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Interpretation of the ecumenical vision of the WCC

With this project, the WCC invites churches to continue their reflection on the future of ecumenism as well as on their own ecumenical engagement. It builds on a major 1990s study on the "Common understanding and vision of the WCC (CUV)" which revealed that while the ecumenical movement is wider than the WCC's organizational expressions, the council serves as a prominent instrument and expression of this movement. 

Stimulated by the CUV study and document, reflection on ecumenism has pursued various avenues over the past decade. For example, a Special Commission examined Orthodox participation in the WCC; a change from parliamentary to consensus decision-making procedures was one direct outcome of this four-year effort, that ended in 2002. The potential of consensus decision-making as a new institutional culture for ecumenical engagement can be further strengthened and shared with other ecumenical partners. 

Pursuing another avenue of reflection, consultations on "Ecumenism in the 21st century" focused on the "reconfiguration" of the ecumenical movement. A 2004 meeting on this topic suggested ways to strengthen and systematize relationships between ecumenical partners. The project follows up this avenue, and may translate it into constitutional changes at the WCC's 10th assembly in 2013. A first meeting of a newly formed "Continuation Committee on Ecumenism in the 21st century" took place in November 2007. 

The creation of a Global Christian Forum was yet another effort to stimulate thinking about the reconfiguration of the ecumenical movement. It created an open space where representatives from a broad range of Christian churches and inter-church organizations could explore common challenges. In 2006, the WCC's 9th Assembly approved the Forum's recommendations, and encouraged it to continue.  

The CUV document itself continues to provide resources for the ongoing development of ecumenism. For example, the WCC claims to be a "fellowship of churches", but this is sometimes challenged from a spiritual perspective. "Praying together" has become an ecclesiological and spiritual challenge, and the CUV has much to say on this subject. 

This project – interpretation of the ecumenical vision of the WCC – thus includes the continuation of the "Ecumenism in the 21st century" process, more work on the consensus decision-making method, and a Global Forum Event in November 2007. It involves communication, ecumenical formation and study. It works through ecumenical officers, youth, member churches and other ecumenical bodies to promote common reflection on developments in the ecumenical movement.

The Continuation Committee on Ecumenism in the 21st Century met for the first time in November 2007 (Bossey) to discuss the effects of the changing world on the ecumenical movement and its vision for the future.
The formation of the WCC did not answer a number of fundamental questions about the nature of the Council and its relationship to the member churches. That task was left to the WCC's central committee at its meeting in 1950, with the following result.
A policy statement adopted by the WCC central committee and commended to member churches and ecumenical partners for study and action in September 1997.
Christians face new challenges in the world and new and effective ways of working together are required in order to respond to the demands of the world from the perspective of the gospel of Jesus Christ. A WCC consultation on “Ecumenism in the 21st Century” was held in Switzerland in 2004 to reflect on this question.
Out of reflection on the "Common understanding and vision of the WCC (CUV) came a proposal to explore the potential of a forum that would reflect a broader pattern of relationships than the fellowship of WCC member churches.
International relationships, governance, economic power, communication, and the role of religion in society have changed dramatically since the WCC and many ecumenical organizations were established. The relevance and the need for a reflection on the re-configuration of the ecumenical movement have been discussed and studied in the WCC for several years.
A diverse group of people – theologians, church leaders, social scientists, ecumenists and others – came together in November 2003 at the invitation of the WCC to reflect on the reconfiguration of the ecumenical movement. The meeting was enriched by the participation of young people who earlier in the week had met separately to discuss the same issue.

 
Related publications

Councils of Churches and the Ecumenical Vision

Diane Kessler, Michael Kinnamon - This book notes the tensions often arising within councils of churches at the beginning of the 21st century and discusses three specific contemporary challenges: the proposal that ecumenical organizations should expand to become inter-religious bodies, the development of ecumenical leadership, and the relationship between spirituality and ecumenism.