group reports having approached the new government multiple times to begin negotiations for this agreement, but official discussions have not yet begun.

Achieving this status, the MET believes, would remedy a decade and a half of legal issues and ensure the long-term stability of its social, educational, and healthcare institutions. The MET also recently reopened the Wesley Kincsei School in Budapest, having received a permit to operate from the government and the Minister of Education.