Christian Diversity in England

One of the most significant changes the ecumenical movement faces in Britain today is the unprecedented increase in the diversity of Christian churches and communities over the last 10 to 15 years.  Many of the new churches are small, local churches and have no presence as national churches.  This has challenged the balance between national and local expressions of Christian unity.

Nationally, the main churches are much the same as they have always been.  Membership of Churches Together in Britain and Ireland or Churches Together in England, for example, depends upon each member church's ability to demonstrate its national presence.  Inevitably, even small churches will have several churches distributed around the country.

Locally, things are much more complex.  Congregations, churches and communities have various origins and their relationships with each other and mainstream churches are complex.  One factor that is often overlooked is the presence in alternative churches of members of mainstream churches.  I've never seen any recognition of this as factor, let alone any figures.

A local congregation might be any or a combination of the following:

• a small pentecostal, charismatic or evangelical church
• a house church, critical of formal ecclesiology
• a fresh expression of a mainstream congregation
• a congregation from a partner church from overseas ( a partner church might be for example a Methodist Church other than the Methodist Church of Great Britain)

Some of these see themselves as part of a larger tradition to be found in larger numbers in other parts of the world.  Some call themselves Christian and do not see themselves as a part of any tradition.  The latter are seen by Doug Gay as churches with a free church ecclesiology.

The implications for ecumenical reception and receptive ecumenism in this new era for the Christian church in Britain has still to be adequately explored.

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[sukumar]

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