Unification

• The ecumenical movement, symbolized by the Greek term 'oikoumene' meaning 'entire, inhabited world', aims to create unity amongst the many denominations that make up Christianity.
• The ecumenical movement sees its mandate in the prayer of Jesus for unity in John 17:21.
• Prior to 1054, there was a great deal of unity but also schisms in the Christian Church.
• Since 1054, the Christian Church has developed widely different practices and theologies due to the reformation and subsequent splintering in Protestantism.
• The World Missionary Conference (WMC) brought together 1200 missionaries from 160 missionary boards in an attempt to build cooperation.
• The slogan of the World Missionary Conference was 'doctrine divides but service unites'.
• The World Missionary Conference was solely an evangelical Protestant event, neither the RCC nor Orthodox Churches were invited.
• The World Council of Churches (WCC) was formed as a result of the World Missionary Conference.
• The World Council of Churches first met in Amsterdam in 1948 with 351 delegates from 147 church bodies, defining itself as a 'fellowship of churches' and described by outsiders as an 'ecclesiastical United Nations'.
• Today, there are 350 church bodies involved in the World Council of Churches, including Orthodox, Anglican, United and many other Churches.
• The Roman Catholic Church is not a member of the World Council of Churches, but it participates in two subgroups with full voting rights: The Faith and Order and World Mission and Evangelism Commissions.
• The World Council of Churches defines its mission as 'visible unity of the Church' which includes striving for a common confession, sacramental life, mission and service.
• Three main areas of work of the World Council of Churches are Unity, Mission and Ecumenical Relations, Public Witness and Diakonia, and Ecumenical formation.
• The World Council of Churches' Ecumenical Institute at Bossey, near Geneva, acts as a centre for ecumenical formation.