[Oe List ...] Help on "ecumenical" piece

Thu Dec 24 16:36:26 CST 2009

John, Here's a couple of definitions - Bill Alerding

What does "ecumenical" mean?

- Dr. Tom Ferguson

The "ecumenical" in Ecumenical Relations comes from a Greek word which  
means "the world."  Ecumenical Relations means relationship with other  
Christian churches and denominations.

Dr. Tom Ferguson is Associate Deputy, Ecumenical and Interfaith  
Relations

1: worldwide or general in extent, influence, or application
2 a: of, relating to, or representing the whole of a body of churches
2 b: promoting or tending toward worldwide Christian unity or  
cooperation

 From Merriam Webster dictionary www.m-w.com
So, if a service in a church is ecumenical then it will be a  
universally Christian service having aspects of Anglican, Methodist,  
Catholic and so on worship.

UPDATED SEPTEMBER 2007

  chaplaincy at lboro.ac.uk

WHAT DOES IT MEAN TO BE ECUMENICAL?

Ø      The word ‘ecumenical’ derives from the Greek oikoumene, which  
literally translated means ‘inhabited earth’.  In secular usage it  
carried the connotation of the civilised world; in other words the  
Graeco-Roman Empire. However, from the 4th century onwards  
‘ecumenical’ became applied to the Church and referred to all matters,  
institutions and decisions that effected the entire body.

Ø      Over the ensuing centuries, the church split into various  
factions, due to theological, doctrinal and political differences. One  
of the results of this today is the plethora of Christian  
denominations and most notably the split between the Roman Catholic  
Church and the Protestant Church.

Ø      The Ecumenical Movement is the name given to the 20th century  
search to restore Christian unity, which officially dates itself from  
the World Missionary Conference at Edinburgh in 1910.

Ø      In the eyes of some, divisions among Christians were not simply  
a practical impediment to mission; they amounted to ‘the scandal of  
disunity’. Advocates of the movement referred the churches to

various Scriptures which speak to the unity of the Body and God’s own  
reconciling nature. For example:

   ..................·     2 Corinthians 5:19 - The Church is  
entrusted with the message of reconciliation

·     Ephesians 2:11-22 – God is reconciling himself to the Church  
through Jesus Christ. In Christ, the body ( which is the Church) is  
built up.

·     1 Corinthians 12: 12- 31 – The Church, as the Body of Christ, is  
made up of many parts. All parts are necessary for the Body to  
function properly.

·     John 17: 20-26 – As The father and the Son are one, Jesus prays  
that his followers will be one.

Ø      To develop a spirituality of ecumenism is not the same as  
conformity. To be ecumenical is to declare a willingness to explore  
with other Christians the common roots of the faith; of most  
importance in Christian ecumenism is that people focus primarily on  
Christ, not on separate church organizations:

“Ecumenical spirituality expresses the common life shared by  
Christians in spite of the separation of their churches. It is the  
recognition that in virtue of their baptism and commitment to Christ,  
Christians are brought into membership of the church. This common  
Christian life has to be manifested by the followers of Jesus if his  
gospel of reconciliation and unity is to have relevance and  
credibility for non-Christians……As Christians meet and interact there  
develops an atmosphere of acceptance and friendship. They become aware  
of the need to eliminate words, judgements and actions which do not  
correspond with the truth and fairness demanded by the actual  
conditions of each other’s belief and practice.”

*Extract from ‘A Dictionary of Christian Spirituality , Ed Gordon S  
Wakefield    Published by SCM Press Ltd 1983

Ø      Ecumenical is not to be confused with inter-faith, which is  
another issue all together. An Ecumenical Chaplaincy is not the same  
thing as a Multi-Faith Chaplaincy.

Ø      Whilst there have been debates over the years about matters to  
do with ‘watering down the Gospel’, the modern day ecumenical movement  
focuses around those denominations and churches which declare an  
orthodox understanding of the Word of God and which proclaim Christ  
Jesus as Lord and Saviour.

  The Chaplaincy at Loughborough University & Colleges endeavours to  
reflect this understanding of ecumenism, as it seeks to work alongside  
Christian churches of all denominations. Similarly each Chaplain, by  
signing up to the Chaplaincy Working Agreement ( see below), practice  
their ministry as part of an ecumenical team.

The Chaplaincy at Loughborough University and Colleges

Declaration of Intent - Working Agreement

We, the Christian Chaplains serving at Loughborough University,  
Loughborough College and RNIB Vocational College, confess together our  
faith in one God, Father, Son and Holy Spirit, and in Jesus Christ as  
Lord and Saviour according to the Scriptures and the Tradition of the  
Church. We acknowledge our calling to serve God and to proclaim the  
Gospel in the communities of the University and Colleges and in  
Loughborough and its surrounds.

We give thanks for the growing unity God is already giving to us, and  
we affirm our intent to work and pray together for that unity which is  
Christ's will for His Church. We pledge ourselves to work towards  
greater mutual accountability and consultation in both appointments  
and activities and to support and resource one another for our shared  
ministry.

We rejoice in the rich variety of our different Christian traditions,  
and recognise that in the unity we seek there will be not uniformity  
but reconciled diversity, based on unity in faith. We therefore commit  
ourselves to working in partnership, to joint prayer, fellowship,  
learning and worship, whilst respecting each other and each other's  
traditions and disciplines.

Within the institutions we serve, we also pledge that we will seek  
further ways in which this commitment may be expressed as we endeavour  
to be God's instruments for peace, reconciliation and unity. In  
particular we will seek to further develop active participation by the  
Chaplaincy in the life of the University and Colleges and involvement  
by members of these institutions in the life of the Chaplaincy.

Agreement signed and endorsed - 12 February 2004

On Dec 23, 2009, at 10:17 PM, John Cock wrote:

> Am writing a paper on meaning of "ecumenical."
>
> I think the word can help us articulate our individual take on  
> universal
> reality as our gracioius home, our depth calling as a movemental  
> community
> (why did we choose the word for EI and OE?), our comprehensive  
> mission as
> the Earth community, and much more. Trying to get hold of a fuller  
> context
> of the word.
>
> If you have any insights, please share.
>
> John
>
>
>
>
> _______________________________________________
> OE mailing list
> OE at wedgeblade.net
> http://wedgeblade.net/mailman/listinfo/oe_wedgeblade.net

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