Methodist Church in UK to go out of existence?

For the sake of the gospel and the building up of the Kingdom, the leader of the Methodist Church in England is willing to have the Methodist Church "go out of existence" and rejoin with the Church of England:

Methodist church prepared to 'go out of existence'
From the Yorkshire Evening Post online

The Methodist Church is prepared to go "out of existence" as part of a covenant with the Church of England if this helps spread the Christian message, its leader indicated today.

The Rev David Gamble, president of the Methodist Conference, said the church would be prepared to change and even end its separate status for the sake of the "Kingdom".

"We are prepared to go out of existence not because we are declining or failing in mission, but for the sake of mission," he told the Church of England's national assembly.

"In other words, we are prepared to be changed and even to cease having a separate existence as a Church if that will serve the needs of the Kingdom."

Posted on February 11, 2010 5:30 PM | |
Comments (5)

What's next? The C or E willing to go out of existence and return to Rome for the sake of the kingdoms secular and sacred?

Posted by Paul Woodrum [TypeKey Profile Page] | February 11, 2010 6:49 PM

This is nothing novel, Paul W.

This has been a thrust of the Ecumenical Movement from the beginning: "We Flourish In Order to Perish", as the motto of the Irish School of Ecumenics puts it.

Following Our Lord, who not only said "I pray they may be one, that the world may believe", but also "Unless a seed fall in the ground and die, it cannot bear fruit."

The rub is in distinguishing what is mere institution---and SHOULD die---from legitimate gifts (in any/every Christian tradition), that should be preserved ("unity in diversity") in a truly united Church of Christ.

It's not about subsuming the smaller to the larger (least of all, to Rome---which, at present, sadly seems to be "preaching a different gospel", in FAR too many respects!). It's simultaneously about going back to the first Pentecost *AND* going forward to a community (THE Body with Christ as its Head) that none of us sinners can yet imagine. Come, Lord Christ!

JC Fisher

Posted by tgflux [TypeKey Profile Page] | February 12, 2010 3:21 AM

Well, yes, JC. However, in the past generation the American ecumenical moved away from efforts at "organic union" to "a communion of communions." Thus "Consultation on Church Union" died ad "Churches Uniting in Christ" was born. Thus, we have our own concordat with the ELCA, "Called to Common Mission;" and the United Church Christ and the Christian Church - Disciples of Christ came to mutual recognition of ministries without merging institutions. The UK Methodists are moving back to the former model.

Marshall Scott

Posted by Execute [TypeKey Profile Page] | February 12, 2010 12:30 PM

The "communion of communions" route was a second-best solution adopted after efforts to craft organic unity were blocked, largely by clergy fearful their pension arrangements might be upset. At least, that's how it looked from this lay person's perspective. Pensions have more power to divide than doctrinal disputes. Hurrah for the English Methodists, I say. Maybe they really believe that all should be one.

Posted by William R. MacKaye [TypeKey Profile Page] | February 12, 2010 4:06 PM

I confess, I don't know enough specifically about the UK Methodists' proposal (or was it just their titular leader's?) to comment on it.

In general however, there's nothing you said, Marshall (all examples with which I am familiar), that contradicts what I said. A "communion of communions" will still require a greater or lesser degree of institutional submission (if not abandonment), while preserving distinctive God-given gifts within the new koinonia of churches.

It is a delicate balance (one prominent reason its achievement is SO slow, if at all!).

JMO,
JC Fisher

Posted by tgflux [TypeKey Profile Page] | February 12, 2010 10:14 PM

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