The amendments to the Constitution and Rules as approved by the Central Committee in 2003 were forwarded to member churches inviting their comments. Responses received were assessed by the Executive Committee in August 2004, together with the comments made by the Steering Committee of the Special Commission.

(1) Article II of the Constitution (cf. Appendix 1): no major comments were submitted.

Proposed Action: The Executive Committee recommends that the Central Committee authorizes the General Secretary to send the amendment to Article II of the Constitution to the member churches prior to the assembly and subsequently to propose it to the vote of the delegates of the assembly (according to the article VII of the Constitution).

(2) Article I of the Rules (cf. Appendix 1): two reservations made by member churches are recorded here as expressions of serious concern. There has been a creative plurality of views among churches' responses on these matters, a fact that lead to the conclusion that these two issues, rather than influencing the final working of the rules, should constitute permanent concerns of the entire fellowship:

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The size of member churches : while a few member churches oppose raising the minimum size for membership from 25,000 to 50,000 members, others agreed and hoped that smaller churches would form federations for joint membership.

I. Membership: "A group of churches within a country or region …… may determine to participate in the WCC as one member."

I.2 Processing: "The General Secretary shall submit all such applications through the Executive Committee…."

3. Criteria b) 4.: "An applicant church…that has not been granted membership for exceptional reasons under Rule I, (3) (b) (3)."

3. Criteria b) 4: Add footnote to make clear that churches who are already members are an exception to this Rule.

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(3) Article II of the Rules (cf. Appendix 1): one amendment is being proposed to the text already received by the Central Committee:

Churches in association with the WCC: […] (4) shall be expected to make an annual contribution to the general budget of the Council. The amount of the contribution shall be agreed upon in consultation between the church and the Council and shall be regularly reviewed. No financial support ordinarily will be made available from the Council to such churches to facilitate their participation

Proposed Action: The Executive Committee recommends that the amendment to Articles II of the Rules be adopted by the Central Committee.

Appendix 1

Proposed Amendments to the Constitution and Rules of the WCC Proposal on the basis of the amendments approved by the Central Committee, 26 August - 2 September 2003

1. Proposed new wording of Article II of the Constitution:

II. Membership

Churches shall be eligible for membership in the fellowship of the World Council of Churches who express their agreement with the Basis upon which the Council is founded and satisfy such criteria as the Assembly or Central Committee may prescribe. The Central Committee shall consider applications for membership according to consensus model of decision making. The application shall be accepted for a specified interim period of participation in the work of the World Council of Churches and for interaction with the local fellowship of member churches. The member churches of the World Council of Churches shall be consulted during the interim period. Following the interim period, the Central Committee shall assess whether a consensus of member churches has developed in favour of the application, in which event the applicant church shall be considered a new member church.

2. Proposed new wording of Article I of the Rules:

I. Membership in the Fellowship of the World Council of Churches

The World Council of Churches is comprised of churches which have constituted the Council or which have been admitted into membership and which continue to belong to the fellowship of the World Council of Churches. The term "church" as used in this article could also include an association, convention or federation of autonomous churches. A group of churches within a country or region, or within the same confession, may determine to participate in the World Council of Churches as one member. Churches within the same country or region or within the same confession may apply jointly to belong to the fellowship of the Council, in order to respond to their common calling, to strengthen their joint participation and/or to satisfy the requirement of minimum size (Rule I, (3)(b) (3)). Such groupings of churches are encouraged by the World Council of Churches; each individual church within the grouping must satisfy the criteria for membership in the fellowship of the World Council of Churches, except the requirements of size. A church seeking affiliation with a grouping of autonomous churches which is a member of the World Council of Churches must agree with the Basis and fulfil the criteria for membership.

The General Secretary shall maintain the official lists of member churches that have been accepted to belong to the fellowship of the World Council of Churches, noting any special arrangement accepted by the Assembly or Central Committee. Separate lists shall be maintained of voting and nonvoting member churches belonging to the fellowship of the WCC.

1. Application

A church that wishes to join the World Council of Churches shall apply in writing to the General Secretary.

2. Processing

The General Secretary shall submit all such applications through the Executive Committee to the Central Committee (see Art. II of the Constitution) together with such information as he or she considers necessary to enable the Central Committee to make a decision on the application.

3. Criteria

Churches applying to join the World Council of Churches ("applicant churches") are required first to express agreement with the Basis on which the Council is founded and confirm their commitment to the Purposes and Functions of the Council as defined in Articles I and III of the Constitution. The Basis states: "The World Council of Churches is a fellowship of churches which confess the Lord Jesus Christ as God and Saviour according to the scriptures and therefore seek to fulfill together their common calling to the glory of the one God, Father, Son and Holy Spirit."

a. Theological

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In its life and witness, the church professes faith in the Triune God according to the scriptures, and as this faith is reflected in the Nicene-Constantinopolitan Creed.

The church maintains a ministry of proclaiming the Gospel and celebrating the sacraments as understood by its doctrines.

The church baptizes in the name of the one God, "Father, Son, and Holy Spirit" and acknowledges the need to move toward the recognition of the Baptism of other churches.

The church recognizes the presence and activity of Christ and the Holy Spirit outside its own boundaries and prays for the gift of God's wisdom to all in the awareness that other member churches also believe in the Holy Trinity and the saving grace of God.

The church recognizes in the other member churches of the WCC elements of the true church, even if it does not regard them "as churches in the true and full sense of the word". (Toronto Statement)

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b. Organizational

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The church must produce evidence of sustained autonomous life and organization.

The church must be able to take the decision to apply for formal membership in the WCC and continue to belong to the fellowship of the WCC without obtaining the permission of any other body or person.

An applicant church must ordinarily have at least fifty thousand members. The Central Committee, for exceptional reasons, may dispense with this requirement and accept a church that does not fulfill the criteria of size.

An applicant church with more than 10,000 members but less than 50,000 members that has not been granted membership for exceptional reasons under Rule I, (3) (b) (3) (add a footnote to explain that churches who are already members are an exception to this Rule), but is otherwise eligible for membership can be admitted as a member subject to the following conditions: (a) it shall not have the right to participate in decision-making in the Assembly, and (b) it may participate with other churches in selecting five representatives to the Central Committee in accordance with Rule III, (4) (b) (3). Such church shall be considered as a member church belonging to the fellowship of the WCC in all other respects.

Churches must recognize the essential interdependence of the member churches belonging to the fellowship of the WCC, particularly those of the same confession, and should make every effort to practice constructive ecumenical relations with other churches within their country or region. This will normally mean that the church is a member of the national council of churches or similar body and of the regional/subregional ecumenical organization.

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4. Consultation
Before admitting a church to membership in the fellowship of the World Council of Churches, the appropriate world confessional body or bodies and national council or regional ecumenical organization shall be consulted.

5. Resignation

A church which desires to resign its membership in the fellowship of the Council can do so at any time. A church which has resigned but desires to rejoin the Council must again apply for membership.

Note: The Central Committee had already proposed to move the present Rule 1.6. Financial participation

3. Proposed new Article II of the Rules:

II. Churches which are in Association with the World Council of Churches

A church that agrees with the Basis of the Council may request in writing to be received as a church in association with the World Council of Churches, stating its reasons for requesting this mode of relating with the Council. If the reasons are approved by the Central Committee, such a church may be accepted to be in association with the World Council of Churches.

Churches in association with the World Council of Churches:

i. Can send representative(s) to the Assembly and the Central Committee who can speak with permission of the chair, but have no right to participate in formal decision making, whether by consensus or by vote;

ii. Can be invited to participate in the work of the commissions, advisory groups and other consultative bodies of the Council as consultants or advisors;

iii. Have the possibility of participating in the work of the WCC as described, but will not be identified with decisions taken or statements issued by the Council;

iv. Shall be expected to make an annual contribution to the general budget of the Council. The amount of the contribution shall be agreed upon in consultation between the church and the Council and shall be regularly reviewed. No financial support will ordinarily be made available from the Council to such churches to facilitate their participation. The General Secretary shall maintain a list of churches in association with the Council.

Note: If the proposed new Article II of the Rules is accepted the subsequent articles will be renumbered accordingly. Rule III "The Assembly" will then become Rule IV.