wfn.org | World Council of Churches prepares for eighth assembly--and an

[ENS.parti@ecunet.org (ENS)]

January 15, 1998
Episcopal News Service
Jim Solheim, Director
212-922-5385
ens@ecunet.org

98-2067
World Council of Churches prepares for eighth assembly--and an
uncertain future

by James Solheim
     (ENS) As it prepares for its eighth assembly in Zimbabwe in
December, the World Council of Churches faces a major turning point in
its history.
     Continuing financial problems, lingering confusion over its
identity and direction, and possible defections by Orthodox members
would seem to guarantee that the assembly will be a defining moment as
the WCC celebrates its 50th anniversary. And for all of its claims to be
the most representative Christian organization in the world, with over
300 members, the WCC still represents less than half of the world's
Christians.
     In an address to a mid-December meeting in Chicago of U.S.
member churches of the WCC, General Secretary Konrad Raiser said
that the decision to go to Harare was "a conscious expression of
solidarity with the churches and peoples of Africa at a time when they
are engaged in reconstructing the conditions of their lives." He pointed
out that conditions in Africa have "changed dramatically" since the WCC
assembly in Nairobi in 1975.
     Raiser said that the assembly theme, "Turn to God--Rejoice in
Hope," speaks directly to the present African situation since the African
nations are "engaged in a process of turning away from the structures of
dependency" towards a "new process of liberation, regaining self-
confidence--and in this process draws on the sources of the Christian
faith of its people." Early in the next century, he observed, "Africa will
be the continent with the largest Christian population."
     The theme of hope "reflects the feeling of being liberated from
the sense of fatalism and despair which characterizes so many analyses
commenting on the African situation from the outside," Raiser added.

Extending the table
     Drawing on the table as "a symbol of community" in most
cultures, Raiser observed that the table is extended when guests are
expected, leading to "the occasion for a festive meal to celebrate the
fellowship among friends or a particular moment in the life of a family."
     When applied to "the present situation of the WCC and the
organized ecumenical movement, the imagery draws attention to the fact
that organized ecumenism is indeed an affair only of a minority among
the different parts of world Christianity," confined largely to "the
churches of historic Protestantism and of Orthodoxy." That means,
Raiser pointed out, that the Pentecostal, Evangelical and Independent
churches in Africa and Asia--to say nothing of the Roman Catholics--are
not at the table.
     The questions for Raiser are: Should the WCC seek to extend its
membership, taking a "closer look at the barriers which its institutional
structures may present to some potential member churches? Can the
WCC maintain its role as the most representative and comprehensive
ecumenical framework if, in fact, it only represents a minority among the
world's Christian churches?" This anniversary meeting might be "the
proper moment to consider whether steps should be taken to widen the
circle of the ecumenical community," Raiser concluded.

Table as symbol of division
     The barrier to a common celebration of Holy Communion at
WCC meetings raises the difficult issue of "Eucharistic fellowship and
hospitality," Raiser said, pointing to "the contradictions in our present
ecumenical reality." He asked, "Can we seriously consider extending the
ecumenical table when in fact this table is seriously divided?" Delegates
to the Canberra assembly in 1991 expressed "pain and disappointment"
when they were barred from sharing communion in the Orthodox liturgy,
leading to some resentment on both sides. 
     "The doctrinal and canonical reasons are obviously in conflict
with a rapidly evolving ecumenical situation and do not respond to the
pastoral and spiritual needs of a new generation of active participants in
the ecumenical movement," Raiser said. The Orthodox believe that
sharing the Eucharist can only be considered as the sign of full church
unity.
     "The sharing of the Eucharist has become the central symbol for
the unity we seek," Raiser said. This emphasis means that the barriers in
sharing a common ecumenical table "has become a symbol of division."
An alternative might be a return to the practice of the early Christian
communities "of sharing a simple meal to affirm our ecumenical
fellowship....an act of a non-Eucharistic breaking of bread together,"
realistically acknowledging that "the orders of our churches do not yet
allow full Eucharistic fellowship."
     The Harare assembly, Raiser announced, "will include a festive
sharing of food and drink to affirm our ecumenical fellowship." Yet he is
convinced that "any consideration about extending the ecumenical table
would not be honest as long as we have not addressed this basic
contradiction in our present fellowship."

Orthodox reevaluating membership
     Talk of "widening the circle" and extending the table makes
Orthodox members of the WCC quite nervous. They argue that they are
an increasingly marginalized minority, leading to a broad reevaluation of
their continued membership. "The Orthodox churches have increasingly
expressed concern about the increase in the number of very small
Protestant churches in WCC membership, while the number of Orthodox
member churches has remained unchanged." In an effort to "redress the
balance and secure a proper place for the large churches of the Orthodox
tradition... the proposal has recently been advanced to reorganize the
WCC according to families of churches, following the model developed
in the Middle East Council of Churches," Raiser said.
     The Orthodox have also been critical of what they perceive as the
politically activist role of the WCC, at the expense of theological issues.
Observers assume that they will raise the issue at Harare.

Marvelous, maddening family
     High on the agenda at the Harare assembly will be an attempt to
resolve some of the more persistent identity issues. A policy statement,
"Towards a Common Understanding and Vision of the WCC," is the
result of more than eight years of study and consultation. "The rich,
extensive and enthusiastic discussions that have gone into this text have
attested to a profound ecumenical engagement and commitment to the
WCC among member churches and partners," says the Preface to the
statement. Yet it is also clear that the churches don't yet agree on some
of the goals of the ecumenical movement and the "nature of the
fellowship."
     Suggestions that a global forum replace the assemblies have been
embraced by many churches. Yet Prof. Janice Love of South Carolina, a
United Methodist member of the WCC Central Committee, argued that
the assembly is the only place where all members are represented and
where they can "claim ownership" of the ecumenical agenda. "It is a
remarkable array of Christendom gathered in one place...a dozen
communities from a hundred countries." She called it "a marvelous,
maddening family."
     That family, facing some internal dissensions, will have an
opportunity to reaffirm its allegiances, to each other and to common
purposes. In doing so the WCC will be charting a course that will take it
into the new millennium, with what its members clearly hope will be
renewed energy and commitment.

--James Solheim is director of news and information for the Episcopal
Church.