Building a more mature humanist movement across Europe
By Even Gran
Humanism is about more than just campaigning for recognition and equal rights. Across Europe, humanist organisations are joining forces to develop practical services, from weddings and pastoral care to education and youth activities. Even Gran explains how the European Humanist Services Network is helping to build a more mature international movement.
Even is Senior Adviser for Politics and International Affairs at the Norwegian Humanist Association (Human-Etisk Forbund) and Ceremonies Sub-project Manager for the European Humanist Services Network (EHSN).
For decades, international cooperation between humanist organisations has focused primarily on political advocacy, lobbying and networking. Now, for the first time, European humanist organisations are joining forces to develop and improve the practical services we offer, opening an exciting new chapter in international humanist cooperation.
The European Humanist Services Network (EHSN), was formally established in January 2024. Today, it consists of twenty humanist organisations across Europe, including Humanists UK, Humanist Society Scotland and Humanist Association of Ireland. As the sub-project manager for Ceremonies in EHSN, I’m proud to be part of this historical cooperation.
“Why are we doing this?” we ask in bold letters on the homepage of Humanistservices.eu. The answer lies in Europe’s continuing secularisation. As religious belief and practice decline, we anticipate growing demand for humanist services. We believe the humanist movement has a responsibility to meet that demand. As our website puts it: “This leaves the humanist movement with an important task: Strengthen humanist organizations, work and collaborate to make high-quality humanist services available for everyone who wants them.”
Humanist weddings across borders
From the outset, EHSN has focused on three areas: ceremonies, humanist existential care (pastoral care and chaplaincy), and youth work (education and activities). Its most tangible achievement so far is Humanistweddings.eu, a European portal providing prospective couples with the information they need to arrange a humanist wedding in any of the 17 countries currently listed.
For each country, the portal provides details of humanist wedding providers, available languages and prices. Couples can also find out whether they can choose their own celebrant and whether humanist weddings are legally recognised, both of which vary between countries. The website also offers general information about humanism and humanist wedding ceremonies. It is the product of close collaboration between EHSN partners.
Another important achievement of this partnership is the European Humanist Wedding Standard, developed and agreed upon by participating organisations. The standard defines what constitutes a humanist wedding service, sets out its legal framework and specifies seven requirements that must be met for a service to qualify for approval. It also includes eight optional recommendations concerning the elements that may form part of a humanist wedding ceremony.
One of the seven requirements is that ceremonies must be conducted by a “ceremony leader who is a humanist, and who is approved by one of the EHSN partner organizations”. The standard therefore also establishes requirements for national training programmes, enabling EHSN partners to accredit individual celebrants in their own countries.
In May 2026, following a thorough assessment and interviews with applicants, the EHSN accreditation board confirmed that 16 partner organisations met the agreed standard. Those attending a meeting in Berlin in September received their accreditation certificates.
An important purpose of the standard is to establish a recognisable identity for humanist weddings across Europe. By linking the international humanist movement, national organisations and individual celebrants through a common framework, we aim to build public confidence, maintain consistent standards and make it easier for couples to arrange humanist weddings across national borders.
The Humanistweddings.eu portal may be particularly valuable for couples living in countries where humanist wedding services are unavailable. It enables them to explore the possibility of marrying in another country, potentially with legal recognition, and explains what they need to consider when returning home.
Chaplaincy and humanist existential care
Humanist chaplains and pastoral carers already work in institutions across Europe and beyond, particularly in hospitals, prisons and the armed forces. Within EHSN, we use the term “humanist existential” care to accommodate differences in terminology and professional practice across countries. Traditionally, humanist existential carers have operated largely within national boundaries, with limited opportunities for international collaboration. EHSN aims to change that by developing humanist existential care as a recognised professional career, with opportunities for academic advancement, continuing education and international networking.
A central priority has been the development of shared professional standards for humanist existential care across Europe. Created collaboratively by the EHSN working group, these standards aim to strengthen professional practice while recognising different national contexts. The group is now working towards accreditation standards for humanist organisations, following the model established by EHSN's ceremonies project. This work is led by Dr Lindsay de Wal, who brings many years of experience in humanist existential care in the Netherlands, the United States and with Humanists UK.
Education and networking are equally important. In the final week of October 2026, EHSN hosted its second week-long Humanist Existential Care course, this time in Luxembourg, bringing together more than 40 participants from 11 countries.
Looking ahead, EHSN hopes to establish an international professional association for humanist existential carers, launch an academic journal dedicated to the field, and strengthen partnerships with higher education institutions. The University of Humanistic Studies in Utrecht has been involved from the outset, and EHSN now also collaborates with the Humanistische Hochschule in Berlin and educational institutions in Belgium.
Engaging the next generation
Engaging young people is an important priority for the humanist movement. EHSN's Youth Education and Activities project, led by Troels Barkholt-Spangsbo of the Danish Humanist Association, aims to strengthen cooperation between European humanist organisations, many of which already provide educational programmes and activities for young people.
The project seeks to create a network through which humanist educators and youth workers can share knowledge, experience and good practice. It also aims to provide professional support and guidance for those developing youth activities, while encouraging closer cooperation with publicly funded schools in teaching about the humanist worldview.
One particular focus is the strong tradition of humanist coming-of-age ceremonies, especially in the Nordic countries and Germany, where they are known as humanist confirmations and Jugendfeier. EHSN has established a network for those involved in organising these ceremonies, with seminars held in Oslo in January 2025 and in Ghent, Belgium the year after. The next gathering is planned for Copenhagen in January 2027. The ambition extends beyond networking among professionals. EHSN also wants to bring young humanists together directly, with a youth summer camp planned in Romania for summer 2027. As with EHSN's other projects, this work is coordinated by a working group bringing together representatives of participating partner organisations.
How EHSN is organised and funded
EHSN operates as a partnership rather than a formally constituted organisation. The chief executives of its 20 partner organisations meet annually to agree on priorities and future direction. Meetings have so far been held in Berlin (2023), London (2024) and Vilnius (2025), with the next scheduled for Bucharest, Romania, in November 2026.
Day-to-day operations are overseen by a network manager, a role held by Lone Ree Milkær of Denmark until the end of 2026. EHSN has so far been funded primarily by the Norwegian Humanist Association, although financial contributions from other partners are expected from 2027. All participating organisations also contribute staff time and cover their own travel expenses.
A more mature movement
EHSN hopes to expand in the coming years, with more European humanist organisations considering partnership, and the possibility of cooperation eventually extending beyond Europe. If the network proves sustainable, I believe we may be witnessing the emergence of a new dimension of international humanism: one that complements our traditional advocacy work with practical services that enrich people's lives.
This, to me, is a sign of a maturing movement. In many countries, humanists must still devote considerable energy to securing recognition, respect and equal treatment. These struggles remain important, but the broader picture is one of progress. As humanism becomes more widely accepted, we have greater opportunities to invest in developing our own humanist worldview or lifestance and the services through which it finds practical expression.
EHSN embodies that development. It represents a movement increasingly able not only to campaign for its place in society, but also to contribute directly to people's lives through ceremonies, existential care and education. In that sense, EHSN marks a potentially historic step in the evolution of organised humanism.
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