REFLECTIONS How twenty-six churches see their life and mission Published for The Inter-Church Process 'Not Strangers But Pilgrims' by The British Council of Churches 2 Eaton Gate London SW1W 9BL and The Catholic Truth Society, 38/40 Eccleston Square London SW1V 1PD Contents Introduction............................................................................... i-iii African Methodist Episcopal Church......................................... 4 Baptist Union of Great Britain and Ireland................................ 13 Christian Brethren..................................................................... 21 Church of England ................................................................... 25 Congregational Federation ....................................................... 32 Council of African and Allied Churches .................................... 36 Independent Methodist Churches............................................. 40 Methodist Church in Great Britain (including the Synods of Scotland and Shetland) .....................48 Moravian Church in Great Britain and Ireland........................... 56 Old Baptist Union...................................................................... 60 Religious Society of Friends (Quakers) .................................... 62 Roman Catholic Church in England and Wales........................ 68 Russian Orthodox Church ........................................................ 78 Salvation Army ......................................................................... 80 Shiloh United Church of Christ ................................................. 86 Unitarian and Free Christian Churches .................................... 87 United Reformed Church.......................................................... 94 Wesleyan Holiness Church....................................................... 104 Church of Scotland .................................................................. 106 Congregational Union of Scotland ........................................... 123 Scottish Episcopal Church........................................................ 125 Roman Catholic Church in Scotland......................................... 131 Baptist Union of Wales ............................................................. 141 Church in Wales....................................................................... 145 Presbyterian Church in Wales.................................................. 152 Union of Welsh Independents................................................... 155 List of Churches Participating in the Inter-Church Process 'Not Strangers But Pilgrims'...................................................... 160 Introduction On the evening of 8 November 1985 in St Peter's Church, Eaton Square, a ceremony was held to celebrate the launch of the inter-church process 'Not Strangers But Pilgrims'. During that ceremony representatives of the thirty-two participating Churches lit candles and placed them in a tray of earth. The candles burned side by side symbolising the undertaking given by those Churches to work side by side in prayer, study and discussion in this new initiative from that moment until the autumn of 1987. 'Not Strangers But Pilgrims' is then a process of prayer, study and dialogue between the vast majority of the Christian Churches in England, Scotland and Wales. It represents perhaps the most wide-ranging ecumenical initiative yet, not simply because of the number of participating Churches, but because the process has tried to include not only local level discussions and prayers but also the fruits of the formal international dialogues which have been taking place in recent years. The first results of these local discussions are to be published in a companion volume entitled 'Views from the Pews'; the findings of the international dialogues and of other consultations in Britain and abroad will form the third volume with the title 'Observations'. This present volume, however, brings together the statements put forward by the participating Churches at national level in response to the question which is central to the whole process 'Not Strangers But Pilgrims': "In your tradition and experience, how do you understand the nature and purpose of your Church (or Churches when the national body is a federation of local Churches) in relation to other Christian denominations and as we share in God's mission to the world?" It was in June 1985 that the participating Churches (listed on page 156) were asked to answer this question in a manner which 'includes the viewpoints of those concerned with mission, ministry and social responsibility as well as 1 those concerned with faith and order'. The responses sought were to be 'provisional responses, drawn up by whatever means each Church chooses for the purpose of this process. It is not intended to seek statements formally approved by general Assemblies and Synods. Nevertheless they should be responses which members of that church would recognise as an expression of its self-understanding'. (Introductory Document, 'Not Strangers But Pilgrims', p9) The responses received from the participating Churches are now presented in this volume. It is, I believe, a unique collection: churches confessing to one another, in charity and honesty, their self-understanding and their reflections on their relationships with each other. As such it forms an important part of the first phase of 'Not Strangers But Pilgrims' a phase of gathering together and listening to people's experience at many levels. The second phase of the process which now lies ahead of us is that of discernment and reflection. At every level, participants in this process are invited to open themselves to the faith of others and together to address those key issues which can be found in these pages. A series of Conferences have been planned for 1987 in which the experience of these discussions and prayer can be brought together, first of all at the level of each country and then at the level of this island as a whole. That lies ahead. 'Not Strangers But Pilgrims' is a process and not a pre-determined programme. We pray that we are being led by the Holy Spirit and that we are open to his guidance. It has been my duty to bring these documents together. It has been a rich and rewarding experience for me. I hope that all who take up this book may find in it both support and challenge as together we seek to be obedient to the will of our one Lord: 'that they all may be one'. V. Nichols 2 Notes on Statistics Unless otherwise indicated, all figures have been taken from the 1985/86 UK Christian Handbook and are estimates for 1985. Membership figures relate to the total number of adult (over 14) members/adherents in the UK. Definitions of membership vary according to the church denomination or religious group in question. Adult church membership is defined as appropriate to each particular group, so that, for example, the Electoral Roll (not to be confused with the Local Authority Electoral Roll) has been used for the Church of England, whilst estimates, comparable to the Protestant definitions of membership, have been made for the Roman Catholic Church. Where attendance figures are used, these are footnoted. Ministers are full-time active clergy, or ordained officials, including those in administration. Churches are those religious buildings in regular use, normally wholly owned by the organisations. Numbers of buildings do not necessarily correspond to the number of congregations or groups within the particular denomination. ISBN 0-85169-112-9 Book design by Roger Dawson Typeset by Chippendale Type. Otley. West Yorks. Printed by Hutson Print Ltd., Warrington, Cheshire. © 1986 Inter Church Process/British Council of Churches 3 African Methodist Episcopal Church Members: 200 Ministers: 2 Churches: 2* * Not owned by the Church but shared churches Figures supplied by the African Methodist Episcopal Church Statement of Belief Tradition and experience: we believe in the Oneness of Christ being the sure Foundation, therefore all Christian Churches should be one foundation in Jesus Christ Our Lord. Real togetherness is vital in ecumenical terms for the Christian faith. Traditionally the church, my church, is a family of World Methodism; our heritage involves the struggle for freedom of worship in simplicity and truth, Christ being the Way, the Light and Truth. This is our Christian experience. As we share in God's mission to the world the Person of Christ as Missioner proclaims His work amongst men and calls his disciples to continue His mission of the gospel with love, peace and human awareness at all times. "Let brotherly love continue": a true Theology of Christ. Ecumenically yours, The African Methodist Episcopal Church The Mission and Purpose of the Church Each local Church of the African Methodist Episcopal Church shall be engaged in carrying out the spirit of the original Free African Society out of which the AME Church evolved, that is, to seek out and save the lost and serve the needs through a continuing program of: (1) preaching the gospel, (2) feeding the hungry, (3) clothing the naked, (4) housing the homeless, (5) cheering the fallen, (6) providing jobs for the jobless, (7) administering to the needs of those in prisons, hospitals, nursing homes, asylums and mental institutions, senior citizens' homes, caring for the sick, the shut-in, the mentally and socially disturbed, and (8) 4 encouraging thrift and economic advancement. DOCTRINAL AFFIRMATIONS Section 1. Articles of Religion