“Churches Together” Launch Talks for Further Integration

The Methodist Church of Great Britain has reported plans of reshaping the ecumenical structures between the churches in Britain, launched by the initiative of Churches Together in Britain and Ireland (CTBI).

General Secretary of CTBI, Dr David Goodbourn explained that a working group set up by CTBI suggested the initiative on the Church Representatives Meeting in April. Now the initial proposal is open to consultation with the churches. According to the responses received, a revised report will be drafted.

Church representatives meeting in November will then discuss the report, and the conclusions will be reported to the CTBI Assembly in February for comment and any proposals will then be in the public arena.

Nowadays, across the UK, there are “Churches Together in Britain”, “Churches Together in Ireland”, “Churches Together in Wales”, “Churches Together in Scotland” and “Churches Together in Britain and Ireland”. In recent years, a trend towards greater integration between CTBI and each individual national instrument has been observed. For example, a single subscription for membership for a particular national instrument will now represent the adoption of membership in all “Churches Together” bodies. A debate on how the four national instruments and CTBI relate to one another has become the main focus of the working group.

Especially in the light of the massive growth of “Churches Together in Britain” (CTB), there is confusion between the roles of CTB and CTBI. The key element in the initiative is how to get the structures and relations right for England.

General Secretary of the Methodist Church, the Rev David Deeks, at the Conference in Loughborough, forecasted that there will be a very important and vigorous debate among the churches. The initiative reflected a desire in many churches for fewer “levels” of ecumenism.

Any constitutional changes are likely to be made at a special CTBI Assembly in November 2005.