2003 Yearbook: Churches in fellowship

2003 YEARBOOK: THE CHURCHES IN ECUMENICAL FELLOWSHIP Special Commission on Orthodox participation in the WCC Diakonia, solidarity and relations with the churches
SPECIAL COMMISSION ON ORTHODOX PARTICIPATION IN THE WCC One of the decisions of the eighth assembly at Harare in December 1998 was to form a Special Commission on Orthodox Participation in the WCC. In the period leading up to the assembly, the difficulties in Orthodox-Protestant relations threatened the continuing Orthodox presence in the Council. The Georgian Orthodox Church had already withdrawn from WCC membership, and the Bulgarian Orthodox Church was soon to follow. The mandate of the Special Commission was to conduct a dialogue, with equal representation of the Orthodox and the other member churches, in which all the issues could come onto the table without fear that a majority would impose its views on a minority.	Delegates cast votes at the WCC's eighth assembly in Harare, December 1998. In response to recommendations in 2002 from its Special Commission on Orthodox Participation in the WCC, the Council is moving towards a system of decision-making by consensus rather than by majority rule.
In August 2002, the Special Commission presented its final report to the WCC central committee. This report was the fruit of intensive work by sixty Special Commission members through a series of plenary and sub-committee meetings from December 1999 to June 2002. The written record could only partially reflect the extraordinary experience of the participants, who grew together into a community through mutual engagement in prayer and discussion. The central committee received this report with gratitude and approved its recommendations. These proposals dealt with the five areas of concern which the Special Commission identified: (1) ecclesiology, (2) decision-making, (3) common prayer, (4) social and ethical issues, and (5) membership: Ecclesiology is at the heart of the relationships between the churches which together form the fellowship of the WCC. The Special Commission has captured the issue in two fundamental questions. To the Orthodox: “Is there space for other churches in Orthodox ecclesiology? How would this space and its limits be described?” To the churches within the tradition of the Reformation: “How does your church understand, maintain and express your belonging to the one, holy, catholic and apostolic church?” The central committee has asked the Faith and Order Commission to prepare a statement on ecclesiology for discussion at the ninth assembly in 2006. From the World Council’s inception, decision-making in the governing bodies of the WCC has been based on the Anglo-Saxon model of parliamentary debate and majority voting which is common in many Protestant churches but alien to other traditions and cultures. The Special Commission has proposed a shift to a consensus model, and has suggested basic elements for shaping this new way of working. Interestingly, in doing so it was inspired by the experiences of some Protestant churches; e.g., the Religious Society of Friends and the Uniting Church in Australia. The central committee has accepted the principle of consensus and agreed to a transitional process in practising specific means of consensus decision-making. Common prayer binds the members of the fellowship in spiritual community. The Special Commission has affirmed the primary importance of the call to pray together. It has also stated that it is in common prayer that the pain of Christian division is most acutely experienced, and has expressed some of the difficulties that have arisen in the arena of shared devotions, especially for the Orthodox. In order that all traditions may participate in common prayer in good conscience and with theological and spiritual integrity, the Special Commission developed a framework for common prayer at WCC gatherings that the central committee accepted. Social and ethical issues are potentially among the most divisive within and among the churches. The Special Commission affirmed the centrality of these issues in the work of the Council and focused on ways of dealing with such questions. Membership has been a major concern in a WCC in which the Orthodox churches will always be small in number because of their ecclesiology, whereas there tends to be no limit to the ever-growing number of Protestant member churches. The Special Commission has worked out a new set of theological criteria for membership, using some of the most significant statements and documents from the Council’s 55-year history, and it has proposed a new membership category of churches in association with the WCC. The central committee approved these proposals, which now will be shared with the member churches for their consideration and comment. The report of the Special Commission and its possible implications for the future of the WCC have provoked many reactions. Some fear that the Council will lose its “prophetic voice” in social ethics; others are deeply concerned at a perceived devaluation of the wealth of ecumenical worship that has been so enriching for many Christians, across the boundaries of confession, tradition and culture. In many ways, the work of the Special Commission has touched the essence of ecumenism as a movement encompassing many traditions. The work of the Special Commission has clearly shown that many of the issues are not only Orthodox concerns but shared also by other churches, both members and non-members. The WCC shows a determination to move and grow together with the churches and other ecumenical partners.
DIAKONIA, SOLIDARITY AND RELATIONS WITH THE CHURCHES In the context of the Special Commission’s work on membership, proposals have been put forward to strengthen member churches’ sense of collective representation on the governing bodies of the WCC, as well as their sense of mutual responsibility to one another. The member churches are being invited and encouraged to explore new ways of realizing Christian unity and accountability within conciliar fellowship.	With a decline in state-sponsored medical care, the Russian Orthodox Church has encouraged religious sisterhoods to provide health and service ministries to the elderly and other marginalized groups. Sisters in Novosibirsk care for patients in their homes or work with the staff in local hospitals.
At the same time, the council will continue in its diaconal mission of befriending the friendless and helping to empower the powerless in their struggle for dignity and for sustainable communities. This requires cooperation with member churches, but also with such other partners as world Christian communions, regional ecumenical organizations, church-related development agencies, national and international bodies, non-governmental organizations and other institutions of civil society. Through such relationships, the ecumenical movement is nurturing a holistic approach to, and building its capacities for, ministries that demonstrably meet human needs. Leaders of the WCC see the deepening of relationships with and between the member churches and other ecumenical partners as ever more important. The fellowship becomes a reality when its members join in common study and action, engage one another on difficult questions, practise solidarity and uphold each other in prayer. Back to 2003 Yearbook index page Next chapter: "Finances and organization"