The World Council of Churches (WCC) -

Commission on Faith and Order 

The Commission recently met in person, the first time since the COVID-19 pandemic struck.  

Study groups evaluated seven years of common ecumenical theological work and prepared the ground for the future work of the commission.

	Commissioners reunite - the recent meeting of the study groups of the World Council of Churches (WCC) Commission on Faith and Order.  Photo: WCC

“The commission reviewed and improved its plans for the commemoration of the 1,700th anniversary of the Council of Nicaea, a unique opportunity to help contemporary churches to grow in the common understanding of the apostolic faith, an essential requirement for Christian unity.”  Rev. Dr Odair Pedroso Mateus, acting deputy general secretary and director of WCC’s Commission on Faith and Order. 

• The first study group—pilgrimage—reflected on the pilgrimage rooted in the call for unity. Three documents:
  • “Come and See. A Theological Invitation to the Pilgrimage of Justice and Peace,”
  • “Cultivate and Care. An Ecumenical Theology of Justice for and within Creation,” and
  • “Love and Witness. Proclaiming the Peace of the Lord Jesus Christ in a Religiously Plural World”  
• The second study group—ecclesiology—explored how the 2015-2022 septennium has been a period of reception of “The Church: Towards a Common Vision”  (2013) by churches around the world.  A total of 78 responses came from around the world. 

• The third study group—moral discernment—work has been welcomed widely within the WCC. There is now momentum behind this area of work.
  • The methodology developed by the study group, “learning from traditions” and “learning from history,” has been well received.
  • The study document “Churches and Moral Discernment. Facilitating Dialogue to Build koinonia” a tool that is being used by churches to analyse disagreement and constructively work towards understanding. The study group proposes that the reception process should involve a feedback loop of testing, evaluating, and developing the tool.

The work of the Nicaea Planning Group (for the commemoration of the 1,700th anniversary of the first ecumenical council at Nicaea 325) is divided in three main themes: faith, unity, and mission. There will be a series of events leading up to and throughout 2025.

The meeting also included the release of the Faith and Order paper “Towards a Global Vision of the Church Volume I: Explorations on Global Christianity and Ecclesiology, Faith and Order.” 

The next WCC Commission on Faith and Order meeting will take place online in April 2023.

Read the full article:  Faith and Order study groups evaluate seven years of common theological work | World Council of Churches (oikoumene.org) 

Week of Prayer for Christian Unity 2023 -

Northern Hemisphere 

 18 - 25 January 2023 

 “Do good; seek justice,”  (Isaiah 1:17)

Christians come together to pray for their unity. We are reminded of Jesus’ prayer for his disciples that “they may be one so that the world may believe” (see John 17.21).

READ:

The Week of Prayer for Christian Unity opened on 18 January.  the World Council of Churches staff and partners gathered in a spirit of unity to “Do good; seek justice,” the theme of this year’s special week.

Opening the Week of Prayer for Christian Unity, “we cannot do this work alone”  | World Council of Churches (oikoumene.org) 

Days before the Week of Prayer for Christian Unity begins, many across the world are getting ready by accessing the resources prepared by the Minnesota Council of Churches, based in the USA.

Countdown to the Week of Prayer for Christian Unity: inspiring resources accessible to all | World Council of Churches (oikoumene.org) 

Resources for the Week of Prayer for Christian Unity 2023

Congregations and parishes all over the world exchange preachers, arrange special ecumenical celebrations and prayer services. 

Find resources here

WHEN:

In the Northern hemisphere, the week of prayer is celebrated between 18-25 January, between the feasts of St Peter and St Paul.

AUSTRALIA:

In the southern hemisphere, where January is summer holiday season, churches celebrate it around Pentecost, a symbolic date for unity. The Australian adapted resources will be made available on the NCCA website once they have been completed.