A Glimpse into the Future

Image via Wikipedia

This is the last of my posts for a fortnight and so watch out for the resumption of Methodist Ecumenical News on Tuesday 3 May 2011.  I will keep an eye on comments and might occasionally Tweet if anything comes up.

I thought I would review some of the initiatives which together might re-shape local ecumenism in Britain over the coming months and years.  Rest assured Methodist Ecumenical News will report on these in detail as they come live.  In the meantime, let me know if you would like more information. 

1. Hopefully, sometime in May will see the launch of a new model constitution for Methodist United Reformed United Areas.  Up to now, each new United Area had to write its own constitution.  This new constitution should simplify the process for setting up a United Area.  (Please note, the link takes you to a draft of the constitution.  I will post about it when the final version is ready.  If you need to use it before then, please contact me before you do anything.)
2. The Church of England will soon publish a new Memorandum of Understanding for single congregation Local Ecumenical Partnerships.  This will clarify the relationship between the Parochial Parish Council (PCC) and the Ecumenical Church Council, where the LEP is the only church in the Parish. 
3. An enormous report about Fresh Directions in Unity in Mission, is being prepared by the Church of England. 
4. There is a lot of exploration of shared ministry going on and a number of initiatives are in the pipeline.  This will have implications for everyone and particularly for Methodist, Church of England and United Reformed Churches.
5. The Joint Implementation Commission will present their interim report to Methodist Conference and General Synod later this year. 

These are all ideas and initiatives that are in the pipeline.  It is in the nature of things that not everything comes to fruition, but it has to be said there is a lot of potential here for real changes to how we experience ecumenical work in the future.  Methodist Ecumenical News will keep its readers up to date with developments as and when they happen.

Related articles

• Methodist Anglican Panel for Unity in Mission, April 2011 (ecumenicalissues.blogspot.com)
• Technical Ecumenism (ecumenicalissues.blogspot.com)
• Documenting Local Ecumenical Partnerships (ecumenicalissues.blogspot.com)
• What is a Local Ecumenical Partnership? (ecumenicalissues.blogspot.com)
• Methodist Responses to Embracing the Covenant (ecumenicalissues.blogspot.com)
• Ecumenical Stakeholders' Forum, March 2011 (ecumenicalissues.blogspot.com)

Methodist URC Liaison Committee, March 2011

Image via Wikipedia

The Methodist URC Liaison Committee meets three times per year to oversee the practicalities of the ecumenical collaboration between the two churches.  It meets today and it's worth taking am look at the post about the last meeting.  Here are today's live issues.  I'll be happy to expand on any of these issues after the meeting, just leave a comment.

1. Following on from last autumn's joint councils meeting, see posts here, here and here, there has been one of the occasional meetings between Methodist District Chairs and URC Moderators.  MURC Liaison Committee will hear a report from this meeting.
2. United Areas are places where the Methodist and United Reformed Churches collaborate over shared ministry, buildings, etc.  The paperwork to set them up has been quite challenging as there has been no standard constitution.  A model constitution for United Areas will go to Methodist Council for approval in April and to the URC for approval soon after.  This constitution will make it easier to set up United Areas and encourage innovative approaches to mission together.
3. The URC will be sharing information about its review of ecumenical relations and its new publicity campaign. 
4. MURC Liaison always spends some time reviewing particular challenging cases where collaboration has encountered snags or discovered new opportunities as well as taking an overview of progress in England, Scotland and Wales.

Related articles

• Interchangeability of Ministry (ecumenicalissues.blogspot.com)
• Ministerial Oversight with Other Denominations (ecumenicalissues.blogspot.com)

Methodist URC Liaison Committee, November 2010

Image by Monissa via Flickr

Rural Advisers address everything rural,
including chaplaincy at agricultural shows

The Methodist URC Liaison Committee meets three times per year to oversee the practicalities of the ecumenical collaboration between the two churches.

The meeting today has a heavy agenda, following a period of considerable activity. The Joint Resolution in the summer of 2006, adopted by Methodist Conference and the URC General Assembly, has led to two major events this year, the 'Closer Working' consultation in April and the first ever joint meeting between Methodist Council and URC Mission Council in October.

The agenda for the meeting reflects the need to take stock of the outcomes from these events (mostly recorded in this blog) and also addresses some other issues from the ongoing life of the two churches:

1. The future of the joint Rural Adviser post
2. Recognition of each other's ministries can still be problematic. The group will consider issues around the role of Methodist Superintendent Ministers (especially where they are in a circuit where there is a Methodist URC Local Ecumenical Partnership (LEP) but not the minister themselves) and the status of URC Ministers who are recognised as Associate Ministers by the Methodist Church.
3. There are a number of issues around United Areas. The primary concern is progress with the model constitution for united areas. This is being written to conform with the need for most united areas to register with the Charity Commission. It will be the first time there is a model constitution for these areas, which have hitherto written their own. The hope is the new model will save considerable time in preparation of such constitutions.
4. There is to be a URC Marketing Campaign and the committee will have a preliminary discussion about what this might mean for LEPs.

Related articles

• Closer Working: Ethos 2 (ecumenicalissues.blogspot.com)
• Joint Councils Catch Up (ecumenicalissues.blogspot.com)
• Ministerial Oversight with Other Denominations (ecumenicalissues.blogspot.com)

Methodist URC Joint Resolution Report to Conference

Image via Wikipedia

The following report was received by Methodist Conference 2010. For more information about relationships between the Methodist and United Reformed Churches, visit this page on the Methodist Church website.

Progress in response to the Joint Resolution of the Methodist Conference and the United Reformed Church Assembly in 2008.

1.1 Background to the Joint Resolution

In 2008, the URC Assembly and Methodist Conference approved a joint resolution which had been proposed by the Wolverhampton and Shrewsbury District of the Methodist Church and the West Midlands Synod of the United Reformed Church. Full details of the resolution can be found on the Methodist Church website [2008 Resolution 62/2] (or by following the above link). Its main points are as follows:

• to explore further joint working for the sake of shared mission;
• a structure that minimises ecumenical meetings but facilitates diversity;
• exploration of joint structures at synod/district level;
• effective use of resources.

1.2 Strategic Oversight Group

A group has been formed to bring further proposals to the Governance bodies of both Churches. The membership of this Strategic Oversight Group is currently: from the United Reformed Church, the General Secretary, the Deputy General Secretary and the Treasurer; and from the Methodist Church, the General Secretary, the Secretary for Team Operations and the Secretary for External Relationships [n.b. the offi ces of Treasurer of the United Reformed Church and Secretary for Team Operations in the Methodist Church are currently held by the same person].

1.3 Observers at Methodist Council and URC Mission Council

The Methodist Council, responding to Resolution 62/2 of the 2008 Conference, has invited a representative of the United Reformed Church to be a regular observer at its meetings and appointed a Methodist observer to attend the Mission Council of the United Reformed Church.

1.4 Joint Councils Meeting

The Methodist Council and the Mission Council have agreed to hold a joint meeting from 13–15 October 2010.

1.5 Closer Working Consultation

The Closer Working Consultation was a local response to the 2008 Joint Resolution for those engaged in ecumenical work in the Methodist and United Reformed Churches. It was a consultation, held at the end of April 2010, for members of URC Methodist Local Ecumenical Partnerships, United Areas and other local collaborations.

1.6 United Areas Model Constitution

The new charities legislation means United Areas will have to register as charities and so the Methodist and United Reformed Churches have collaborated in the writing of a model constitution for United Areas. This is the fi rst time United Areas have had a standard format for their constitutions and it means the approval process for United Areas will be much simpler.

1.7 How to Make it Work

‘How to Make it Work’ documents most of the details of the relationships between Methodist and United Reformed Churches. This site includes a service for the induction and welcome of ministers, a checklist for church stewards and elders, orientation for incoming ministers to Methodist and URC Local Ecumenical Partnerships, a model declaration of intent for a Single Congregation partnership and a paper about Baptists in Local Ecumenical Partnerships with the Methodist and United Reformed Churches. It is available through both websites.