April 1, 2008

Christian World Communions as well as the Commission on Faith and Order of the World Council of Churches sent representatives to the Ninth Forum on Bilateral Dialogues in order to share information on recent bilateral consultations between churches and to discuss the vision of unity expressed in their ecumenical texts.

For the first time, the 10-15 March meeting in Breklum, Germany included theologians from the Salvation Army and the African Instituted Churches. Other Christian World Communions (CWCs) represented in Breklum were: Roman Catholic, Lutheran, Anglican, Methodist, Reformed, Disciples of Christ, Baptist, Old Catholic, Eastern Orthodox, and United and Uniting Churches.

Reports were received from the various bilateral dialogues, with particular attention to the ways in which they express their understandings of Christian unity. In a statement adopted at the forum, participants noted a common understanding on the long-term goal of Christian unity, while identifying the different short-term goals for achieving that unity.

The statement calls on the CWCs to articulate their immediate goals – especially regarding their bilateral dialogues around the world – in relation to their vision of the unity that Christ wills for His church. People working on different bilateral dialogues are asked to be mindful of each other's findings.

A more intentional evaluation and official acceptance of the agreed statements of the bilateral dialogues is also requested in the statement. Such acceptance or reception will enable the churches to harvest the reconciling and transforming insights of the bilateral and multilateral dialogues, and to act on the implications for the churches as they relate to each other.

The forum, which also allowed its participants to witness the commitment to ecumenism in the local churches, was hosted by the North Elbian Evangelical Lutheran Church and the Christian Jensen Kolleg, Breklum.

Download the statement adopted at the Forum on Bilateral Dialogues (pdf, 78 KB): http://www.oikoumene.org/fileadmin/files/wcc-main/documents/p2/breklum-statement.pdf.

World Council of Churches