Mapping the Oikoumene: A Study of Current Ecumenical Structures and Relationships Overview and summary of findings Commissioned by the World Council of.

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


Roman Catholic WCC Member Church Other Churches

National Council of ChurchesNat

ion

al

National Council of Churches

• 105 countries




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




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




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



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




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




Sub-regional Fellowships


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





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






(CWCs)

Nat

ion

alR

egio

nal

Glo

bal

World Evangelical Alliance (WEA)






CWCs International Ec Orgns

Nat

ion

alR

egio

nal

Glo

bal

WEA






CWCsMission Bodies

Eg: Council for World MissionInternational Ec Orgns

Nat

ion

alR

egio

nal

Glo

bal

WEA






WCCCWCs Mission Bodies International Ec Orgns

Nat

ion

alR

egio

nal

Glo

bal

WEA







Nat

ion

alR

egio

nal

Glo

bal

WEA





Regional Ecumenical OrgTheological Instit’s Other Ecumenical Orgs


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?


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?


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


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 ?





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?

Mapping the Oikoumene: A Study of Current Ecumenical Structures and Relationships Overview and summary of findings Commissioned by the World Council of.

Documents

member churches

behalf of churches

local churches

christian population

ecumenical movement

roman catholic church

members wcc member church

world christian database