By Jerry Van Marter
The eighth assembly has given its backing to the creation of a "Forum of Christian
Churches and Ecumenical Organisations", which could extend the organisation's
ecumenical reach far beyond its 339 member churches.
The proposed forum could bring to a single ecumenical table nearly all of the main
Christian churches and organisations in the world, including many that are not WCC
members, such as the Roman Catholic Church and major Pentecostal and Evangelical churches.
The forum could also include regional ecumenical organisations (REOs), Christian world
communions (CWCs) and international ecumenical organisations.
The idea for the forum was contained in a policy statement, "Towards a Common
Understanding and Vision for the WCC" (CUV), endorsed yesterday by the assembly. CUV
is a restructuring of the WCC's programmes and service, intended to make the organisation
more effective and more closely integrated with the work of its member churches.
But the assembly held considerable debate before accepting the proposal for a forum. An
amendment proposed by Klaus Heidel of the Evangelical Church in Germany (EKD) -- it would
have allowed only "occasional gatherings" among the WCC and non-member groups,
rather than a formal forum -- was defeated.
Opponents of the forum argued that it would divert attention away from structural unity
and create a "parallel" ecumenical structure to the WCC. "We cannot neglect
the pain of ecumenical relations," said Wilfried Neusel of the EKD. "This free
market of religious thought could dilute the strength of the WCC assembly."
Livingstone Thompson, of the Moravian Church in Jamaica, agreed. "Our main task is to
renew the WCC," he said. "And I don't want that to be diverted by the creation
of this forum."
While acknowledging the danger of a "second-class status" being accorded to
forum participants who were not WCC members, Clifton Kirkpatrick, of the Presbyterian
Church (USA), supported the proposal. "Renewal comes from reaching out, not reaching
in," he said, "and the forum represents a creative way to involve the broader
body of Christ in the search for unity."
WCC general secretary Konrad Raiser has floated the forum idea several times over the past
two years. The proposal was included in the CUV policy when it was adopted by the WCC's
central committee last year.
But the WCC leadership suffered a big defeat when one of the constitutional amendments to
implement CUV policy -- to transfer election of the eight presidents of the WCC from the
assembly to the central committee -- attracted less than 50 votes from among the 960
delegates.
The presidents, who are elected by region, are often the WCC's most visible figures in the
regions. They generally liaise between the churches in their region, expressing their
concerns to the 150-member central committee.
Ecumenical News International
