United for Mission

UNITED FOR MISSION

In 1899, the irenic Baptist Minister in South London, the Revd F B Meyer, wrote to the immensely respected Anglican Bishop of Southwark, the Rt Revd Edward Talbot, and invited him to look in at the centenary celebrations of the Sunday School Society. The Society catered for over 4,000 Southwark children.

He wrote, "Would it be quite impossible for you to look in? We are some of your other sheep.....it would be a noble act of Catholicity....Is not the time come when such an act would be understood and appreciated by thousands outside the churches as an expression of true Christianity?"

Regrettably, as "a matter of clear principle" it was quite impossible, replied Bishop Talbot. He went on to say, that to show any regard for Baptist Sunday Schools would be to countenance the breach of unity which is so colossal and

evil".

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Well, we have come a long way since 1899 and today it would be quite unthinkable for any Anglican Bishop to refuse such an invitation. This is due to the tremendous change of attitude, on the part of all the churches, towards those of other Christian traditions.

Today, worshipping and working together by Christians of various traditions is now taken for granted.

But why do we seek for Christian unity?

Some people would suggest that it makes sound economic sense and there is much truth in this view. It is terribly wasteful of limited financial, physical and human resources to continue to duplicate services.

Others would suggest that it is good for morale, and again there is much truth in this point of view. At a time when the church often appears to be having little impact upon society and members become fewer, it makes sense to cling together in offering mutual support and encouragement to one another.

However, I would suggest that economic savings and the boost to morale are merely the by-products of growing closer together, and in themselves can lead to an inward looking church concerned only with its own survival.

The primary purpose of Christian unity is summed up in Our Lord's High Priestly prayer in St John's Gospel. In that prayer, Jesus is recorded as having prayed, "May they all be one. Father, may they be one in us, as you are in me and I am in you, that the world may believe it was you who sent me."

There we have the reason why for our search for Christian unity in a nutshell, namely, "!hat the world may believe".

Christian unity is essential to effective evangelism.

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I believe that it was no accident that the current search for Christian unity was launched at a missionary conference in

Edinburgh in 1911.

The previous century had been a century of tremendous mission of endeavour. The American historian, Latourette, has described it as the "age of the most extensive geographical spread of Christianity". He goes on: "Never before had any religion been planted over so large a proportion of the world's surface".

All the Christian churches in the 19th century experienced an evangelical awakening which expressed itself in the establishment of various denominations and missionary societies to promote the evangelistic work of the church overseas. In the Anglican Church we recall the founding of the Church Missionary Society in 1799, also the Society for Missions in Africa and East, and the Universities Mission to Central Africa formed in 1857 in response to an appeal by David Livingstone.

The 19th century also witnessed the growth of inter-denominational bodies, which sought to cross the various denominational boundaries in their desire to proclaim Christ. Again, one recalls the British Foreign Bible Society founded in 1904, the YMCA and YWCA founded in 1844 and 1854 respectively and the Student Christian Movement, founded in 1890. The latter, which was to have a profound influence upon the search for Christian unity, was originally established to encourage university graduates to work overseas as missionaries. The watchword of

the society, to which one in every five students belonged, before 1914 was "the evangelisation of the world in this

generation".

This common concern in the 19th century for evangelism overseas, either on a denominational or non-denominational basis prepared and laid the seed bed for the need for Christian unity.

It is therefore not surprising that the most important fruit of the World Missionary Conference, held in Edinburgh in 1911, should have been the launch of the Ecumenical Movement, even though William Carey had suggested such a conference as early as 1806!

Although the early initiative came from within the Protestant Churches in the West, it was quickly reinforced by the Ecumenical Patriarch of Constantinople from the East in 1920, by him appealing to, "all churches of Christ......for closer intercourse and mutual co-operation". At the same time, the Anglican Lambeth Conference made an "Appeal for Reunion". Finally, in 1964, at the Second Vatican council, the Roman Catholic church began to change its attitude and now regards members of other churches as "separated brethren" rather than being completely outside the Church.

The twentieth century then, has seen a change of attitude on the part of all churches towards those .of .other Christian traditions. Hence I would say that it would be unthinkable for any Anglican Bishop to respond to an invitation from another tradition in the way that Bishop Talbot responded to that from the Revd F B Meyer.

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Now, it is true that there are still many "sticking points" in our search for unity. Likewise, various hiccups are bound to occur, such as the ordination of women to the priesthood by parts of the Anglican Church. Nevertheless, the tide has turned and the search for Christian unity is flowing at a rapid pace.

However, in that search, there is a great danger that we see the unity of the Christian church as an end in itself, rather than a means towards an end.

So we come back to the High Priestly prayer of Christ in which he prayed that we may be one so that the world may believe, and the origins of the ecumenical movements in the nineteenth century concern for evangelism.

You see, my friends, it is all too easy to become so engrossed with the meetings and activities of the Churches Together, the various official conversations between the leaders of the churches, and the reading and consideration of Reports and Agreements that we lose sight of the primary purpose of Christian unity, namely, that the world may believe.

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The search for the unity of the Christian church is about the search for the unity of humankind with God. As St Paul reminds us, we are "ambassadors" of a God who "has entrusted us with the message of reconciliation". Reconciliation, not just of Christians with one another, but of all humankind with God.