RESOURCING THE CHURCH FOR ECUMENICAL MINISTRy A ...

• The challenge and opportunities of contextual and local
ecumenism (Chris Morton, executive director of
the Tacoma Associated Churches in Tacoma,
WA, and Doug Lofton, senior minister at
Southport Christian Church, Indianapolis,
IN)
• The challenge of maintaining unity and the church’s
prophetic witness in the world (Nathan Wilson,
pastor of First Christian Church, Shelbyville,
IN, and Kris Culp, dean of the Disciples
Divinity House at Chicago University in
Chicago, IL)
A major piece of the Conference design was the
small groups that discussed the Bible studies and
presentations. These small groups also offered
insights and recommendations regarding the
nature of the vision of the unity we seek and future
work and program of the Council on Christian
Unity.
Affirmations and Insights
Growing out of the rich discussion, worship, and
small group conversations, several recurring themes,
affirmations and new insights on the nature of God’s call
to unity and reconciliation emerged as key elements
for our Disciples’ understanding and practice:
A. Basic affirmations:
• We affirmed that unity, understood as God’s gift
and calling, is central to our Disciples’ identity
and stands as our distinctive witness as a
church.
• We affirmed that unity is not for its own sake,
but for the sake and salvation of the world;
unity is for the sake of mission as we manifest
the oneness that God has already given to the
church.
• We affirmed the celebration of the Lord’s
Supper at an “open Table” as the historic
practice of the Disciples that is essential to our
understanding of and witness to unity; we do
not get to exclude those whom Jesus loves,
saves, invites and welcomes.
• We affirmed the need to be more intentional in
our teaching about baptism as the foundational
event establishing our unity in Christ with all
Christians.
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• We affirmed that Scripture and the apostolic
faith of the whole church are both source and
resource to our work for unity, reconciliation
and wholeness.
• We affirmed that if Christian unity is to be real
for Disciples, it must be local and make a
difference in the lives of individuals and
congregations; indeed, local experience must
inform and shape our overall ecumenical
witness and involvements as a church.
• We affirmed and celebrated the changing
context of our life today as a church
experiencing rapid growth in becoming a more
multicultural, multi-ethnic and inclusive
community of faith.
• We affirmed the need to reach out to a new
generation of Disciples, especially to youth and
young adults, who bring different gifts, insights
and perspectives to our church’s total life,
witness and agenda.
• We affirmed that the relationship between
Christians and people of other faiths is playing
an ever more important role in the life of the
church today; we are, thus, called to respond to
the challenge of relating the search for
Christian unity to interfaith dialogue and
engagement.
• We affirmed that there can be no true unity
within the church that does not include a
passion for justice, peace and compassion in
our society and world.
• We affirmed that greater communication and
more theological resources are needed for the
ecumenical education and formation of
Disciples to articulate and practice Christian
unity.
• We affirmed the Disciples’ commitment to
working through councils of churches and
ecumenical organizations as an expression of
our own life and witness which not only extends
our resources (i.e., good stewardship) but is
also true to our identity as a people of unity.
B. New insights:
• Disciples have long claimed that “Christian unity is
our polar star,” a phase that was first used by Barton
W. Stone, one of the early founders of our
movement.
Report of the Visioning Conference on Christian Unity