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Faith and Order's Apostolic Faith study explored the meaning of the Nicene Creed as a basis for the faith of Christians and the churches today. The present text is a study guide to the Nicene Creed and to the Apostolic Faith study itself.

Statement adopted by the WCC Central Committee on the basis of the WCC Consultative Group on AIDS study process, September 1996.

WCC Central Committee
Geneva, Switzerland, 14-22 September 1995
STATEMENT ON THE STATUS OF JERUSALEM

Metropolitan John (Zizioulas) of Pergamon sets out the context of Faith and Order and proposes some particular challenges emanating from his perspective as a modern Orthodox scholar of church history and theology.

Rev. Callam of the Jamaica Baptist Union presents the development of Faith and Order and assesses the appeal and reception of Faith and Order texts in the "two-thirds world".

David K. Yemba, current moderator of the Faith and Order Commission and Dean of the Africa University in Mutare, Zimbabwe, discusses the content and reception of Faith and Order work in Africa, and the effect of African churches on the ecumenical movement in general.

Rev. Fr Jean-Marie Tillard outlines with clarity and élan the history of, and the evolution of perspectives within, the Roman Catholic involvement in ecumenism.

To explore his theme, the author combines a number of elements related to the history, purpose, methodology and content of the Faith and Order Movement and its organizational expression, the Faith and Order Commission of the World Council of Churches,

This text is the report from the penultimate international consultation of united and uniting churches.

The "Letter to the Churches" and report from the first consultation (held at Ditchingham, England) in Faith and Order's current study programme on worship in relation to Christian unity. Drawing on the resources of the liturgical renewal movement, and produced together with leading liturgists, this text focuses on the common structure of Christian worship, on issues of inculturation in worship, and on how, through worship, churches are already expressing their unity in Christ.

The Fifth World Conference on Faith and Order took place at Santiago de Compostela, Spain, 3 - 14 August 1993, with its theme "Towards Koinonia in Faith, Life and Witness". A comprehensive Report of the Conference will be published towards the end of this year. We now publish the Message and the four Section Reports together with the Discussion Paper prepared for the Conference. The Message and Reports are the most tangible results of the World Conference. However, they represent only one important part of this gathering which was marked by common worship and prayer, Bible study, a great number of papers, plenary discussions, a statement by the younger theologians and the many personal encounters between the participants (about 400 in different categories).

This text (Faith and Order Paper no. 151), the result of Faith and Order's study on The Unity of the Church and the Renewal of Human Community, explores the relation between the church's unity and its mission and prophetic witness in the world.

This text developed by Faith and Order is another of the "unity statements" adopted by WCC Assemblies over the years. It is one attempt to indicate the elements of "full communion" among churches.

The Central Committee of the WCC meeting in Geneva (March 1990) warmly welcomes the initiative of the Middle East Council of Churches (MECC), "Christians for Peace in the Holy Land", calling the churches around the world to join the churches in Jerusalem for prayers for peace in the Holy Land during the period from Palm Sunday to Pentecost, dates this year shared by all churches.

This famous text, adopted by Faith and Order at its plenary commission meeting in Lima, Peru in 1982, explores the growing agreement - and remaining differences - in fundamental areas of the churches' faith and life. The most widely-distributed and studied ecumenical document, BEM has been a basis for many "mutual recognition" agreements among churches and remains a reference today.

The Lima Liturgy is a Eucharistic (Holy Communion) service expressing, in one possible liturgical form, the ecclesiological convergence on the eucharist reached in the Faith and Order text Baptism, Eucharist and Ministry (BEM). It is so named because it was first used at the Faith and Order Plenary Commission meeting in Lima, Peru in 1982 - the meeting which approved BEM for transmission to the churches for official response.

The formation of the WCC, and the holding of its first assembly, 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, which adopted the "Toronto Statement".