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Agency acts cautiously on Christian Churches Together

Bishop William B. Oden

Sept. 27, 2005

By Linda Bloom*

SEATTLE (UMNS) — In the wake of concerns expressed by the historically black Methodist denominations, United Methodists continue to take a cautious approach regarding involvement in a new ecumenical organization.

Differing viewpoints about the organization, called Christian Churches Together, were expressed at a panel discussion during the Sept. 22-25 annual meeting of the United Methodist Commission on Christian Unity and Interreligious Concerns.

While the United Methodist Church has opted for provisional membership in Christian Churches Together, the African Methodist Episcopal Church and African Methodist Episcopal Zion Church have decided not to join at this point. The Christian Methodist Episcopal Church is requesting observer status.

All four denominations are part of the Commission on Pan-Methodist Cooperation and Union. Noting that connection, the Commission on Christian Unity passed a resolution recommending the Pan-Methodist members “act together in respect to membership in the Christian Churches Together and that the United Methodist Church take no further steps toward full membership in the CCT in the absence of substantial concurrence by the other denominations in the Commission on Pan-Methodist Cooperation and Union.”

United Methodist Bishop William B. Oden of Dallas, the denomination’s ecumenical officer, told United Methodist News Service that the church is committed to traditional ecumenical structures but is also open to new entities.

The choice of provisional membership, he explained, “affirms that a broader table is needed in our time but also affirms continued close ties to the historic black Methodist churches.”

The purpose of Christian Churches Together is to draw closer together in Christ for the sake of the world, according to the Rev. Wesley Granberg-Michaelson, chief executive of the Reformed Church in America and chairperson of the Christian Churches Together steering committee.

The National Council of Churches represents only about a third of U.S. churches, and Roman Catholics and most evangelicals and Pentecostals won’t join, Granberg-Michaelson explained.

“For the sake of our mission and witness, we have to seek those broader avenues of unity,” he said.

Church leaders began exploring the idea of a “broader table” in September 2001 and issued a vision statement of Christian Churches Together the following April. Since then, 31 churches and national Christian organizations — including mainline Protestants, Orthodox, Catholics, Pentecostals and evangelicals — have formally decided to join.

But a launch of the organization was delayed last June “to continue the productive and positive conversation with churches and organizations actively considering joining,” according to a statement from the June 1-3 meeting in Los Altos, Calif.

File photo by John C. Goodwin Bishop Thomas Hoyt of the Christian Methodist Episcopal Church is president of the National Council of Churches.

The CME church is one of those still on the fence, according to Bishop Thomas Hoyt, who oversees the denomination in Louisiana and Mississippi and serves as president of the National Council of Churches.

He believes that Christian Churches Together will be good for a lot of people, “but for the black church, there is still a sense of suspicion.” That suspicion is based, in part, on concerns that some of the religious groups do not recognize the ministry of women, have not sufficiently dealt with issues of racism and social justice, and do not understand the black church and “where we are hurting.”

The black Methodist denominations have joined many ecumenical organizations, such as the NCC, and Hoyt said he had trouble seeing the need to start another just to “unite with organizations that won’t join with us (in the NCC).”

AME Bishop E. Earl McCloud of Atlanta, a member of the Commission on Christian Unity and chairperson of the Pan-Methodist commission, agreed with that sentiment.

“I am clear that Christian Churches Together is going to weaken the National Council of Churches,” he said. “I’m clear that another ecumenical body is going to overflood an already flooded ecumenical landscape.”

McCloud referred to Christian Churches Together as “a bunch of white men” with a conservative agenda, but Granberg-Michaelson disputed that characterization. 

Established ecumenical groups, such as the NCC, “are unable to be a place that is inclusive of the wider Christian community,” Granberg-Michaelson said. “Millions of Christians feel marginalized by that.” Creating a new table is the only way to broader diversity, he said.

Oden noted that while there are “many questions” about Christian Churches Together, the new organization provides an opportunity to dialogue with groups the United Methodist Church has never had an opportunity to dialogue with before.

At the same time, United Methodists remain totally committed to the NCC and Pan-Methodism. “We have no other choice because we’re family,” Oden said.

*Bloom is a United Methodist News Service news writer based in New York.

News media contact: Linda Bloom, New York, (646) 369-3759 or newsdesk@umcom.org

Audio Highlights

The Rev. Wesley Granberg-Michaelson: “We had not had sufficient dialogue.”

Bishop Thomas Hoyt: “The church has been keeping people in subjection.”

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United Methodist agency looks inside, outside on unity issues

Christian Churches Together postpones launch

Bishops to consider provisional membership in ecumenical group

Resources

Christian Churches Together

Commission on Christian Unity