Ecumenical Endeavours

In order to explain why this week's post is (a) later than usual, and (b) shorter than usual, I may as well tell you about my weekend!

I have spent Saturday, Sunday and this [Monday] morning at the Uniting Churches of Aotearoa New Zealand [UCANZ] biennial forum. We discussed the present and future of that variety of parishes throughout Aotearoa New Zealand which are union/uniting parishes (almost all are Presbyterian/Methodist combinations/co-operations), or co-operating parishes (almost all involve Anglicans, whether Anglican-Presbyterian or Anglican-Presbyterian-Methodist co-operating parishes, sometimes called co-operating ventures) and come under UCANZ as an oversight/administrative body formed to support such parishes. The Anglican, Methodist and Presbyterian churches are the "Partners" to this enterprise.

We had a very pleasant three days together, at the Onehunga Methodist church, with lovely food, superbly led worship, quality discussions and, I think, a well formed resolution to conclude our proceedings, that the three Partners undertake a root and branch review of UCANZ - meaning a root and branch review of how we Partner churches wish to "do" ecumenical partnerships at the parish level as we move through these changing times. Changing, not least, we were reminded, by Dr. Peter Lineham, because the union/co-operating parishes of NZ are under as much pressure from numerical decline and increase in average age of regular congregants as any other part of the churches of these islands.

It will be interesting to see where we "land" in the review because where we land is where we agree as Partners to the way forward. What will we agree to?!

Put another way, in the week when our Sunday gospel is John 17:20-26 (if Ascension has not been deferred to this Sunday just past), i.e. we focus on Jesus' prayer that we may be one, then our forum highlighted the immense challenge of becoming one, through a great potential means to working through differences to reach a new unity. If some forty to fifty years (and more) of the three Partner churches seeking to formally "co-operate" or "union[ise]" have taught us anything it is that (a) co-operation is definitely possible (b) actual "unity" is about as far away as ever. Spekaing as an Anglican, for instance, we are not likely to give away the importance we place on bishops any time soon! And differences about the eucharist, of course, remain robust theological differences.

Nevertheless, we have no choice in many districts and suburbs but to co-operatively work together in Christ's name and for Christ's gospel. How we best do that will be the great task of the next two years and I look forward to seeing what we discern and what we decide.