"We believe...in the Holy Spirit, in one holy catholic and apostolic church..." When Reformed churches unite in this confession of their faith, they mean by "church" not simply the fellowship of all the Reformed churches but the people of God as it exists today in all confessions and traditions. For them, therefore, the unity of the church is not simply the unity of their own Reformed family but the unity which needs to be recovered among all the churches which "invoke the name of the Lord Jesus Christ". To be sure, the most urgent task before them is to work for the unity of the Reformed churches. But they will never be able to rest content with this Reformed unity. The confession of faith in Jesus Christ lays upon them the inescapable obligation of concrete commitment to and with the work of the ecumenical movement.

The majority of the Reformed churches have been engaged in the ecumenical movement since its inception. The World Alliance of Reformed Churches and its general councils have repeatedly and regularly considered this theme and urged its member churches to strive for the visible unity of the people of God in this world. But it would be unrealistic to talk of unanimity among the Reformed churches. A considerable number of Reformed churches have reservations about the ecumenical movement and some even reject it altogether. It is essential, therefore, that the Reformed churches should reach agreement on the way they see their role in and commitment to the ecumenical movement.

The Reformation as a renewal movement

The first and most important point to be made here is a historical one: the Reformed tradition began as a movement of reform within the church. It was not the Reformers' intention to found a new church. On the contrary, their purpose was to make the face of the true church visible to their contemporaries. Their concern was to assemble the church around its head, Jesus Christ. When division actually ensued and a separate Reformed church actually emerged, this was contrary to the Reformers' will and intention and, for a long while even after it had happened, they were unable to reconcile themselves to this new situation.

This original viewpoint is still vitally important even today. The Reformed churches are still in a real sense a movement within the church and dependent on their fellowship with other churches for the fulfilment of their mission. They see it as their obligation to cooperate in every movement of reform and renewal calculated to give the unity, witness and service of the church of Jesus Christ a more inclusive form. Far from authorizing them to remain self-contained, the confession by which the Reformed churches live constrains them to seek dialogue and fellowship with other churches outside their own boundaries.

Given this historical origin, the Reformed churches could hardly do other than respond favourably when, at the beginning of this century, the ecumenical movement began to grip the imagination of the divided churches. They saw in this movement the God-given opportunity to continue and pursue to the end the dialogue broken off so long ago in the 16th century. The general council of the World Alliance of Reformed Churches at Princeton in 1954 voiced this conviction in the following words:

"A singularly significant fact about the Christian church in our time is the ecumenical movement. Despite the misunderstandings and divisions which still separate Christians from one another, there is a deep stirring among the churches and Christian groups to surmount these barriers and to express the unity of the community of believers in accordance with the mind and will of Jesus Christ, the head of the church which is his body. We believe that this deep stirring towards the unity of the churches is of God, not men, a sign of the work of the Holy Spirit" (Princeton general council, Proceedings, p.73) .

Unity as God's gift

The church's unity has been given in Jesus Christ. The foundation has already been laid. It is not something still to be created. "Other foundation can no one lay than that which has been laid, namely, Jesus Christ" (1 Cor 3.11). By his coming, Jesus Christ has already created the necessary presuppositions for the new fellowship in faith. He has already opened the way to the Father for us who had made ourselves prisoners. The church comes into being because he calls men and women and draws them into fellowship with God.

Jesus prays the Father that all who believe in him "may be one as Thou, Father, art in me and I in Thee, indeed, that they too may be one in us that the world may believe that Thou didst send me" (Jn 17.21). When Jesus prays to the Father, his words are not in vain. His prayer is heard. All who let themselves be drawn into his prayer experience unity.

Divisions appear among Christians when the vision of Jesus Christ fades and becomes obscure for us, when concerns which are counter to his will come between us and him and our ways consequently divide. The lost unity can only be recovered as Jesus Christ, by his word and Spirit, reoccupies his place in our midst. Unity grows out of renewal in his name. Here again we may quote words of the Princeton general council:

"The unity of the church is a gift to the church in Jesus Christ her Lord. Whenever and wherever Jesus Christ is present and active in the community of believers so that they are transformed and made fully human in and through their fellowship with one another, there the church is one, holy, catholic and apostolic. Jesus Christ breaks down all barriers of separation and, in obedience to him the various forms of faith and life become means of serving the unity of the Spirit in the bond of peace. Whenever and wherever the various forms of faith and life of the church divide the members of the household of faith from one another, Jesus Christ himself calls these churches to unity and wills to accomplish it in them through his word and Spirit. Christians, therefore, are under a particular and pressing responsibility to give visible expression to the unity which the Lord of the church wills and works among them. 'Where Christ is, there is the church'" (p.74).

God gathers, protects and upholds his people

Because God, by his word and Spirit, is constantly gathering his people, the church, anew, the boundaries of the church can never be fixed in advance. The church is where God's word is proclaimed, the Lord's supper celebrated and life lived in fellowship in Christ's name. This happens in the Reformed churches but it also happens in other churches too. The people which God gathers exists in all churches. The task of the Reformed churches is twofold, therefore. They must ask how far they are themselves really the church. To what extent is it God's word that is really proclaimed? To what extent do they practice obedience to the Lord of the church by their fellowship with one another? But they must also ask how far the people of God comes livingly to expression in other churches too. They confront these other churches with the expectation that in their midst, too, God has called and is calling the church into being. The diversity of traditions and structures is important, of course. They reflect differences in interpreting the gospel that are not to be taken lightly. On the other hand, their importance is not such as to make it impossible for God to "gather" his people across the confessional boundaries. God in his sovereign action is not imprisoned by these confessional barriers erected by Christians between and against each other. In the Reformed view, the ecumenical movement is the common attempt to bring together into visible unity the people which God is gathering today.

Within the ecumenical movement, this conviction leads the Reformed churches to point insistently to the origin and well-spring of the church's life. What they hope for from the ecumenical movement is not primarily that the existing churches will recognize one another in the form they have developed historically and constitute a larger unity. Their hope is focussed primarily on the God who in Jesus Christ has laid the foundation and is constantly engaged in gathering the church anew.

Within the ecumenical movement, therefore, the Reformed churches will consistently emphasize the importance of the following points:

God's sovereign action vis-à-vis his church. God does not permit himself to be imprisoned by the confusion of human history. He remains free and leads his church along ways which cannot be predicted.
Christ the head on whom the life of the whole body depends. To understand how God "gathers, protects and upholds" his people the divided churches will do well to focus their undivided attention on the centre - on Jesus Christ. Where his likeness is visible, it becomes clear what the true church is. By focussing on him, the ecumenical movement is protected against the danger of becoming bogged down in secondary questions about the interpretation of the gospel and the structures of the church.
The work of the Holy Spirit. The true church results where the Spirit is poured out. The church lives because, by the power of the Spirit, the work of Christ is made present in its midst. It is Christ who, through the Spirit, bestows the gifts whereby the body is built and sustained. The church in its fundamental unity becomes visible as she prays for the Spirit, the Creator of life.
The word as source of truth and life. The church lives by "every word that proceeds from the mouth of God". It must again and again focus anew on the word and be directed by it. To be sure, the church has received the message and keeps it and ponders it in its heart. But it is not already the proprietor of the word. It is continually being confronted with this word anew. The hope of the ecumenical movement is that the churches will allow themselves to be questioned and challenged anew by this word.
The church as sign of the coming kingdom. The church bears witness that God in his sovereignty is bringing history to its fulfilment and the dawning of his eternal kingdom. The people which he "gathers, protects and upholds" is called to be a sign pointing to this future amid all the confusion of the present world. The divided churches are enabled to draw closer together by asking persistently what it means for them to become this sign of the coming kingdom.

The open Lord's supper

Against this background, it is easier to understand the attitude of the Reformed churches in the matter of eucharistic hospitality. They regard the Lord's supper as Christ's gift to the church. In carrying out Christ's command and celebrating the Lord's supper, the church is able to manifest its unity in his name. On the basis of this conviction, Reformed churches must not only admit members of other churches to the celebration of the Lord's supper but cordially invite them to join the celebration. They regard the Lord's supper as the sign of the unity which binds the people of God together in a unity which cuts across all the confessional boundaries. The statement of the Princeton general council of 1954 has already become a classic exposition of this position:

"We invite and gladly welcome the members of all churches which, according to the bible, confess Jesus Christ as Lord and Saviour, to the table of our common Lord. The church has received the sacrament of the holy communion from Christ and he communicates himself in it to the believer. The table of the Lord is his, not ours. We believe that we dare not refuse the sacrament to any baptized person who loves and confesses Jesus Christ as Lord and Saviour. It is our strong conviction that unwillingness, particularly at this time, to practice such intercommunion gravely impedes the cause of unity and lends an air of unreality to much of our talk about it. We cannot proclaim the gospel of reconciliation without demonstrating at the table of the Lord that we are reconciled to one another. Therefore, we would welcome face to face talks with our fellow Christians in other churches, looking towards the time when all sincere Christians will be welcome around a common table."

Key points in the ecumenical movement

On the basis of these convictions, Reformed churches seek contacts and dialogue with other churches. They can only approve all steps and measures which make room for the fellowship already given by God to grow and become visible.

One important instrument on the way to deeper fellowship is dialogue. This helps hitherto separated partners to see each other in a new light. It provides an opportunity to examine differences, clear away misunderstandings and settle conflicts which have arisen in the course of their history. As partners meet face to face, they begin to see themselves as others see them.

Important as this mutual comprehension through dialogue undoubtedly is, however, it is not in itself the goal of the Reformed churches in the ecumenical movement. However determined their efforts to establish a new relationship between previously divided partners may be, their attention will be focussed primarily on the common task which Jesus Christ has entrusted to his church and summons it to perform today. They will hasten to settle the preliminary questions of comprehension so as to be able to press on to the essential question of their witness in the world today. Four main emphases call for mention here:

What is the faith which the church of Jesus Christ is called to confess today? The Reformed churches will always press for a common approach to this question. They are convinced that the witness to Jesus Christ can never be frozen into a creed or confessional statement but must constantly be born anew in terms of the contemporary situation. What does the gospel challenge the churches to say, to be and to do today? The ecumenical movement is the place where these questions can be answered together.
How do we achieve a common missionary witness in the world today. We do not have to wait until agreement has reached its goal in dialogue before fulfilling together the missionary mandate. This can and must begin now. As the churches tackle this task together, they will find new prospects of fellowship opening up to them.
How is the church to be renewed? Reformed churches will not only ask themselves how the existing positions of the divided churches are related to each other today. They will ask themselves and other churches what are the processes of renewal which need to take place in them for the sake of the missionary witness. They do not regard the Reformation as a self-contained event to which there is nothing more to be added. The call to renewal accompanies the church throughout the ages.
How are the churches to read and interpret correctly the signs of the times? Within the ecumenical movement, the Reformed churches will urge in particular that historical events and developments be given the attention they deserve. What do certain historical junctures mean for the witness of the church? How are the churches to find the appropriate response to newly emergent questions (eg the abolition of slavery, equality between women and men, ecology, etc)? How often have the churches in the course of their history missed the kairos, the opportune moment! How easily they can miss important signs of the time in their preoccupation with their own mutual comprehension! The ecumenical movement must be the place where they unite in recognizing and interpreting the call of God.

Emphasis on the fellowship in each place

The Reformed churches within the ecumenical movement will stress the need to assign priority to the achievement of fellowship in Christ in each place. The Reformers, Calvin in particular, stressed that the church of Jesus Christ is primarily a community. It is present where the word is preached and the Lord's supper celebrated. Witness is borne where human beings actually share life together. The church's unity must be demonstrated locally.

The attention of the Reformed churches will focus primarily, therefore, not on meetings, dialogues and structures of unity at the international level but rather on initiatives at the local level. The experience of the local Christian communities is in the last analysis the basis of the fellowship in the ecumenical movement.

That is not to say that work for the universal unity of the church is superfluous. On the contrary, the call to witness in the world today makes it all the more essential for the churches to manifest their unity increasingly and emphatically at the world level. The Reformed churches have much still to learn in this respect. But the need for new forms of universal fellowship and solidarity does not cancel the priority of the local community.

Models of unity

What form is the church of the future to take? What ideas do the Reformed churches have about this?

The ecumenical movement has been concerned for some time now with the question of "the unity we seek". However strong the churches' desire for unity has been, it was far from obvious that they shared the same vision of what that unity meant. Only in the course of the years did the outline begin to emerge of the unity which was gradually to be realized through the ecumenical movement. The assemblies of New Delhi (1961) and Nairobi (1975) produced first drafts. The Reformed churches can to a large extent recognize their own basic positions in these documents.

New Delhi Assembly (1961)

We believe that the unity which is both God's will and his gift to his church is being made visible as all in each place who are baptized into Jesus Christ and confess him as Lord and Saviour are brought by the Holy Spirit into one fully committed fellowship, holding the one apostolic faith, preaching the one gospel, breaking the one bread, joining in common prayer, and having a corporate life reaching out in witness and service to all and who at the same time are united with the whole Christian fellowship in all places and all ages in such wise that ministry and members are accepted by all, and that all can act and speak together as occasion requires for the tasks to which God calls his people. It is for such unity that we believe we must pray and work.

Nairobi Assembly (1975)

The one church is to be envisioned as a conciliar fellowship of local churches which are themselves truly united. In this conciliar fellowship, each local church possesses, in communion with the others, the fullness of catholicity, witnesses to the same apostolic faith, and therefore recognizes the others as belonging to the same church of Christ and guided by the same Spirit. As the New Delhi assembly pointed out, they are bound together because they have received the same baptism and share in the same eucharist; they recognize each other's members and ministries. They are one in their common commitment to confess the gospel of Christ by proclamation and service to the world. To this end, each church aims at maintaining sustained and sustaining relationships with her sister churches, expressed in conciliar gatherings whenever required for the fulfilment of their common calling.

The term "conciliar fellowship" has been frequently misunderstood. It does not look towards a conception of unity different from that full organic unity sketched in the New Delhi statement, but is rather a further elaboration of it. The term is intended to describe an aspect of the life of the one undivided church at all levels. In the first place, it expresses the unity of church separated by distance, culture, and time, a unity which is publicly manifested when the representatives of these local churches gather together for a common meeting. It also refers to a quality of life within each local church; it underlines the fact that true unity is not monolithic, does not override the special gifts given to each member and to each local church, but rather cherishes and protects them.

The role of the World Alliance of Reformed Churches

The World Alliance of Reformed Churches regards itself as an instrument in the service of the ecumenical movement. Its primary concern, of course, is for the inner life and public witness of the Reformed churches. It aims to reflect on and reformulate the Reformed tradition in face of the challenges and opportunities of our time. It seeks to promote the unity, fellowship and solidarity of the Reformed churches. It supports the individual member churches in the fulfilment of their witness in today's world. It represents the Reformed churches at the level of the worldwide church. At the same time, however, the Alliance always keeps in view the wider horizon of the ecumenical movement. Through all its activities it seeks to hasten the day when the people of God, existing today in all traditions and confessions, will become visible. As the witness of the Reformed churches is deepened and strengthened, their commitment to the ecumenical movement also grows.

The World Alliance of Reformed Churches works closely with the World Council of Churches, therefore, regarding it as a "privileged instrument" of the ecumenical movement. The World Council of Churches is "a fellowship of churches which confess the Lord Jesus Christ as God and Saviour according to the scriptures and therefore seek to fulfil together their common calling to the glory of the one God, Father, Son and Holy Spirit." On the basis of this confession of Faith, the churches are already able to meet and to bear common witness despite their differences. They remain divided yet are already one in the ecumenical movement. This conception comes very close to the Reformed view of the ecumenical movement. The Reformed churches see the World Council as the place where they are best able to make their contribution to the ecumenical movement. Once again, the Princeton general council of 1954 declared itself in this sense:

"In the light of our commitment to the ecumenical cause, we recognize that any distinctively Reformed agency such as the World Alliance of Reformed Churches is only an instrument in the service of more ultimate purposes... In the present ecumenical situation, characterized by a potent movement towards ecumenical understanding and unity, the Alliance desires to collaborate closely with the World Council of Churches...as the main organizational expression of that movement" (p. 77).

Since then, the ecumenical movement has grown rapidly and the World Council has a far greater membership today. At its second Vatican council, the Roman Catholic Church opened itself to the ecumenical movement. While its understanding of its own role prevents it from joining the World Council of Churches, it has become in its own way a serious partner in the ecumenical movement. As a result of these developments, the ecumenical agenda has been radically expanded. The demands made upon the Reformed churches have grown correspondingly. If they are to be able to meet these demands even approximately, they need each other. They must be in a position to reach agreement among themselves and to synchronize their actions. They need the services of an official body at the world level. In view of all this, the World Alliance of Reformed Churches has an important role to play vis-à-vis the ecumenical movement.