wfn.org | WCC FEATURE: Consensus - a farewell to majority rule

["WCC Media" <Media@wcc-coe.org>]

World Council of Churches - Feature
Contact: + 41 22 791 6153 +41 79 507 6363 media@wcc-coe.org
For immediate release - 06/10/2005

CONSENSUS: A COLOURFUL FAREWELL TO MAJORITY RULE

By Friedrich Degenhardt (*)

	More articles and free photos at
	www.wcc-assembly.info

With blue and orange cards in their hands, delegates at the 9th World
Council of Churches (WCC) Assembly gathered in Porto Alegre next February
will wave goodbye to old-style parliamentary majority votes. Does the
Council's future lie in consensus decision-making?

As the WCC has decided to make its decisions by consensus from now on,
'indicator cards' are one of the methods that will be introduced at the
9th Assembly, where delegates will decide about the direction and focus of
the WCC's life and work for the next eight years.

What does this mean for the WCC's ability to act? Those in favour of the
innovation expect a fundamental renewal of the dialogue within the
fellowship of churches and the work culture of the organisation. Critics
are afraid that controversial questions will be left out, in order not to
endanger the consensus.

"On the contrary," says Eden Grace, a WCC Central Committee member from
the Religious Society of Friends (Quakers) in the USA. "I hope that more
controversial issues will be heard. No one needs to fear to be trapped in
a vote any longer."

"The consensus model is about a spirit of open listening," says Grace,
whose community has 300 years of experience with the consensus model. "We
don't just accumulate more messages in favour than against. We work
towards a common mind, seeking the mind of Christ." Consensus is more than
just a change of procedures. It is also about building a culture in which
all have a place.

"Debating in the parliamentary style creates an atmosphere of 'for or
against' rather than supporting co-operative listening and thinking," says
Anne Glynn-Mackoul, an Orthodox US lawyer and central committee member
from the Greek Orthodox Patriarchate of Antioch and all the East, USA. "In
the past there has been a pattern of Orthodox minority papers." In those
papers, Orthodox delegates articulated alternative views, which were not
taken into account, they felt.

Eden Grace and Anne Glynn-Mackoul were members of the Special Commission
on Orthodox Participation in the WCC. Established by the 8th WCC Assembly
in Harare (1998), it addressed Orthodox concerns with the direction and
priorities of the Council and in 2002 made a number of proposals to enable
the Orthodox voice to be more effectively heard.

One of its recommendations was to abandon the principle of majority
decisions in favour of a consensus model. In February 2005, the WCC
Central Committee adopted this suggestion unanimously.

Does the consensus model give the power of veto to every single delegate
of the WCC Assembly? "No," says Eden Grace, "everybody has the right to be
listened to, but there is no right to obstructionism." A majority of 85
percent of delegates will still be able to call for a formal vote as a
last resort. Only votes on matters that put the self-understanding of a
member church into question are not possible.

Consensus is not confined to unanimity. A minority view can be overruled
as long as their point of view has been heard full and fair. It will then
have the possibility to stand aside from any action or programme following
from this decision. This is a way to adapt the rules to reality. Even
today, there are WCC programmes where some churches are not involved.

> Consensus needs training and a change of attitude

"We will all need a lot of training," says Rev. Dr D'Arcy Wood, former
president of the Uniting Church in Australia, where the consensus model
was introduced ten years ago. "This is not a light switch that just needs
to be turned on," he says. "This requires a change of one's expectations
and approach to decision-making."

A manual for consensus procedures will help Assembly delegates to get
accustomed to the new conduct and methods. Furthermore, there will be
training sessions to prepare committee moderators and rapporteurs before
the Assembly. Pre-assembly meetings like the youth event will offer
opportunities to get to know the methods. And delegates will receive the
necessary training right at the beginning of the Assembly.

The new consensus decision-making process will first of all be a challenge
to the moderators, both in terms of a careful preparation of each meeting,
'streamlining' the agenda, and in making sure that differing voices are
heard.

And what will happen if an Assembly committee or a decision plenary comes
to a deadlock? The new rules offer a number of possible ways to proceed in
such situations: the disputed issue can be adjourned or referred to a
smaller working group. The meeting can pause for breath by observing a
moment of silence or prayer. The different points of view could be
recorded. Or delegates could record that a consensus of opinion was not
possible at that point.

> A colourful show of hands

The most apparent innovation for delegates at the Assembly will be so
called 'indicator cards'. The consensus manual states: when delegates
follow a hearing with "warmth towards an idea or acceptance of it", they
can signal this to the moderator with an orange card. A blue card shows
"coolness or disapproval". Both cards crossed in front of the chest while
a speaker is still at the microphone, silently indicate to the moderator
that prolonging debate is not seen as helpful by delegates.

A first evaluation of consensus decision-making at WCC will not be
possible until after the Assembly. But the Australian experience makes
D'Arcy Wood confident that consensus will be a success: "Our model is more
free-flowing and flexible. More people are included in the 'wording' of
decisions. This leads to much higher levels of satisfaction, and more
ownership of decisions. More people have become actively involved in the
implementation."

This is exactly what WCC wants to achieve in the decision-making process
at the Assembly in Porto Alegre and beyond. The diversity of contributions
will not, it is hoped, separate churches, but enrich the fellowship and
the life of every church.

[985 words]

(*) Friedrich Degenhardt is a journalist and a theologian from the North
Elbian Lutheran Church (Germany) currently seconded to the media relations
office of the World Council of Churches in Geneva.

[Sidebar text]

9th WCC Assembly: Praying for a transformed world

The 9th assembly of the World Council of Churches (WCC) will be held in
Porto Alegre, Brazil, from 14-23 February 2006. Its theme is a prayer:
"God, in your grace, transform the world".

The first WCC assembly of the 21st century, it will gather up to 3,000
church leaders and ecumenical representatives from nearly every Christian
tradition around the world. As such, it will be one of the broadest global
gatherings of its kind.

WCC assemblies are often turning points in the life of the World Council,
and this one is expected to leave its mark on ecumenical history.
Deliberations will focus on issues such as the future of the ecumenical
movement, the churches' commitment to economic justice as well as their
witness to overcoming violence, and the challenges faced in the midst of
religious plurality.

In Porto Alegre, members of the ecumenical family will be able to gather
around the assembly at a Mutirão, a Portuguese word that means coming
together for a common purpose. Made up of workshops, exhibitions and
cultural celebrations, this part of the assembly programme will offer
opportunities for members of the wider ecumenical movement to gather,
reflect and celebrate together.

This is the first WCC assembly to be held in Latin America, and it is
being hosted by the National Council of Christian Churches in Brazil
(CONIC) on behalf of churches throughout the region. Pre-assembly events
for youth and for women will be held from 11-13 February.

Assembly website: www.wcc-assembly.info

[246 words]

Opinions expressed in WCC Features do not necessarily reflect WCC policy.
This material may be reprinted freely, providing credit is given to the
author.

Additional information: Juan Michel,+41 22 791 6153 +41 79 507 6363
media@wcc-coe.org

Sign up for WCC press releases at
http://onlineservices.wcc-coe.org/pressnames.nsf

The World Council of Churches is a fellowship of churches, now 347, in
more than 120 countries in all continents from virtually all Christian
traditions. The Roman Catholic Church is not a member church but works
cooperatively with the WCC. The highest governing body is the assembly,
which meets approximately every seven years. The WCC was formally
inaugurated in 1948 in Amsterdam, Netherlands. Its staff is headed by
general secretary Samuel Kobia from the Methodist church in Kenya.