Our ecumenical journey
Report of Ecumenical Committee in
response to Resolution 41
General
Assembly 2003 Resolution 41: General Assembly affirms its
commitment to paragraph 8 of its Basis of Union, and instructs the
Ecumenical Committee to form a small working party to assess what
possibilities exist for the United Reformed Church to ..take further
steps towards the unity of all God’s people ... and to report back to
Mission Council and the 2005 Assembly.
Basis of Union
Paragraph 8: The United Reformed Church has been formed in
obedience to the call to repent of what has been amiss in the past and
to be reconciled. It sees its formation and growth as a part of what God
is doing to make his people one, and as a united church will take,
wherever possible and with all speed, further steps towards the unity of
all God’s people.
Introduction
111. The United
Reformed Church can rejoice that the questions posed by the Catch the
Vision Process led many to reaffirm their commitment to taking further
steps towards the unity of all God’s people (Basis of Union Paragraph
8, see above). During her travels as Moderator of General Assembly
Sheila Maxey has noted that people are responding to this renewed
commitment by choosing to pursue whatever ecumenical link makes most
sense locally.
112. This
resonates with the first of the Three Ecumenical Principles, adopted by
the United Reformed Church at the 2001 General Assembly, To expand the
range and deepen the nature of the Christian common life and witness in
each local community. Currently it is still the case that the
greatest ecumenical opportunities exist at the local level. In the words
of the poster printed by the German equivalent of Christian Aid, lots of
little people in lots of little places doing lots of little things can
change the face of the world!
Responding to Resolution 41
113. So, in
response to Resolution 41, the Ecumenical Committee proposes that all
United Reformed Church congregations be asked to look again for local
ecumenical possibilities. We encourage members of local churches to
think who their ecumenical partners might be and to broaden their
horizons beyond the usual and the immediate. We ask them to consider
both traditional and non-traditional Local Ecumenical Partnerships and
affirm more flexible pieces of work which are clearly in the same spirit
but which do not fall within existing classifications. We ask Districts,
Areas and Synods or whatever structure emerges from the Catch the Vision
Process to offer encouragement, help and training to local churches in
discerning what God is doing to make “us” one ( Basis of Union,
Paragraph 8, see above ) in their midst, to evaluate the ecumenical
activity of local churches and to facilitate the development of new
Local Ecumenical Partnerships of a variety of kinds. We also encourage
the extension of Local Covenants which include Roman Catholics and the
inclusion of Ecumenical Clusters which may resolve questions of
deployment.
Wider
Ecumenism
114. Currently
the time is not ripe for the opening of negotiations towards organic
union with any of our ecumenical partners. Ecumenical convergence is
found in the encouragement of mission in local contexts, in the
affirmation of energy at the edge and in the exploration of mutuality.
115. However, in
order to provoke discussion we have offered the model of an alliance as
a possible model of ecumenical sharing.
(see paragraph 23)
116. The United
Reformed Church’s commitment to being a Church in three nations results
in variation according to wider ecumenical and national situations.
Throughout, however, Ecumenical Committee believes that we should be
exploring planned co-operation and the sharing of resources with close
partner churches, especially the Methodist Church. In 2003 General
Assembly noted the commitment of the two churches to work together more
closely in discovering an appropriate pastoral strategy, which would
allow a more efficient sharing of resources in mission and the joint
exploration of creative ways of being an effective Christian presence.
Against this background we suggest a review of the Methodist / United
Reformed Church Liaison Committee would be timely and helpful. We would
particularly encourage better working relationships among Synod
Moderators and District Chairs and the development, both in number and
effectiveness, of United Areas, asking for further thought on advocating
United Areas, Circuits and Churches among those thinking about renewing
structures.
117.As structures
are reviewed as part of Catch the Vision, boundaries will change. The
Ecumenical Committee recommends that in drawing up new boundaries
working with those of our ecumenical partners wherever possible should
be one of the core considerations.
Internal
Ecumenism
118. Within our
own denomination, we recognise the challenge of three desperately needed
forms of “internal ecumenism”. One is between evangelicals and liberals
who sometimes struggle to live and work together. The second is between
those within every congregation who are at very different stages on
their journey of faith. The third is between the different cultures
represented in our congregations. May they lovingly make room for all so
that what jars with one may still be allowed to enable the other’s
formation. The Ecumenical Committee encourages all councils of the
church to consider their own internal ecumenism alongside their
commitment to partners of other denominations.
Conclusion
119. Together we
face the exciting challenges of ecumenical mission. How can we present a
Christianity attractive to our culture which can at the same time voice
a critical alternative? How can we affirm “fresh expressions of
church/emerging church”? How can we identify and support new networks
and respond to changing patterns of commitment? We urge the exploring of
the new and the different. These three stories provide some examples.
120. In
Derbyshire, the Anglicans, Methodists, Roman Catholics and URC have been
running an ecumenical programme for lay training for several years. When
the training officers in Yorkshire heard about this, they were so
encouraged that they planned their own ecumenical programme, which is
even bigger and better! Now, encouraged by Yorkshire, those who have
worked together in Derbyshire would like to set up a programme across
the East Midlands.
121. In December
2001, seven of the eight denominations present in the Granton area in
North Edinburgh agreed to an ecumenical Christian presence within the
new Granton Waterfront Development, an area of regeneration of post
industrial land including housing, leisure, retail and business
facilities. Traditional church methods were considered inappropriate so
Granton Waterfront Churches Centre, a company limited by guarantee with
charitable status, was created. By the late summer of 2004 funding had
been secured from the Church of Scotland Parish Development Fund and in
partnership with TocH the search began for premises and a worker to make
links and contacts with institutions, businesses and people as they
moved into the area. This story is an important one in Scottish
ecumenism as it has brought together a wide diversity of denominations
who have committed themselves to working together in this area of
regeneration and it has challenged the churches to think how best to use
the opportunities for mission that the redevelopment offers.
122. Arising from
the Ghanaian ministry which we have supported with our Ghanaian partners
since 1961, Presbyterian Church of Ghana (PCG) and Evangelical
Presbyterian Church, Ghana (EPC) congregations have been established in
London. Now the PCG and the EPC are looking to the United Reformed
Church to continue to develop this work in partnership with them as an
ecumenical collaboration further extending our ministry amongst the
Ghanaian community. In an era of globalisation other opportunities exist
for a cross-cultural ecumenism which is both international and local
drawing together the resources of churches around the world focussed on
the needs of particular local communities.
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