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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Hope Together

Remember this?  Hope so.  Hope 08 was a brilliant example of what local churches can do together.  They expected 800 participating projects across the country and triggered 2000!  It's due to be re-launched on Friday 23 July 2010.  Soon after that there will be more details on their website. 

They are planning to tour the country with a series of road shows in the autumn, so watch their website for dates, when they become available.  They are also keen to encourage corporate area wide prayer meetings on a regular basis and will be working hard to launch them in strategic areas later in the year.

If you follow the link and scroll down to the bottom of the page, you can register your interest.  Please let me know if you would like to write about Hope Together activities for this blog.

Methodist Conference 2010 adopted Notice of Motion 205, to this effect:

The Conference celebrates the success of HOPE 08 and the integration of the whole church in a year of mission. The Conference is encouraged by reports of local Methodist church involvement in many HOPE initiatives.

On the basis of the evaluation that was done, for which the Epworth Fund paid, the Leadership team of HOPE realises that in order for it to move forward it needs to be totally ecumenical, including the participation of black majority and ethnic churches.  The HOPE team now includes: Bishop Wayne Malcolm, Christian Life City, and Pastor Yemi Adedeji, Church of the Redeemed. The HOPE Together team also have clear endorsements from Jonathan Edwards, General Secretary of the Baptist Union, Churches Together in England, Archbishop Rowan Williams, Bishop Graham Cray, as the Missional Advisor to the Archbishop, encouraging the team to go forward on Word and Deed mission towards 2014.

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.