Updated
The Church of England issued this press release: Church of England and the Methodist Church moving closer to unity
* 10 years since signing of historic Covenant
The Joint Implementation Commission (JIC) of the Church of England and Methodist Church in Britain has called for “Church leaders and decision-making bodies to make the Covenant a priority in order to bring our Churches closer together in mission and holiness.”
In a major Report published this week the JIC calls on both Churches to consider the impact that the 10-year-old Anglican Methodist Covenant has made on their relationship; to rejoice in the progress that has been made; and to face together the challenges of mission.
The Report, entitled “The Challenge of the Covenant: Uniting in Mission and Holiness”, provides numerous examples of where the Churches have worked well together over the past 10 years, including areas of education, ethical investment, mission, theological education, safeguarding and Fresh Expressions. There are now 533 local ecumenical partnerships between Anglicans and Methodists across the country. However, the Report also identifies a number of continuing challenges, such as the need for further collaboration, consultation and decision making at both national and local levels…
…The JIC Report: “The Challenge of the Covenant: Uniting in Mission and Holiness” , the Quick Guide and a Draft Report to the Methodist Conference and the General Synod in 2014 will be available for download from 6th September at: http://www.anglican-methodist.org.uk/
The Methodist Church has this page about the Anglican Methodist Covenant.
…Full information about Covenant, including its Affirmations and Commitments, and how it is worked out locally can be found at www.anglican-methodist.org.uk. Please note this website is now rather dated and there are plans to create a new website for the Anglican Methodist Covenant.
The second quinquennial JIC report ‘The Challenge of the Covenant’ will be available here on September 6 2013…
Updates
The Quick Guide is now available here. For the full report go to this page, and scroll down. The report to go to General Synod can be downloaded here.
Ten years of next to nothing.
What bull !
The C of E has no interest at all in Methodism – I have noticed. But they do love to pretend otherwise and string people along.
It is as unethical to do this to Methodists as to lgbt
It is a salutary reminder to Anglo-Catholics that one of the prime movers of Anglican/Methodist re-union was our beloved Archbishop Michael A. Ramsay!
So will the Methodists now join with us again in ecumenical ministerial training? Their withdrawal over the summer from all but the Queen’s Foundation has left both St John’s Durham and all the regional courses Anglican.
Women bishops will really kick this covenant into action, and eventually a South India style amalgamation will take place, about 2025.
The Church of Ireland will lead the way in the next five years.
“A South India style amalgamation will take place, about 2025” Sadly will there be any Methodists left by 2025 to amalgamate with?
In our region all the energy of the Methodists is expended on their very close links with the URC. United Areas rather than Methodist Circuits are the norm and with mutuality of sacramental, preaching and pastoral ministry within those areas. It is not possible for us to respond to an Anglican/Methodist Covenant. We need to include the URC or else stay apart.
“A South India style amalgamation will take place, about 2025” Sadly will there be any Methodists left by 2025 to amalgamate with?”—Fr. David
You Brits could always import some from America; we have tons of Methodists here.
Kurt Hill
Brooklyn, NY
Of course one feels ashamed of the snobbery and silliness of a certain type of Anglican. Exchangeability of orders (happily including the URC) is so, so obviously the way to go.
Furthermore the English Methodists are not completely defunct and are certainly in a better state than the Anglo-Catholic rump within the Church of England.
As a lifelong Methodist I would welcome a merger with the Anglican church even on the one sided terms likely to be available. Methodism in the uk is scarcely viable financially and its special ethos (strictly no alcohol gambling or inappropriate relationships)has vanished in an attempt not to lose even more members.Merger would strengthen the church and engage a healthy number of younger people. There is no need to include already merged URC congregations unless they want it. The fact that nothing has been done in the last ten years is a sad indictment of the leadership in both churches.
As with any partnership it depends on the will of both parties to make it work. It also depends on having common ground. The common ground we have is desiring to reach out to the unchurched who don’t understand denominational differences. Knocking one another is never going to achieve anything.