A049 Affirming the Goal of Full Communion between The Episcopal Church and the United Methodist Church
Resolved, the House of ________________ concurring,
That this 81st General Convention affirms previous resolutions 2018-A041, 2018-A261, and 2006-A055 for The Episcopal Church to continue dialogue with the United Methodist Church with the goal of reaching full communion; and be it further
Resolved, That as the United Methodist Church’s General Conference meets in 2024 after a four-year hiatus, this Convention joyfully anticipates advancing towards full communion with the United Methodist Church as outlined in The Episcopal Church-United Methodist Dialogue 2010 document, “A Theological Foundation for Full Communion between The Episcopal Church and the United Methodist Church” and then summarized in 2018’s “A Gift to the World, Co-Laborers for the Healing of Brokenness”; and be it further
Resolved, That this Convention encourages all Episcopalians to utilize the many resources available to understand the substance of the dialogue and its goal of full communion. Resources can be found on the websites of The Episcopal Church (https://www.episcopalchurch.org/ministries/ecumenical-interreligious/united-methodist-episcopal-dialogue/), the Episcopal Diocesan Ecumenical and Interreligious Officers (edeio.org), and umc-tec.org, a website supporting full communion between the United Methodist Church and The Episcopal Church; and be it further
Resolved, That this Convention encourages and supports prayerful consideration by all Episcopalians during the coming triennium of this significant step forward in response to our Lord’s fervent wish “that all may be one.”
Explanation
Psalm 126: 5-6 (NRSVA): “May those who sow in tears reap with shouts of joy. Those who go out weeping, bearing the seed for sowing, shall come home with shouts of joy, carrying their sheaves.” 2024 marks 71 years of dialogue between Episcopalians and Methodists in the United States, the last 21 of which have been spent preparing for full communion between our two churches. The creation in 2006 of interim eucharistic sharing (described in Gift lines 19-21) resulted in the 2010 document setting out the theological foundations for full communion between the two churches (see summary in Gift lines 49-57). Both documents are attached for further reading. These carefully nurtured hopes recently experienced delays due to profoundly painful and unjust internal divisions within both our communities.
In 2024, however, new signs of hope for further ecumenical progress may be in view. As both supporting documents explain, the two churches are in harmony on the essentials of our faith. We share compatible views and practices on baptism, Eucharist, Scripture, ordained and lay ministry, mission, and the role of bishops. We believe our two churches will soon be poised to affirm full communion together as two branches of the same Jesus Movement tree, and to share in ministry by producing leaves fruitful for the healing of the nations (Rev. 22; quoted in Gift lines 12-15). As we prepare for that future, we commend the continued study and reception
Support Document Links:
Un don para el mundo-colaboradores en la reparación de la ruptura
A Gift to the World, Co-Laborers for the Healing of Brokenness
Supporting Full Communion Between the United Methodist and Episcopal Churches
Episcopal Diocesan Ecumenical and Interreligious Officers
United Methodist Episcopal Dialogue
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