03 June 2005
Methodists and Anglicans receive first report on Covenant
The first report on the practical and theological applications
of the Anglican-Methodist Covenant has been published. This first
report from the Joint Implementation Commission (JIC) will be
presented this summer to the annual Conference of The Methodist
Church and the Church of England's General Synod.
The Covenant, signed on 1 November 2003, commits both churches to
finding practical ways of working more closely together. The JIC,
made up of six Anglicans, six Methodists and a participant observer
from the United Reformed Church, has looked into faith and order
issues; local implementations of the Covenant; how to communicate
and promote the Covenant; and the wider ecumenical
implications.
The Rt Revd Ian Cundy, Bishop of Peterborough and Co-Chair of the
JIC, said "I warmly welcome the publication of this interim report.
It speaks of work in progress and I hope it will provoke wide
discussion in both churches and with our ecumenical partners. There
is much good news to share about the way the Covenant has
stimulated closer working together in a number of places, and I am
sure that others will be encouraged by the sharing of good
practice. There are still some issues that require further
discussion. We have set these out clearly and hope that as we move
to the next stage of our work we will be able to make further
progress in the light of decisions made by the Conference and the
Synod this summer."
This first interim report includes scriptural and theological
reflections on the meaning of Covenant, before moving on to
exploring possible practical ways forward. At this stage the report
only aims to make suggestions to prompt discussion and debate in
the churches, and to reinforce the local partnerships that already
exist. Responses from the churches will be taken into the ongoing
work of the JIC, which is expected to report again in 2007-8.
Professor Peter Howdle, Co-Chair of the JIC, said: "this has been a
challenging but rewarding and exciting process. The members of the
Joint Implementation Commission have worked well together and,
thanks to everybody involved, we now have a document that we hope
will stimulate wide-ranging discussion in both our churches and
with our ecumenical partners. This Interim Report offers resources
and encouragement to both Anglicans and Methodists to think
seriously about the important issues involved, and to work out how
we take forward in practice the Covenant which both churches
entered into in a spirit of faith and expectancy."
Church leaders including the Archbishop of Canterbury and the
President of the Methodist Conference signed the 2003 Covenant at
the Methodist Central Hall, Westminster, in the presence of Her
Majesty Queen Elizabeth II, in a service that concluded with
prayers of thanksgiving and dedication in Westminster Abbey. The
signing of the Covenant was the culmination of decades of
discussion and set out a commitment to a closer relationship and
the principles for on-going co-operation between the churches. The
JIC was formed to help the churches put the principles into
practice and to ensure outstanding differences between the two
churches continue to be explored. Its report marks the first time
that members of both churches will have a chance to see how it is
making a real difference. The JIC was set up for an initial period
of five years and will report again on its work to the Methodist
Conference and the General Synod of the Church of England no later
than the summer of 2008.
The Revd Prebendary Dr Paul Avis, Anglican Co- Convenor of the JIC,
said "the JIC has covered quite a lot of ground in a short time.
The excellent working relationships between the members of the
group have been a model of what the Covenant is meant to achieve.
However, this is very much work in progress. We hope that it will
enrich the discussions that Methodists and Anglicans are having in
many places on how to put the Covenant into practice. In the 'faith
and order' chapters we set out the key elements of some rather
sensitive issues so that each church can understand the other
better. We put some manageable challenges to both churches. The
report is intended as a springboard to further work on practical
implementation of the Covenant."
The three main areas addressed by the JIC report are to do with the
bread and wine used in communion services; the attitudes of the two
churches to lay people presiding at communion services; and the
factors that would enable those ordained by one church to be fully
interchangeable with those from the other. The report does not
resolve all issues raised, but aims to help frame the debate so
that members from both churches can understand and respond to
them.
The report acknowledges that, despite their historic shared roots,
the custom and practice of the two churches has developed in
different ways. An additional issue is the geography of the two
churches: Methodist circuits and districts rarely match up with
Anglican deaneries and dioceses, and additionally the Methodist
Church covers Wales and Scotland as well as England.
Nonetheless, both churches remain committed to the Covenant and to
finding ways to work together. The Revd Peter Sulston, Methodist
Co-Convenor of the JIC, said "the Covenant between the Church of
England and the Methodist Church is making a real difference in
many places and the report gives examples of that difference. I
hope those stories will encourage others. Another thing the report
does is to explore, as its title says, 'the spirit of the
Covenant'. It shows very clearly how a covenant commitment, as
Methodists recognise in the Covenant Service, can change people and
situations. There is a lot here for members of the Methodist Church
and Anglicans in the Church of England together to think about,
talk about, pray about and then work out in shared life and
mission."