wfn.org | Five Welsh Churches May Make History With "Ecumenical Bishop"

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28-January-1997 
97049 
 
 
              Five Welsh Churches May Make History  
                     With "Ecumenical Bishop" 
 
                        by Cedric Pulford 
                  Ecumenical News International 
 
LONDON--Five Welsh churches are to consider a plan to appoint the world's 
first ecumenical bishop.  
 
     Supporters believe that, if the plan is approved by the churches, 
Wales will have the world's first "ecumenical bishop". He would belong 
equally and fully to each of the denominations. The aim is to have the 
bishop in post by January 1, 2000. 
 
     Gethin Abraham-Williams, general secretary of the Covenanted Churches 
in Wales, told ENI today: "There are uniting churches that have bishops, 
but we know of no other case of a bishop who would represent churches that 
are staying separate." He stressed, however, that the proposal was part of 
a "brick-on-brick" approach to eventual full visible unity. 
 
     The notion of a bishop within their structure would mean a big change 
for some of the churches which will consider the plan. One of the churches 
involved, the [Anglican] Church in Wales, has an episcopal tradition, but 
the other four churches are non-episcopal: the Presbyterian Church of 
Wales, the Methodist Church, the United Reformed Church and the Covenanted 
Baptist Churches. 
 
     The five churches are members of one of the main ecumenical 
organizations in Wales, the Covenanted Churches in Wales, known as ENFYS 
after the Welsh word for "rainbow". (The Roman Catholic Church has observer 
status with ENFYS.)  
 
     ENFYS has been working for more than two decades to bring episcopal 
and non-episcopal churches into closer unity. The official report proposing 
the ecumenical bishop comes from the ENFYS commission, and is the 13th 
major document to emerge from the covenanting process.  
 
     The churches have 18 months to make their responses. 
 
     "This is a bridge within reach," Abraham-Williams told ENI.  "Although 
I have ultimate optimism that the unity of the Church is inevitable, the 
immediate proposal requires less of churches than full unity."  He added 
that the move could help promote eventual reconciliation with the Roman 
Catholic Church because the move required both episcopal and non-episcopal 
churches to accept the principle of "oversight" by a bishop.  
 
     The ecumenical bishop could be appointed from any of the ENFYS 
participating churches. If the proposals are adopted, the bishop-elect will 
be consecrated at an ecumenical service, and will then belong equally and 
fully to each of the churches.  
 
     However, according to Abraham-Williams, the bishop will not be a woman 
because of the "realities of the situation". The Church in Wales voted for 
the ordination of women as priests only last year and does not provide for 
women bishops.  
 
     The ecumenical bishop would serve in the Cardiff area of Wales where 
there is already considerable inter-church co-operation.  
 
     Abraham-Williams implied that if the arrangement was successful, more 
bishops might be created. "The current proposals have grown out of, and are 
a more localized version of proposals 10 years ago to create a system of 
bishops," he said. 
 
     The ENFYS report carefully defines the ecumenical bishop's possible 
authority in each of the churches involved: 
 
           For the Anglicans, he would be an assistant bishop serving in 
the diocese of Monmouth. 
          For Methodists, he would have the powers of oversight of a 
district chairman and 
          authority akin to that of a superintendent. 
          For the United Reformed Church, he would share the oversight and 
representational 
          functions of a provincial moderator. 
          For the Covenanted Baptist Churches, he would exercise a ministry 
of oversight in the 
          churches' midst, working with the general superintendent. 
          For Presbyterians, he would offer pastoral care to ministers and 
churches in consultation 
          with presbyteries and associations. 
 
     Abraham-Williams acknowledged that for members of some of the churches 
the idea of a bishop remained difficult. He said: "It is wrong to think of 
authority. The more helpful idea is oversight." 

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