The Free Churches Group

The Methodist Church of Great Britain is a member of the Free Churches Group, which comprises twenty-two denominations, some of whom are also in membership with Churches Together in England. 

Since the 1880s there have been bodies established to enable the 'Free Churches' to have a common voice and public presence. The Declaratory Statement of Faith and Practice from 1917 continues to serve as the basis for membership. In 1940 the Free Church Federal Council was created, bringing together a number of predecessor bodies.
 
The Free Churches Group and Churches Together in England work within a Joint Operating Agreement, whereby financial and personnel resources are shared to a very large extent.  Though the two organisations have very different backgrounds in the current climate of inter-church relationships it is hard to see the join between the two. There are some denominations who belong to the FCG but not to CTE.

If you are interested in finding out more, they have just launched a revamped website:
 
As of Wednesday 13th October 2010 the Free Churches Group has a dedicated website address that takes you to the Free Church pages of the CTE Website.  You will note that, although these pages are within the CTE site, they are formatted differently. The banner heading is clear and all the tabs lead to pages for the Free Churches. All these pages can also be accessed from within the CTE pages, using the appropriate tabs. CTE pages can be accessed from the Free Churches home page using the top-left link.

The Moderator of the FCG is one of the Churches Together in England's four presidents, representing all the Free Churches, including the Methodist Church. 

At its Annual General Meeting held on 28th September the Free Churches Group elected its Moderator for the period 2011 - 2015.  He is Revd Michael Heaney, who serves as the General Secretary of the Congregational Federation.  A service of Induction is to be held in the Spring of 2011. Michael will succeed Commissioner Betty Matear (Salvation Army) in the role of Moderator, serving also as a President of Churches Together in England, alongside Archbishops Rowan Williams and Vincent Nichols.

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Archbishop of Canterbury at Methodist Conference 3

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In addition to two previous posts about the Archbishop's address to Methodist Conference 2010 (one below and follow the links to the other), it is possible to read the Methodist President's address to General Synod (February 2010) and the Pastoral Letter that followed it on the Methodist Church website.  For those who can't get enough ecumenism, this will equip you with the full texts of the formal public exchanges this year.

Here is another account of the Archbishop's address to Methodist Conference from CTE News:

Dr Williams' challenge at Methodist Conference

Addressing the annual Methodist Conference, the Archbishop of Canterbury, Dr Rowan Williams, said he wanted to see the Church of England and Methodist communities growing much closer together. In a 40-minute address to the Conference in Portsmouth’s Guildhall, the Archbishop contrasted the roles of the apostles Peter and Paul in the Church, and what the contemporary Church could learn from them.



In a further 40-minute session, the Archbishop took a wide range of questions. Dr Williams was asked what risks the Church of England was taking in relation to the Covenant with the Methodist Church. “The answer is not a lot,” Dr Williams replied. “We are being invited, in the short to middle term, to work out flexibility on models of ‘dual nationality’; that is, how two communities with two different histories can develop some genuine overlapping life.”


Dr Williams also answered a question as to whether a Covenant relationship between Anglicans and Methodists was exclusive. “A covenant ought to be a friendship written down,” he said. “It doesn’t mean there are no other friendships. If it becomes us against them; a little friendship against the world, well, God help us really. Any act of reconciliation has to be mutual; Anglican clergy at every level accepting the ministry of those they are being reconciled with.”


The Methodist Church and the Church of England are in a covenant relationship. On 1 November 2003, the Archbishops of Canterbury and York and the General Secretary of the General Synod, together with the President, Vice President and Secretary of the Methodist Conference signed the Covenant at Methodist Central Hall, Westminster, in the presence of Her Majesty the Queen. The Covenant puts the two Churches on a path of ever-deepening relationships, mutual trust and co-operation on the road to a richer unity.

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Archbishop of Canterbury at Methodist Conference

The following is the official press release for Rowan Williams' session with the Methodist Conference.  More from Conference to follow next week.  See also the Praxis blog post, Compromise or Confrontation.

29 June 2010


Archbishop of Canterbury says Church of England could take more risks in its Covenant relationship with the Methodist Church

[Illustration: Dr Rowan Williams addresses the Methodist Conference in Portsmouth. Photo credit:... All rights reserved.]

Addressing the annual Methodist Conference, the Archbishop of Canterbury, Dr Rowan Williams, said he wanted to see the Church of England and Methodist communities growing much closer together.

In a 40-minute address to the Conference in Portsmouth’s Guildhall, the Archbishop contrasted the roles of the apostles Peter and Paul in the Church, and what the contemporary Church could learn from them.

In a further 40-minute session, the Archbishop took a wide range of questions. Dr Williams was asked what risks the Church of England was taking in relation to the Covenant with the Methodist Church.

“The answer is not a lot,” Dr Williams replied. “We are being invited, in the short to middle term, to work out flexibility on models of ‘dual nationality’; that is, how two communities with two different histories can develop some genuine overlapping life.”

Dr Williams also answered a question as to whether a Covenant relationship between Anglicans and Methodists was exclusive. “A covenant ought to be a friendship written down,” he said. “It doesn’t mean there are no other friendships. If it becomes us against them; a little friendship against the world, well, God help us really.”

“Any act of reconciliation has to be mutual; Anglican clergy at every level accepting the ministry of those they are being reconciled with.”

The Methodist Church and the Church of England are in a covenant relationship. On 1 November 2003, the Archbishops of Canterbury and York and the General Secretary of the General Synod, together with the President, Vice President and Secretary of the Methodist Conference signed the Covenant at Methodist Central Hall, Westminster, in the presence of Her Majesty The Queen. The Covenant puts the two Churches on a path of ever-deepening relationships, mutual trust and co-operation on the road to a richer unity.

Audio and video footage of the Archbishop’s address will be available online soon on The Methodist Conference website.