In addition to its membership of the Anglican Communion, the Scottish Episcopal Church has entered into several formal agreements with churches across Europe, and has close relationships with British denominations.
The Anglican Communion
The Scottish Episcopal Church is part of the Anglican Communion, an association of churches in full communion with the Church of England, and specifically with its Primate, the Archbishop of Canterbury. The Church participates within the Communion through its representation at Lambeth Conferences, and meetings of Primates and the Anglican Consultative Council.
Relationships with British Churches
The SEC works closely with other Christian denominations in Scotland through its membership of ACTS (Action of Churches Together in Scotland), and with churches throughout the UK through the work of CTBI (Churches Together in Britain and Ireland).
The Porvoo Communion
The Porvoo Communion is an agreement between the British and Irish Anglican Churches and the Nordic and Baltic Lutheran Churches which secures common membership and full inter-changeability of ordained clergy.
The agreement is enshrined in the Porvoo Common Statement, a report issued at the conclusion of theological conversations by official representatives of four Anglican Churches and eight Nordic and Baltic Churches from 1989 to 1992. The Porvoo Common Statement included the text of the Porvoo Declaration, which the participants commended for acceptance to their Churches. The Statement is named after the Porvoo Cathedral in Finland, where the Eucharist was celebrated on the final Sunday of the conversations.
For more information about the Porvoo Communion, and the full text of the Common Statement, please visit the Porvoo Communion website.
The Reuilly Common Statement
The Reuilly Common Statement is an agreement, entered into in 1999, between the British and Irish Anglican Churches and the French Lutheran and Reformed Churches. The participants acknowledge one another's churches, and look forward to a fuller visible unity that makes possible the inter-changeability of ministers.
The Statement, and resources providing background information, can be downloaded from the Ecumenical Background sub-section of the Church of England website.
The Meissen Common Statement
The Meissen Common Statement is a 1992 agreement between the Church of England and the Evangelical Church in Germany which encourages the exchanage of eucharistic hospitality, but which falls short of full inter-changeability of ministers. The Scottish Episcopal Church is represented at meetings of the Commission through representatives sent by the Celtic churches.
The Statement, and additional resources providing background information, can be downloaded from the Ecumenical Background sub-section of the Church of England website.
World Council of Churches
The SEC is also a member of the World Council of Churches (WCC), and is actively involved in encouraging churches in Scotland to be involved in projects such as the Decade to Overcome Violence and the campaigns for HIV/AIDS awareness.
