St Luke's Church, Eccleshill - The Link magazine

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February 2000, Page 4.

Searching for togetherness

An Anglican-Methodist Covenant What's it all about? Come and find out. An open meeting for all Anglicans and Methodists, at St Luke Eccleshill 6th February at 7.30pm

Wesley never meant “Methodism” to be a new denomination. He wanted to renew the Church of England he loved, and he helped ordinary people to find a way (a “method”) of prayer, bible-reading, self-examination and holiness which brought faith into everyday life. Many Anglicans (and I’m one) are ashamed that Wesley’s ideas were not welcomed by the C of E, and he was driven to found a new denomination.

Since Anglicans and Methodists have so much in common, it makes sense for us to work together where we can. Thirty years ago a proposal for unity failed narrowly, but in 1999 a fresh attempt was started, and it is now up for local discussion.

The proposed covenant says we each affirm that the other is a genuine part of God’s Church, with real faith, true preaching and sacraments, and God-given ministries and methods of government. It says there is enough agreement between us about oversight for building a real unity. So it commits us to work to overcome those obstacles which remain, so as to work towards a “united interchangeable ministry, eucharistic hospitality, and shared decision-making.”

What does this mean? It says basically that we already believe mostly the same things, except for some concerns about bishops and how “big decisions” are made. So it aims at Anglican vicars and Methodist ministers being allowed to conduct each other’s services, all of us being allowed to share communion together, and decisions like the ordination and placing of clergy being made jointly.

I think all this is a thoroughly good idea - but maybe you are not sure? Come along, find out, and say your piece, so we’ll all know whether this is the right way forward.

John Hartley

 

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Here is the full text of the proposed covenant (due to lack of space, this doesn't appear in the magazine):

We, the Methodist Church of Great Britain and the Church of England, on the basis of our shared history, our full agreement in the apostolic faith, our shared theological understandings of the nature and mission of the Church and of its ministry and oversight, and our agreement on the goal of full visible unity, as set out in the previous sections of our Common Statement, hereby make the following Covenant in the form of interdependent Acknowledgements and Commitments. We do so both in a spirit of penitence for all that human sinfulness and narrowness of vision have contributed to our past divisions, believing that we have been impoverished through our separation and that our witness to the gospel has been weakened accordingly, and in a spirit of thanksgiving and joy for the convergence in faith and collaboration in mission that we have experienced in recent years.

AFFIRMATIONS

1. We affirm one another's churches as true churches belonging to the One, Holy, Catholic and Apostolic Church of Jesus Christ and as truly participating in the apostolic mission of the whole people of God.
2. We affirm that in both our churches the word of God is authentically preached, and the sacraments of Baptism and the Eucharist are duly administered and celebrated.
3. We affirm that both our churches confess in word and life the apostolic faith revealed in the Holy Scriptures and set forth in the ecumenical Creeds.
4. We affirm that one another's ordained and lay ministries are given by God as instruments of God's grace, to build up the people of God in faith, hope and love, for the ministry of word, sacrament and pastoral care and to share in God's mission in the world.
5. We affirm that one another's ordained ministries possess both the inward call of the Holy Spirit and Christ's commission given through the Church.
6. We affirm that both our churches embody the conciliar, connexional nature of the Church and that communal, collegial and personal oversight (episkope) is exercised within them in various forms.
7. We affirm that there already exists a basis for agreement on the principles of episcopal oversight as a visible sign and instrument of the communion of the Church in time and space.

COMMITMENTS

1. We commit ourselves, as a priority, to work to overcome the remaining obstacles to the organic unity of our two churches, on the way to the full visible unity of Christ's Church. In particular, we look forward to the time when the fuller visible unity of our churches makes possible a united, interchangeable ministry.
2. We commit ourselves to realise more deeply our common life and mission and to share the distinctive contributions of our traditions, taking steps to bring about closer collaboration in all areas of witness and service in our needy world.
3. We commit ourselves to continue to welcome each other's baptised members to participate in the fellowship, worship and mission of our churches.
4. We commit ourselves to encourage forms of eucharistic sharing, including eucharistic hospitality, in accordance with the rules of our respective churches.
5. We commit ourselves to listen to each other and to take account of each other's concerns, especially in areas that affect our relationship as churches.
6. We commit ourselves to continue to develop structures of joint or shared communal, collegial and personal oversight, including shared consultation and decision-making, on the way to a fully united ministry of oversight.

 

This web page was last updated on 4th February 2003.