In England, many are seeking a vision for a new ecumenism and this implies the need for subversion of the existing ecumenical structures. There is a need not just for new ideas but for a new paradigm and this is a task for all churches together - the authorities and the subversives holding each other to account and inspiring each other to change.
So, here are a few possibilities for the future:
Left alone some of our traditional churches might cobble something together. It might be worth doing. If Methodists can find a way to have Bishops (possibly with the URC) that opens a path to full interchangeability of ministry with the Church of England. This is possible and would open up new possibilities. But it seems unlikely to excite or engage many Christians.
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Another option would be to let things drift. Perhaps if the Church of England gets women bishops, its requirements will become less stringent and the Methodists will be accepted without Bishops. This is what some think; I have my doubts.
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Possibly, some new eclectic church will emerge from the multitude of new congregations. The problem here is the one I identified earlier - will it be catholic in its foundations? To successfully draw together a wide enough range of congregations to become viable, it would need wider theological boundaries. I see no sign of this happening, although I suppose it might.
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We can as ecumenists claim there is a hidden church behind all the traditions that we all belong to. Perhaps there is but the problem with a hidden church is that is too easy to forget its there (because it's hidden!).
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Perhaps the Roman Catholics in their many creative stratagems have something viable congregations could buy into or adapt for themselves.
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We could trust God to show us the way if we allow conversations across theological, cultural and organisational divisions to take place. This means the traditions need to relax their control over conversations, especially between local churches, sufficiently to allow changes to be identified and for a renewed church to emerge.
Of course none of these are convincing. How could they be? But at least we have options to explore as we wait for serendipity.
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