News
It took some arguing, some assurances and some wise words, but in the end the final report of the Special Commission on Orthodox Relations in the World Council of Churches (WCC) was accepted by a consensus of the Central Committee.
It was the Special Commission proposal that the WCC reach crucial decisions by consensus that worried some Central Committee members. Others were troubled by the proposed creation of a "Committee on Orthodox Participation in the WCC" that they perceived as an extra layer of bureaucracy for the Council.
"Let's be honest with each other," said Dr Fernando Enns (Mennonite Church, Germany), "some of us are afraid (that consensus) can be misused as another way of playing the power game. We are afraid, some of us Protestants, of you Orthodox and we need some time for trust-building."
Enns proposed that the Central Committee postpone a final decision on consensus decision-making until its final meeting prior to the 2006 Assembly but try the consensus model in the meantime as an experiment to see if it works. WCC general secretary, Rev. Dr Konrad Raiser, suggested that draft rules for setting up the consensus model be placed on the agenda of the next Central Committee meeting "for testing".
The Rev. Gregor Henderson suggested there should be no worries with the experiment. "We've been using consensus in the Uniting Church in Australia and the experience in our Protestant Church is that it has made us fairer, wiser and more Christian."
Inger Aasa Marklund (Church of Sweden) expressed doubts about establishing a permanent "Committee on Orthodox Participation in the WCC" and Bishop Barry Rogerson (Church of England) asked if the financially beleaguered Council could afford another committee.
Bishop Rolf Koppe (Evangelical Church in Germany), co-moderator of the Special Commission, said the committee would add little expense because the majority of its proposed members already serve on the Central Committee.
The Policy Committee which brought the Special Commission report to the delegates for their approval recommended that a controversial proposal on "common prayer" be referred "for further consideration" to the former Committee on Orthodox Participation in the WCC, today renamed the Permanent Committee on Consensus and Collaboration.
Last week, Bishop Margot Kaessmann (Evangelical Church in Germany) objected to the report's sections on worship and prayer, which would divide worship into "confessional" and "interconfessional" experiences. In "confessional" worship, churches would follow their tradition for using women as worship leaders or not. "I don't think we have a forward-looking document," Kaessmann said then.
No timetable was established for the Permanent Committee on Consensus and Collaboration to bring an amended proposal back to the Central Committee.