Last year, when a Church of Scotland minister took suddenly ill and was hospitalised on a Saturday evening, before the Session Clerk had had a chance to think about pulpit supply for the next day's service, a recently retired Episcopalian priest (and personal friend of the minister) phoned her up and offered to take the service. The congregation were very grateful!
Presbyterian / Episcopalian - who cared? The worried and anxious congregation were led in worship by someone who was as concerned about their minister as they were.
The Anglican church I now attend has excellent relationships with the Methodist church in the village. Usually the Anglicans are invited to their Covenant Service in January, though it didn’t happen this year, partly because we are in vacancy.
The two churches share a Family Worker who runs Messy Church at the Methodists midweek monthly, and Pancakes and Praise Monthly on Sunday. She also goes into the village school which is CofE.
A couple of Methodists are bellringers at the Anglican church.
Such practical co-operation and collaboration is worth more than any written documents or statements of belief.
An irony of one of the rural CofE churches I know well is that it has a long-standing covenant relationship with a free church in the village. Relations are good, and there are a number of what are called "united" services every year. Yet, as far as the churches are concerned, there is nothing of note happening to mark the week of prayer for church unity. What I take from this is that, for the majority of worshippers, any outworking of the concept of church unity is purely parochial in nature, which I think echoes Baptist Trainfan's point.
Meanwhile, the current priest in charge of the benefice wants as little as possible to do with the free church, or with any joint services for that matter. It's not so much theological (etc) opposition to the idea as just not being able to get their head round it.
Last year, when a Church of Scotland minister took suddenly ill and was hospitalised on a Saturday evening, before the Session Clerk had had a chance to think about pulpit supply for the next day's service, a recently retired Episcopalian priest (and personal friend of the minister) phoned her up and offered to take the service. The congregation were very grateful!
Presbyterian / Episcopalian - who cared? The worried and anxious congregation were led in worship by someone who was as concerned about their minister as they were.
My local Kirk has welcomed Methodists, Episcopalians, Baptists, and Free Kirk worship leaders, and tolerates me, as an untrained lay Episcopalian, leading worship intermittently too. It seems to me that the Kirk, on days when not celebrating Communion, operates on the "any warm body" principle. I will say, though, that the horrific sermons have tended to be from older ministers of the Kirk (a former minister of the parish ranting about Islam being Satanic being a particularly egregious example).
Yet, as far as the churches are concerned, there is nothing of note happening to mark the week of prayer for church unity. What I take from this is that, for the majority of worshippers, any outworking of the concept of church unity is purely parochial in nature.
Some time ago I was speaking with the Interfaith and Ecumenical Officer of our Anglican diocese, based at the Cathedral. He has found the local Free Churches, especially a Pentecostal one, much more ready to work with him than the Anglicans, who seem to be locked into a parish mentality.
I'm not excusing that, @Baptist Trainfan but to some extent I can understand a kind of 'concentrate on the parish' entrenchment given the levels of 'managerialism' that our Anglican brothers and sisters have had to endure in recent years.
But I can understand the frustration the Officer must feel.
Our local Pentecostal church is remarkably open and eirenic. Time was when such groups were fairly insular.
I suspect some of it is a down to a desire to be taken more seriously by older churches but also there's a genuine and expansive warmth there which is part of the movements DNA. It's now being expressed in broader ways than it may have been in the past.
I don't think our local Pentecostals are alone in that. I'm picking up similar vibes elsewhere.
I'm not excusing that, @Baptist Trainfan but to some extent I can understand a kind of 'concentrate on the parish' entrenchment given the levels of 'managerialism' that our Anglican brothers and sisters have had to endure in recent years.
Very true; perhaps less so here in Wales (but I wouldn't really know!).
I think ‘managerialism’ is (a) different in the 40+ different dioceses in the Church of England and (b) rather in the eye of the beholder.
It’s a bit like the cry for ‘strong leadership’ which is very often code for wanting someone to tell other people to do what I think they ought to, not for someone to tell me what others think I ought to do.
Those are fair points @BroJames and forgive me for pontificating about the internal politics within the structures of an another church when there's more than enough of that and worse within my own.
I have heard Anglican clergy in various parts of the country complaining about it, but yes, I'm sure it varies and as you say, much depends on what we actually mean by it.
But the principle Baptist Trainfan raises is a good one. It's not the first time I've heard of someone in a particular role within a particular church setting say that they get more collaboration or indeed simple understanding from people in other churches than they do in their own.
Some time ago I was speaking with the Interfaith and Ecumenical Officer of our Anglican diocese, based at the Cathedral. He has found the local Free Churches, especially a Pentecostal one, much more ready to work with him than the Anglicans, who seem to be locked into a parish mentality.
I'd agree that many CofE congregations, ministers and/or PCCs are still locked into a parish mentality. But the CofE as a whole is locked into a parish reality (not least by canon law). There are many factors involved in parochialism, but whatever else the CofE is, it is a very established part of the establishment. (Especially when viewed through rose-tinted spectacles.)
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Presbyterian / Episcopalian - who cared? The worried and anxious congregation were led in worship by someone who was as concerned about their minister as they were.
Meanwhile, the current priest in charge of the benefice wants as little as possible to do with the free church, or with any joint services for that matter. It's not so much theological (etc) opposition to the idea as just not being able to get their head round it.
My local Kirk has welcomed Methodists, Episcopalians, Baptists, and Free Kirk worship leaders, and tolerates me, as an untrained lay Episcopalian, leading worship intermittently too. It seems to me that the Kirk, on days when not celebrating Communion, operates on the "any warm body" principle. I will say, though, that the horrific sermons have tended to be from older ministers of the Kirk (a former minister of the parish ranting about Islam being Satanic being a particularly egregious example).
But I can understand the frustration the Officer must feel.
Our local Pentecostal church is remarkably open and eirenic. Time was when such groups were fairly insular.
I suspect some of it is a down to a desire to be taken more seriously by older churches but also there's a genuine and expansive warmth there which is part of the movements DNA. It's now being expressed in broader ways than it may have been in the past.
I don't think our local Pentecostals are alone in that. I'm picking up similar vibes elsewhere.
It’s a bit like the cry for ‘strong leadership’ which is very often code for wanting someone to tell other people to do what I think they ought to, not for someone to tell me what others think I ought to do.
I have heard Anglican clergy in various parts of the country complaining about it, but yes, I'm sure it varies and as you say, much depends on what we actually mean by it.
But the principle Baptist Trainfan raises is a good one. It's not the first time I've heard of someone in a particular role within a particular church setting say that they get more collaboration or indeed simple understanding from people in other churches than they do in their own.
Not that anyone has noticed ... 😉