The Changing Face of Ecumenism
Rev. Kerri Parker, Executive Director
What does it mean to be an ecumenical organization? One of the privileges of my role as Executive Director of a state Council of Churches is that I get to spend an inordinate amount of my time reflecting on that question as I go about my work, and encouraging others to do so. In my fifth year with the Wisconsin Council I’d like to think we now discuss that question with some excitement and enthusiasm!
The answer – or answers – guide the why and the how of our work together. We care deeply about the visible unity of Christ’s church. The Council facilitates collaboration for more effective ministry – we undertake together what would be much more challenging alone. We hold relationships (I have that one written on my office dry-erase board). Honestly, I’d probably even go deeper than that; we treasure our relationships. We foster relationships, investing in them every day. Our staff takes pride in cultivating relationships with what Shakespeare called “strange bedfellows” – seeking out unlikely companions or allies outside our membership or even the church to strengthen our work.
I was recently in a gathering of ecumenical executives from around the United States as we mused about this question together. None of our organizations do ministry in quite the same way. We all have slightly different programs and emphases. We all agreed, though, the face of ecumenism is changing. It needs to be regional, and connectional. It needs to embrace all those who are energized by our work, and the intersections that shape our work. We also agreed, as ecumenists, that God-talk is part of who we are. We know we need to work on our Christology, to carry with us Jesus who saves souls and liberates, in how we pray and talk together and how we move from inward focus to action.
So when the strategic vision of our own Council here in Wisconsin talks about “Jesus, and Justice, in Public,” we are committing to wrestle with one another theologically, to seek a blessing from the Gospel when it calls us to hard and holy work. When we commit to “nimble, rapid action” it means we intend to do our spiritual and theological and relational work all along so we can move not hastily but with promptness and urgency, as faithful, grounded people in community.
We have been working for over 75 years in Wisconsin at this question of what it means to be an ecumenical organization. The answer changes a little bit every day. The commitment to the visible unity of Christ’s church changes as the church itself changes. In 2022 it means we are a dispersed network of faithful people working together across differences, addressing critical issues with creativity and courage. We are committed to the affirmative message of the Gospel, doing YES work, everywhere we
can, innovating and looking for new life. We celebrate all the places we see the Church at her best. We try to live with the values of Courage, Justice, and Holy Imagination in the foreground.
The Wisconsin Council of Churches: 21 Christian traditions. Over 30 regional church bodies, 2000 congregations and faith-based organizations. Somewhere around a million Christians, including the staff members who coordinate and write about the programs and projects you read about here. This is the work of ecumenism. Faithful people working together. We are here to remind you that no one is truly alone. Thanks be to God.
