By Heidi Bright Parales, DisciplesWorld contributing writer

 

INDIANAPOLIS (11/28/06) — The ecumenical movement does not necessarily follow a linear path from division to growing unity, said Robert Welsh, president of the Disciples' Council on Christian Unity.

 

Rather, than moving in a straight line from point A to point B, it's “more of a dance: a couple of steps forward, a couple of steps backward, and some steps to the side,” Welsh explained.

 

This dance has been especially evident during the past six weeks in new developments within Churches Uniting in Christ (CUIC), which includes 10 Christian communions that “have pledged to live more closely together in expressing their unity in Christ and to combat racism together,” according to the CUIC Web site.

 

Besides the Christian Church (Disciples fo Christ), member communions include the African Methodist Episcopal Church , African Methodist Episcopal Zion Church , Christian Methodist Episcopal Church , Episcopal Church , Moravian Church Northern Province, Presbyterian Church (USA) , United Church of Christ , and United Methodist Church.

 

The Evangelical Lutheran Church in America is a CUIC partner in mission and dialogue.

 

The Moravian Church Northern Province moving from a partner in mission and dialogue to the tenth full member was one recent step forward for CUIC, said Welsh. It occurred in early October during the meeting of the Coordinating Council of CUIC.

 

Just prior to the meeting, 50 representatives of all member communions and partners in gathered in St. Louis for a major consultation exploring the theme of episcope, or oversight.

Representatives sought to understand the ministry episcope from the different perspectives and expressions in CUIC communions and sought to consider the mutual recognition and reconciliation of their ministries in CUIC, said Welsh.

The outcome pointed to areas of shared affirmation, but also a better understanding of the hard problems that still must be addressed if CUIC members are to move forward in their goal of unity.

 

All papers, Bible studies, and the summary statement from this consultation will be published in the Council on Christian Unity journal, Call to Unity, and should be available by the end of the year, said Welsh.

 

A third forward step for CUIC occurred Oct. 24, when leaders of CUIC communions gathered in New York City to explore how they might present a more committed witness in combating racism, both in churches and in society, said Welsh. Combating racism is a major focus of CUIC.

 

The meeting resulted in a formal appeal to Congress on Oct. 26, calling for the increase in the federal minimum wage. This issue is an important matter of economic and racial justice, said Welsh.

 

In addition, leaders committed to working together on other common statements on behalf of CUIC, including a pastoral word to the churches that can be read in all member communion congregations on Martin Luther King Jr. Sunday in January 2007.

 

While member communions moved forward on these issues, they also danced toward the side on others, according to Welsh.

 

During the New York meeting, leaders discussed where they saw their own churches in relation to the proposal of the Mutual Recognition and Reconciliation of Ministries (MRMRM). 

 

During this discussion, Welsh said, “several communion heads shared that they felt there was little likelihood of gaining approval to any revised proposal.”

 

Welsh added that several significant issues are being raised concerning the MRMRM.

 

The major concern, he said, “relates to the perceived lack of any real commitment to addressing the issues of racism by the member communions in CUIC.

 

“No matter what proposal on reconciling our ministries would be offered, the more urgent, though mostly neglected, concern is in not taking seriously our commitment to working on those issues of systemic racism that remain at the heart of our continuing and separated life as churches here in the United States,” Welsh explained.

 

Other concerns are being expressed, including those about the theological and ecclesiological implications of the proposed recognition and reconciliation, said Welsh.

Representatives from the historic African Methodist Episcopal Churches did not see their ministries, especially their bishops, honored in the current text, said Welsh.

 

Third, Welsh said there is a dis-ease about bringing any proposal to the churches at a time when the vast majority of members, pastors, and congregations do not understand what is being proposed, or why it is being proposed.

 

To address these concerns, there will be a mini plenary to look at where things stand and to assess what CUIC should be doing during the coming months. Participants in the plenary would seek God's guidance for the future of CUIC, which has, for five years, sought to manifest full unity in Christ in the areas of ministry and mission, especially in seeking to overcome racism.

 

“This relationship is essential to the calling of the church in our nation to witness to God's gift of authentic community, based upon full reconciliation and justice for all persons in Christ,” said Welsh.

 

“My prayer,” he added, “is that God will be at work to enliven our dance; to direct all of our steps to greater faithfulness; and especially to encourage us to take all of our partners more seriously in where they are, and where we have too often stumbled or stepped on feet that have already endured too much pain.”

 

CUIC, according to its Web site, “is both an outgrowth of and successor to the Consultation on Church Union (COCU)," which worked for over 40 years toward reconciliation and unity. 

 

In January 2002, member communions “agreed to stop 'consulting' and start living their unity in Christ more fully,” leading to the formation of Churches Uniting in Christ.