The Scottish Episcopal Church has relationships with many other churches, within Scotland, in the UK, across Europe and globally. Some of those relationships are governed by formal agreements. Following on from the signing of the Saint Andrew Declaration in 2021, the Inter-Church Relations Committee has prepared a single document of Ecumenical Guidelines which sets out these various agreements and the churches included within.
The Guidelines document is intended to be a resource to SEC clergy, to make it easy to access the implications of the agreements for how members and clergy of the partner church may participate in the worship of the SEC, and vice versa. The Guidelines separate the agreements into two broad categories: those of full communion, and those allowing limited exchange, and clarifies what the different agreements mean for ministry on the ground for lay people, clergy, presidency at the Eucharist, and participation in other liturgical services. The Guidelines will be updated as required.
In the changing landscape of Christianity in Scotland, and particularly as the Church of Scotland restructures, SEC congregations and charges are increasingly finding themselves working more closely together with congregations of other denominations. We recognise and welcome these developments as an opportunity for ecumenical witness and to engage in God’s mission together. However, we also recognise that working together involves practical questions. This paper seeks to provide guidelines for a range of different scenarios, with a focus on working with churches listed in schedule 2 to Canon 15, and especially the Church of Scotland, the Methodist Church of Great Britain, and the United Reformed Church.
These guidelines are intended to facilitate working together, providing structures which help churches to live out their relationship together to the full.
Each Assembly of the World Council of Churches produces a Unity Statement – a short reflection on the unity of the Church as both God’s gift and God’s calling. It is an opportunity for the member churches of the World Council to reflect on progress made on the ecumenical journey to reaffirm our commitment to one another as we travel on towards that goal.
An information pack is available which provides guidance on the Porvoo Agreement between the Anglican Churches of Great Britain and Ireland and the Nordic/Baltic Lutheran Churches, its members, the work of the Porvoo Communion of Churches Contact Group. The pack also includes ideas for setting up a partnership, sample agreements, the lists of current partnerships and contact details.
