The Episcopal Church is one of the 147 founding churches of the World Council of Churches (1948). The WCC has roots that reach back to the beginning of the modern ecumenical movement and to the conviction, which took hold at several places during the late nineteenth century, that something must be done to heal the divisions which have hampered witness to the Christian faith.
Today there are 349 member churches. They live in very different political, economic, and social conditions. Many of them - Anglican, Orthodox, Baptist, Reformed, Lutheran, Methodist, Pentecostal, Old Catholic, etc. - have a long history. But member churches also include "younger" Pentecostal bodies, independent churches in Africa, and united churches. The Roman Catholic Church is not a member but it cooperates with the WCC through a Joint Working Group, several programs, and membership in the Commission on Faith and Order, and has delegated observers at major meetings.
Membership is open to any church which is able to accept the WCC "Basis", provided its signs of ecclesial character meet standards acceptable to two-thirds of the churches already in membership. The "Basis" declares: "The World Council of Churches is a fellowship of churches which confess the Lord Jesus Christ as God and Savior 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".
The WCC Constitution lists the following functions and purposes:
- to call the churches to the goal of visible unity in one faith and in one eucharistic fellowship expressed in worship and in common life in Christ, and to advance towards that unity in order that the world may believe;
- to facilitate the common witness of the churches in each place and in all places;
- to support the common witness of the churches in their worldwide missionary and evangelistic task;
- to express the common concern of the churches in the service of human need, the breaking down of barriers between people, and the promotion of one human family in justice and peace;
- to foster the renewal of the churches in unity, worship, mission and service;
- to establish and maintain relations with national councils and regional conferences of churches, world confessional bodies and other ecumenical organizations;
- to carry on the work of the world movements for Faith and Order and Life and Work and of the International Missionary Council and the World Council on Christian Education.
The WCC does not legislate for its member churches nor does it take action on behalf of them, but each of them has pledged to search together with the other churches for ways to express visible unity and obedience. That involves common encounter, theological study, witness, and service. To respond ecumenically, the WCC maintains a staff of about 300 people under the direction of General Secretary Rev. Dr Olav Fykse Tveit. This staff is divided into four program units and a general secretariat which includes offices whose work pertains to the WCC as a whole.
The WCC's Ecumenical Institute at Bossey, near Geneva, conducts an annual four-month graduate school session (accredited by the University of Geneva), which offers ecumenical leadership training to persons from around the world. During the rest of the year, several shorter conferences and seminars are available which explore particular issues of common concern to the churches.
Anglicans are particularly committed to the work of the WCC's Commission on Faith and Order. This was the body which in 1982 unanimously approved the significant convergence statement on Baptism, Eucharist and Ministry, the result of a fifty year process of study stretching back to the first Faith and Order Conference at Lausanne in 1927. The statement has stimulated widespread discussion in the churches, which were asked to respond officially. The 1985 General Convention recognized in the text "major elements of the faith of the Church through the ages, with certain reservations,” as expressed in the Response of the Standing Commission on Ecumenical Relations (Blue Book, 1985, p. 50). After official responses were received from 186 churches, Faith and Order prepared "a response to the responses,” proposing lines for further dialogue. The Fifth World Conference, in Santiago de Compostela, Spain, 1993, received this and many other studies and reports.
Delegates from each of the member churches meet in Assembly every seven years to review the Council's work and to outline the general guidelines for the next period. The most recent, the 9th, was held in Porto Alegre, Brazil, in 2006. The size of each delegation is determined by the size of the church. Episcopal delegates are nominated by the Standing Commission on Ecumenical Relations of the General Convention for appointment by the Presiding Bishop, with the advice and consent of the Executive Council. The 10th Assembly of the WCC will occur in Busan, Korea October 30 to November 8, 2013.R
The Assembly elects the seven presidents of the WCC and a Central Committee of 150 members to govern the Council between its Assemblies and to set and review its programs. The Presiding Bishop is a member of the Central Committee, which is responsible for electing a general secretary, appointing staff, selecting sub-unit committee members and adopting a budget. It generally meets once a year. The Central Committee also elects a moderator and two vice-moderators and another 16 of its members to serve on an Executive Committee, which acts on its behalf between meetings.
Like the NCCC, in recent years the World Council of Churches focused much of its energy on re-structuring and re-ordering its life. The work accomplished in “Toward A Common Understanding and Vision of the World Council of Churches” formed the basis for that renewal of the WCC.
The 8th Assembly, held in Harare, Zimbabwe, affirmed that vision, and delegates recommitted themselves to live it out. The Ninth Assembly of the WCC met in Porto Alegre, Brazil, 14-23 February 2006, gathering over 4,000 participants including 691 delegates from the 348 member churches. Delegates adopted a revised Constitution which moves the WCC to decision-making based on consensus and which amended membership criteria. Program priorities will be unity, spirituality and mission; ecumenical formation focusing on youth, global justice, and bringing a credible voice and prophetic witness to the world.
The work of each of the four program units is supervised, reviewed, and coordinated by a Unit Committee made up of Central Committee members. There is a similar committee for the activities of the general secretariat. Each sub-unit has a committee of twelve to thirty members who guide its programs.
Most WCC funds come from member churches and their mission and aid agencies. Money for certain projects comes from secular or governmental organizations and foundations. "Designated" funds represent eighty percent of the moneys given, meaning they are earmarked by donors for use by particular programs. Undesignated moneys are used for the central management of the WCC and for any insufficiently funded programs.
The WCC publishes many books and periodicals, including the monthly magazine One World, of which the first issue each year is an illustrated account of WCC activities since the preceding January. The list of WCC publications is available free from the World Council of Churches, USA Office, 475 Riverside Drive, New York, N.Y. 10115. Telephone: (212) 870-3340. The WCC headquarters is located at the Ecumenical Center, Box 2100, CH-1211, Geneva, Switzerland; www.wcc-coe.org.
Today there are 349 member churches. They live in very different political, economic, and social conditions. Many of them - Anglican, Orthodox, Baptist, Reformed, Lutheran, Methodist, Pentecostal, Old Catholic, etc. - have a long history. But member churches also include "younger" Pentecostal bodies, independent churches in Africa, and united churches. The Roman Catholic Church is not a member but it cooperates with the WCC through a Joint Working Group, several programs, and membership in the Commission on Faith and Order, and has delegated observers at major meetings.
Membership is open to any church which is able to accept the WCC "Basis", provided its signs of ecclesial character meet standards acceptable to two-thirds of the churches already in membership. The "Basis" declares: "The World Council of Churches is a fellowship of churches which confess the Lord Jesus Christ as God and Savior 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".
The WCC Constitution lists the following functions and purposes:
- to call the churches to the goal of visible unity in one faith and in one eucharistic fellowship expressed in worship and in common life in Christ, and to advance towards that unity in order that the world may believe;
- to facilitate the common witness of the churches in each place and in all places;
- to support the common witness of the churches in their worldwide missionary and evangelistic task;
- to express the common concern of the churches in the service of human need, the breaking down of barriers between people, and the promotion of one human family in justice and peace;
- to foster the renewal of the churches in unity, worship, mission and service;
- to establish and maintain relations with national councils and regional conferences of churches, world confessional bodies and other ecumenical organizations;
- to carry on the work of the world movements for Faith and Order and Life and Work and of the International Missionary Council and the World Council on Christian Education.
The WCC does not legislate for its member churches nor does it take action on behalf of them, but each of them has pledged to search together with the other churches for ways to express visible unity and obedience. That involves common encounter, theological study, witness, and service. To respond ecumenically, the WCC maintains a staff of about 300 people under the direction of General Secretary Rev. Dr Olav Fykse Tveit. This staff is divided into four program units and a general secretariat which includes offices whose work pertains to the WCC as a whole.
The WCC's Ecumenical Institute at Bossey, near Geneva, conducts an annual four-month graduate school session (accredited by the University of Geneva), which offers ecumenical leadership training to persons from around the world. During the rest of the year, several shorter conferences and seminars are available which explore particular issues of common concern to the churches.
Anglicans are particularly committed to the work of the WCC's Commission on Faith and Order. This was the body which in 1982 unanimously approved the significant convergence statement on Baptism, Eucharist and Ministry, the result of a fifty year process of study stretching back to the first Faith and Order Conference at Lausanne in 1927. The statement has stimulated widespread discussion in the churches, which were asked to respond officially. The 1985 General Convention recognized in the text "major elements of the faith of the Church through the ages, with certain reservations,” as expressed in the Response of the Standing Commission on Ecumenical Relations (Blue Book, 1985, p. 50). After official responses were received from 186 churches, Faith and Order prepared "a response to the responses,” proposing lines for further dialogue. The Fifth World Conference, in Santiago de Compostela, Spain, 1993, received this and many other studies and reports.
Delegates from each of the member churches meet in Assembly every seven years to review the Council's work and to outline the general guidelines for the next period. The most recent, the 9th, was held in Porto Alegre, Brazil, in 2006. The size of each delegation is determined by the size of the church. Episcopal delegates are nominated by the Standing Commission on Ecumenical Relations of the General Convention for appointment by the Presiding Bishop, with the advice and consent of the Executive Council. The 10th Assembly of the WCC will occur in Busan, Korea October 30 to November 8, 2013.R
The Assembly elects the seven presidents of the WCC and a Central Committee of 150 members to govern the Council between its Assemblies and to set and review its programs. The Presiding Bishop is a member of the Central Committee, which is responsible for electing a general secretary, appointing staff, selecting sub-unit committee members and adopting a budget. It generally meets once a year. The Central Committee also elects a moderator and two vice-moderators and another 16 of its members to serve on an Executive Committee, which acts on its behalf between meetings.
Like the NCCC, in recent years the World Council of Churches focused much of its energy on re-structuring and re-ordering its life. The work accomplished in “Toward A Common Understanding and Vision of the World Council of Churches” formed the basis for that renewal of the WCC.
The 8th Assembly, held in Harare, Zimbabwe, affirmed that vision, and delegates recommitted themselves to live it out. The Ninth Assembly of the WCC met in Porto Alegre, Brazil, 14-23 February 2006, gathering over 4,000 participants including 691 delegates from the 348 member churches. Delegates adopted a revised Constitution which moves the WCC to decision-making based on consensus and which amended membership criteria. Program priorities will be unity, spirituality and mission; ecumenical formation focusing on youth, global justice, and bringing a credible voice and prophetic witness to the world.
The work of each of the four program units is supervised, reviewed, and coordinated by a Unit Committee made up of Central Committee members. There is a similar committee for the activities of the general secretariat. Each sub-unit has a committee of twelve to thirty members who guide its programs.
Most WCC funds come from member churches and their mission and aid agencies. Money for certain projects comes from secular or governmental organizations and foundations. "Designated" funds represent eighty percent of the moneys given, meaning they are earmarked by donors for use by particular programs. Undesignated moneys are used for the central management of the WCC and for any insufficiently funded programs.
The WCC publishes many books and periodicals, including the monthly magazine One World, of which the first issue each year is an illustrated account of WCC activities since the preceding January. The list of WCC publications is available free from the World Council of Churches, USA Office, 475 Riverside Drive, New York, N.Y. 10115. Telephone: (212) 870-3340. The WCC headquarters is located at the Ecumenical Center, Box 2100, CH-1211, Geneva, Switzerland; www.wcc-coe.org.