Evangelical and Pentecostals resonated to the theme which GCF had developed ‘Following Jesus’, and they were comfortable with the mission statement: ‘To create an open space wherein representatives from a broad range of Christian churches and interchurch organizations,which confess the triune God and Jesus Christ as perfect in His divinity and humanity, can gather to foster mutual respect, to explore and address together common challenges.’
The main ‘business’ at Limuru, apart from building relationships on such a wide basis, was a consideration of the future of the process. As the official statement released at the conclusion of the Forum indicated (http://www.worldevangelicals.org/news/view.htm?id=1518), there was widespread agreement about the value of the sharing process and the contribution it could make to Christian life and mission at the grass roots if it could be replicated at regional, national and local levels around the world. There was also seen to be value in occasional large gatherings at the global level to model the process and experience. One anticipated outcome of sustained experience of these forums is that there is likely to be a level of trust and respect of familiarity that would permit Christians to be able to tackle some of the more difficult questions of church life and fellowship which have so far proved so intractable.
But the sceptic may ask—is this development really so unique? Will it last and provide the anticipated break through in the long haul? Will its benefits filter down to the local level? Is it only the old ecumenism in a new guise, a roundabout way of getting those who have been uninterested or opposed to come on board?
We may accept the ‘official’ answer to the last question at face value. Although it was the then General Secretary of the World Council of Churches who took the initial steps in forming the GCF process, and the WCC has helped to fund and support it, there is no official link with the WCC. There are no ‘members’ of GCF (only participants) and it has only the most basic organisation—sufficient to plan the next conference. Its process and structure is slated for a thorough review in the next few months.
A casual examination of the process and features of the process clearly indicate that something quite new is in fact taking place. The high value given to the narratives of participants and personal networking alone point to a new approach that exudes the atmosphere of the postmodern world.
In the official book on the GCF released at the Kenya event, historian and theologian of the movement Sarah Rowland Jones, provides further insight into this development. Other speakers and participants at Limuru reflected the same perspective.
With the prominence given to questions of ‘Faith and Order’ the old ecumenism focuses on structural unity and doctrinal agreement—issues which are likely to be divisive, and the preserve of academic interests and ecclesiastical leadership, not the grass roots where there is often found a very different dynamic of practical cooperation expressed in active faith and committed, sacrificial service. In some ways, existing ecumenical initiatives seem to have run their course, and place heavy time and resources pressures on their constituency. But even so, there have been some developments towards processes that feature convergence and consensus rather than the older harsher ‘for and against’ mode of decision making.
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Transforming Ecumenism? The Global Christian Forum
History was made at a conference held outside Nairobi, Kenya Nov 6-9, 2007, according to people who were in the know. The 250 church leaders were present from more than 70 countries and dozens of churches and organisations ranging from African Instituted Churches and Pentecostals all the way through Protestant and Anglican to Roman Catholic and various groups of Orthodox. They represented some of the newest Christians in the world, some of the most remote and those stretching all the way back to near biblical lands who still use the language of Jesus Christ. Around 40 % were from Evangelical and Pentecostal groups, many from the global south. Organisers claimed it was the most diverse group of church leaders ever assembled.
By: David Parker
Executive Director World Evangelical Alliance Theological Commission
Executive Director World Evangelical Alliance Theological Commission
Posted: Monday, 26 November 2007, 11:18 (EST)
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