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Mapping the Oikoumene:
A Study of Current Ecumenical Structures and Relationships
Overview and summary of findings
Commissioned by the World Council of Churches
Jill Hawkey, 2004
Based on interviews with65 people
• Organisation• Relationships• Structure of ecumenical movement• Role in movement
Christian Population (2 billion)
Roman Catholic Church-1 billion members
WCC Member Church550 million
342 member churches120 countries
Other Churches
USA635 different denominations
Niue population 1300
7 different denominations
Source: World Christian Database
Christian Population (2 billion)
Roman Catholic WCC Member Church Other Churches
National Council of ChurchesNat
ion
al
National Council of Churches
• 105 countries
Christian Population (2 billion)
Roman Catholic WCC Member Church Other Churches
National Council of ChurchesNat
ion
al
National Ec Orgns
Other National Ecumenical Organisations
-focus of a particular area eg: refugees, broadcasting, hospital chaplains, human rights
-undertaking work on behalf of churches
Christian Population (2 billion)
Roman Catholic WCC Member Church Other Churches
National Council of ChurchesNat
ion
al
National Ec Orgns Agencies
Agencies/ Specialised Ministries • Focus on relief and development
• Many founded at end of World War 2
•Together they fund large proportion of diaconal work in
ecumenical movement
• Besides WCC, they probably have strongest network of
relationships with other actors in ecumenical movement
Christian Population (2 billion)
Roman Catholic WCC Member Church Other Churches
National Council of ChurchesNat
ion
al
National Ec Orgns Agencies
Agencies/ Specialised Ministries (continued)
•Southern Agencies:
•eg: CASA India, CCD Honduras, Christian Care Zimbabwe
• working with and through local churches
Christian Population (2 billion)
Roman Catholic WCC Member Church Other Churches
National Council of ChurchesNational Ec Orgns Agencies
Regional Ecumenical Organisations
Nat
ion
al
Regional Ecumenical Organisation (REOs)
All Africa Conference of ChurchesCaribbean Conference of Churches (RC)Christian Conference of AsiaConference of European Churches Latin America Council of ChurchesMiddle East Council of Churches (RC)Pacific Conference of Churches (RC)
Reg
ion
al
Christian Population (2 billion)
Roman Catholic WCC Member Church Other Churches
National Council of ChurchesNational Ec Orgns Agencies
Regional Ecumenical OrganisationsTheological Instit’s Other Ecumencial Orgs
Nat
ion
alR
egio
nal
Other Regional Ecumenical Organisations
• Associations of Theological Institutes
• Issue focused groups eg: human rights, women, the environment
Christian Population (2 billion)
Roman Catholic WCC Member Church Other Churches
National Council of ChurchesNational Ec Orgns Agencies
Sub-regional Fellowships
Regional Ecumenical OrganisationsTheological Instit’s Other Ecumencial Orgs
Nat
ion
alR
egio
nal
Sub-Regional Fellowships
• FOCCISA (Southern Africa) FECCLAHA (Great Lakes Region and Horn of Africa) COFCEAC (Central Africa- French speaking) FECCIWA (West Africa)
• Founded in 1990s in response to conflict• work in peace building/ making, good governance, capacity building
Christian Population (2 billion)
Roman Catholic WCC Member Church Other Churches
National Council of ChurchesNational Ec Orgns Agencies
Sub-regional Fellowships
Regional Ecumenical OrganisationsTheological Instit’s Other Ecumenical Orgs
Christian World Communions (CWCs)
Nat
ion
alR
egio
nal
Glo
bal
Christian World Communions (CWC’s)
•Membership:
Largest: LWF, Anglican Communion, WARC
- 65-75 million each
Smaller: Church of the Brethren, Friends World Committee
-less than 500 000
•Staff:
-most less than 15
-LWF: 70 in Geneva
Dept World Service employs 5000 people in 31 countries
Bilateral Dialogues: dealing with issues and matters of faith which has led to conflict and division in the past
Christian Population (2 billion)
Roman Catholic WCC Member Church Other Churches
National Council of ChurchesNational Ec Orgns Agencies
Sub-regional Fellowships
Regional Ecumenical OrganisationsTheological Instit’s Other Ecumenical Orgs
(CWCs)
Nat
ion
alR
egio
nal
Glo
bal
World Evangelical Alliance (WEA)
Christian Population (2 billion)
Roman Catholic WCC Member Church Other Churches
National Council of ChurchesNational Ec Orgns Agencies
Sub-regional Fellowships
Regional Ecumenical OrganisationsTheological Instit’s Other Ecumenical Orgs
CWCs International Ec Orgns
Nat
ion
alR
egio
nal
Glo
bal
WEA
Christian Population (2 billion)
Roman Catholic WCC Member Church Other Churches
National Council of ChurchesNational Ec Orgns Agencies
Sub-regional Fellowships
Regional Ecumenical OrganisationsTheological Instit’s Other Ecumenical Orgs
CWCsMission Bodies
Eg: Council for World MissionInternational Ec Orgns
Nat
ion
alR
egio
nal
Glo
bal
WEA
Christian Population (2 billion)
Roman Catholic WCC Member Church Other Churches
National Council of ChurchesNational Ec Orgns Agencies
Sub-regional Fellowships
Regional Ecumenical OrganisationsTheological Instit’s Other Ecumenical Orgs
WCCCWCs Mission Bodies International Ec Orgns
Nat
ion
alR
egio
nal
Glo
bal
WEA
Christian Population (2 billion)
Roman Catholic WCC Member Church Other Churches
National Council of ChurchesNational Ec Orgns Agencies
Sub-regional Fellowships
Regional Ecumenical OrganisationsTheological Instit’s Other Ecumenical Orgs
WCCCWCs Mission Bodies International Ec Orgns
Nat
ion
alR
egio
nal
Glo
bal
WEA
Christian Population (2 billion)
Roman Catholic WCC Member Church Other Churches
National Council of ChurchesNational Ec Orgns Agencies
Sub-regional Fellowships
Regional Ecumenical OrgTheological Instit’s Other Ecumenical Orgs
WCCCWCs Mission Bodies International Ec Orgns
Nat
ion
alR
egio
nal
Glo
bal
Can we develop a vision for the whole of the ecumenical movementwhich is owned by all the actors and relevant for the 21st Century?
WEA
1. Ecumenical organisations:
difficult to get churches working together
2. Perception that churches are focusing on their Confessional
family rather than working ecumenically
3. Ownership:
When things get difficult, the staff become the Botswana Christian
Council rather than the churches
Church leadership having greater role in ecumenical Councils
(resulting in more men in leadership of Councils)
Are the Churches Committed to Working Together?
Issues Around Structural Relationships
A: Participation and Membership: 3 issues
1: Member of an organisation or participant in a movement?
• ‘we can’t talk about ecumenism because Roman Catholic Church and Pentecostal churches aren’t part of the ecumenical movement’
• Pontifical Council ‘we are part of the ecumenical movement, despite not being a member of the WCC’
• Overall, desire for greater participation of the Roman Catholic Church and Pentecostal churches in ecumenical organisations including WCC
• Global Christian Forum; bringing all churches together
• Concern about impact of greater participation Will ecumenical organisations be less able to be prophetic on issues if they are only able to speak on issues where there is full consensus?
Issues Around Structural Relationships
2. The ‘Drop-Off’ Factor
NationalCouncil
Of Churches
RegionalEcumenical
Organisation
World Council
Of Churches
The Drop-Off Factor- Questions:
1: Could membership of an NCC lead to membership
in regional and global ecumenical organisations?
2: How can NCCs engage their entire membership in the regional and global issues being addressed by REOs, the WCC and other organisations?
3: Are global ecumenical bodies (including WCC, ACT, EAA etc) relating to NCCs in such a way as to promote participation of all members and not just members of WCC?
The Drop-Off Factor: Christian World Communions
Overall, less than half of the members of Christian World
Communions are also members of WCC.
How can ecumenical organisations at the regional and
global level work with CWCs so their concerns reach a
greater audience?
What more can CWCs be doing to promote ecumenism
amongst their membership?
Issues Around Structural Relationships
Participation and Membership
A. The Numerous Levels of Belonging
Presbyterian Church of Aotearoa New Zealand
CCANZ
Nat
ion
al
Pacific Conference of Churches
Christian ConferenceOf Asia
Christian World Service
WARC WCC CWMission EAA
Numerous levels of belonging
Difficulties for churches:
1: to absorb the programmes of the various organisations
into the life of their church
2: to participate in the life of these organisations
3: to fund the many organisations
Issues Around Structural Relationships
B: Relationships between Organisations
1: Conciliar Bodies
NCC
REO
WCC• lack of consistent reflection and analysis from national to regional to global
• people on governing body of WCC may not be involved in ecumenical organisations at national and regional level
• potential for conflict and competition between REOs and WCC, particularly role of area desks
• competition for funding
B: Relationships between Organisations
2: Christian World Communions and the WCC
• tension historic: founding of WCC – national churches to be members
rather than confessional bodies
• perceptions
From the WCC side, there is the feeling that CWCs aren’t promoting
unity and are only promoting their own identity. On the CWC side,
there is the feeling that WCC doesn’t understand their realities ….
Duplication
• HIV/AIDS
• Globalisation
• Inter-faith issues
• Violence against women
How can we work together more effectively on these issues ?
Overcoming the Barriers that Divide Us
I see it as very territorial. There is not a lot of recognising different roles and not a lot of mutual respect. There is more a spirit of competition than cooperation.
The ethos of competition and logic of the corporate worldare beginning to make inroads into the field of ecumenicalorganisations -Konrad Raiser 2002
How do we move beyond competition? How can we have a greater understanding and appreciationof each other’s work?Are we prepared to be accountable to each other ?
National Council of ChurchesNational Ec Orgns Agencies
Sub-regional Fellowships
Regional Ecumenical OrganisationsTheological Instit’s Other Ecumencial Orgs
WCCCWCs Mission Bodies International Ec Orgns
Nat
ion
alR
egio
nal
Glo
bal
Who Can Fund the Ecumenical Movement?
A relatively small number of agencies in Nth America and Europeare funding a large proportion of the ecumenical movement
WEA
Who Can Fund the Ecumenical Movement?
1: Influencing Priorities -mandates limited to diakonia
Every time we have tried to adjust priorities, it fails tomake any difference because the bulk of the fundingcomes from the agencies. We look at areas that are important forthe Council such as the Global Christian Forum,interfaith work and the understanding of mission workin faith and order, but if you look at the money, they areconstantly marginalised.
2: Mistrust of agencies
The Role of the WCC
• WCC has a vital role to play in the ecumenical movement
• Identified Roles• gives expression to the reality that the body of Christ
cannot be divided• fellowship of churches• holds together diakonia, mission, ecclesiology and unity• enabling a common value system• global analysis and action• voice of the Christian world• facilitator
• WCC to clarify its role focusing on those things which only it can do and taking a greater facilitation role
Key Questions Arising From the Study
1: Can we develop an ecumenical vision which is owned and
acted upon by all the actors in the ecumenical movement
including the churches?
2: What tasks need to be undertaken to achieve this vision:
• are they best undertaken at the national, regional or global level?
• which tasks are best undertaken ecumenically and where can
confessional bodies add extra value?
3: What type of organisations do we need and how should the
tasks be divided between them?
Key Questions Arising From the Study
4: What mechanisms can be put in place to ensure
• coordinated planning and work so that duplication is avoided
• coherence between ecumenical organisations at the national,
regional and global level
• churches are not overwhelmed by their involvement in, and
financial commitment to, many different organisations
5: How can funds available to the ecumenical movement be used
most effectively?
How can the funding base be broadened?
6: What will be the values and principles that underpin the way
in which we all work together?