Make every effort to keep the unity of the Spirit through the bond of peace. (Ephesians 4:3)

There are some aspects of the life of church communities that do not come easily.  One of these is unity. 

The NCCA website describes us as being engaged in a ‘quest for unity’. It does seem a little strange that unity is a quest, as we all find our faith and identity in Jesus Christ. One can say that in this we have unity.

So then how can this be a quest? It is clear that there were unity struggles in the early church. The letter of Paul to the Ephesians includes the statement ‘Make every effort to keep the unity of the Spirit through the bond of peace’ (Eph 4:3). Already one of the priorities had become keeping the unity. The rationale for doing this is also set out in Ephesians 4: 4-6: ‘There is one body and one Spirit, just as you were called to one hope when you were called; one Lord, one faith, one baptism; one God and Father of all, who is over all and through all and in all’. These words are a wonderful and deep call to the basis of our faith.

Unity is a quest born not out of a program or particular need, rather it flows from the basis of our identity in the Body of Christ. 

There are other matters and quests that at times we all focus on that are not as important as our unity in Jesus Christ. The Ephesian invitation applies to the life of the church at all levels: local, denominational and beyond.

For all of us connected to the NCCA the quest continues with the 11th National Forum in June in Adelaide. We invite your prayers for this event as, through a variety of steps, we will seek to discern how we continue to live out our collective desire for unity.

Rev John Gilmore

NCCA President