Mission in unity

The theme of "Mission in unity" stood at the centre of concerns during the 22nd general council (1989). One of its three sections dealt solely with questions focusing upon the dual challenge of the missionary witness on the one hand and that of unity on the other. Debate circled around three difficult elements: what constitutes the task of mission today? How do we get around the various forms of division occurring in our ranks? Lastly, what have Reformed churches to contribute to furthering community in the ecumenical movement? The general council called upon the Alliance and its member churches to make the theme of "Mission in unity" a priority for the following years (Seoul, Minutes, p.209) and, to underscore the urgency of the theme, addressed a letter to member churches and reformed mission organisms spelling out more of its consequences.

In the ensuing years, Mission in unity would be pursued, for the most part, within the context of the study programs of the John Knox International Reformed Centre in Geneva. Various issues emerged from the four consultations that were held:

1991: A general overview of the problem was explored.

1992: Various leaders from mission agencies came together to discuss the theme from their own individual points of view.

1993: An exchange took place on a number of concrete situations, especially in Brazil, Korea and Nigeria.

1995: The influence of ethnic factors on unity and disunity was investigated.¹

What were the conclusions drawn out of this work for Reformed churches? Seven items are especially worth mentioning:

1. Not so much the idea of unity but rather the living community.

In general, nothing was felt to be lacking both on the mission and, as well, on unity. Admittedly, in recent years Reformed churches have been intensely involved in ecumenical discussions on the essential nature of mission and unity; but no time is to be spent on continuing splits among Reformed churches. Today, Reformed churches are more fragmented than ever. The test of ecumenical engagement lies in this: Given the present situation, to what extent are we living out koinonia. As it says in one of the reports, "The emphasis on Koinonia is particularly urgent today. In a time when the very survival of humanity is at stake...the church is called to counteract the trend of fragmentation which can be noticed in so many places, and to point to God's live as the source of fulfillment." (No. 8, p.20). In actual fact, Reformed Christians have the tendency to overlook what is going on in their own churches as if "it weren't so important." Before any steps towards reconciliation can be taken, the actual conditions pertaining to Reformed churches must be clearly grasped. John Knox Centre worked directly from a handbook which listed and described all the Reformed churches in the world, whether these were members or non-members of the World Alliance.

2. In order for the community to be established and preserved, there must be movement among Reformed churches.

As significant as these analyses and appeals may be, dedicated persons are needed to overcome the present situation and heal the divisions. "What today is urgently needed is a movement or a process through which Reformed churches can find their way to new commitment and unity." (No. 8, p.22). Time and again it was brought out in various conversations that the movement must progress on various levels at the same time. The responsibility for restoring the community lies ultimately, of course, in each church's own land. But this demonstrates that no situation can be viewed as isolated. The reasons for splitting often lie outside one's own country. Only with a concerted effort from various sides can the Community be established and preserved. The foundations for divisiveness partly lie very deep, so deep that by human standards they seem insurmountable. Yet it would be rash to ever give up hope for healing. Again and again, it can be shown that obstacles which seem to render communication forever impossible between separated churches are dissipated through unexpected historical developments.

Today, this movement is proceeding. Numerous signs can be discerned among many churches striving to overcome present conditions. Concurrent activity is taking place in several countries. In recent years, churches dwelling in one country that, up to now, have been separated have established federations of Reformed churches (Zaire, Nigeria, Chile, Korea Mexico). WARC needs to ask itself what it can contribute to the exigencies of this movement. The experience of the Mission and Unity Study Program shows the catalytic role it can play in several of these situations.

3. What is the missionary task of the church in a worldwide community of churches?

This question continually comes up. The missionary task belongs to the nature of the church. So, too, its unity as the expression of reconciliation accorded to people in Christ. How can both these identifying marks of the church be brought together harmoniously? The history of the missionary movement of the past two centuries is ambivalent. On the one hand, the gospel was brought to numerous new peoples and cultures through the missionary witness. Reformed churches, potentially at least, became a worldwide family. Two thirds of the Reformed churches were founded in those last 200 years. On the other hand, the missionary movement has left behind inner conflicts. It has decidedly contributed to today's separation among Reformed churches, and for us that is particularly significant. Since the missionary enterprise was not itself sufficiently in accord, the foundations for various churches in many countries were laid without cohesive community.

And this situation continues today. While former centres of missionary work are now restrained, several young churches, for example, the Korean churches, have become active on the missionary scene. What do we make of the missionary work in countries where Reformed churches can already be found? These questions urgently require clarification. The 1992 consultation emphasized the necessity of a "common discipline of the churches with regard to mission in unity." (No. 8, p.35)

Over the past 200 years, missionary activity resulted in the founding of many Reformed churches in diverse countries (Uganda, Albania, Haiti, etc.) How can the grounds for future unity be established in the early stages of their historical development?

It is interesting to realize that in the early history of the World Alliance, the development of missionary work was followed with great attention. Should we take up this tradition today?

4. The horizon of Reformed churches seems to be bound exclusively to the horizon of their respective countries.

The Reformed tradition stresses the significance of the local church. That is one of its strengths. It leads to a distinctive sense of the responsibility and contribution of every church. But it also has the disadvantage of its outlook remaining restricted to its immediate surroundings, or - and this has tremendous consequences - individual local churches become involved internationally without coming into agreement with other churches. Numerous divisions among Reformed churches go back to this lack of coordination. The dilemma is obvious: on one side, everyone agrees that the gospel digs roots in local churches; on the other side, we live in a world which, in the face of global threats, renders close ties and a common witness necessary. The Mission in unity study shows that both dimensions are required: the profound rootedness in one's culture and capacities across all borders yields to a common witness. In order for such to be fashioned, the work of the World Alliance of Reformed Churches must be strengthened.

5. The relationship between church and ethnic and cultural traditions pertains to these unresolved problems.

An entire consultation (1995) was devoted to this theme. What is the significance of ethnic factors on the life of the church? On one side, it is clear: the gospel shall be proclaimed to all the people. All shall hear the Good News in their own tongue and praise God from the richness of their culture. Every attempt to suppress the particularity of a people in the name of a supposedly universal message must be resisted. In previous years, the World Alliance devoted itself to this theme with justifiably great attention. (for example, at the consultation in Rantepao, Indonesia, 1996). On the other side, time and time again, we see that the ties to one's own language, culture and customs can paralyze a church's witness. It can lose its critical distance opposing nationalist currents. Above all, it can lead to insurmountable barriers between churches. For example, many denominations in the United States finally reside on ethnic factors. In our time, increased intermingling of populations is becoming an urgent question: How will immigrants from native churches be welcomed? In the future, this question will become central in many countries: How can the diversity of various cultural groups find its place in the community of one and the same church? Above everything else, the language issue must be appropriately located within this concern. For one thing, it is a legitimate need to be able to respect one's own language and to celebrate worship in that language. For another, language should not become a factor of division.

6. The on-going examination of today's divisions among Reformed churches throws up basic theological and spiritual questions.

If churches of the community seek restoration, they must analyze the causes for their separation. They must ask themselves to what extent controversies once deemed impossible to eliminate are today still valid. What, today, is a healthy approach to the authority of Scripture? What positions among Reformed churches taken in the 16th and 17th centuries could be picked up today? What is, now, worship in spirit and in truth? This series of questions can be extended farther. But it is not theological questions alone that demand a common answer. The examination of the history of separation leads inevitably to a confrontation with painful offenses and injuries, with memories yet to be worked through, in brief, with the "demons of the past" which disunity entrenches. Overcoming division is a spiritual job. It requires a willingness to forgive and start afresh. It requires communication. The study program has shown, incidentally, that in many cases women were able to get around clogged structures of power and habits to make new communications possible between the churches.

The key for the movement towards a more profound community is a question which at once has a theological and spiritual character: the understanding of the church. What do we mean when we confess with the creed to "one, holy, catholic and apostolic church?" The answer appears to be clear: The church is a gift given to us before we have given anything to it. God in Christ has provided for everything, such that we can praise him in the community with his disciples. Our task is but one: to preserve this gift as faithfully as possible. A such, therefore, this answer is a little less clear than one would have it. Reformed Christians are inclined not to regard the church as a foregone gift in Christ's being, but first regard it even as a community arising in life. They do not see that the church has been already built upon the rock of the apostle's faith, but think that it still must be built. The study project has demonstrated how significant is the title of the first chapter of Jean Calvin's fourth book of the Christian Institutes which treats of the church: "The true church with which as mother of all the godly we must keep unity."

7. The strengthened community of Reformed churches presupposes a credible witness in the wider ecumenical movement.

Shall the WARC construct a confessional bloc to be set within the ecumenical movement? Certainly not. Indeed, the fear has been always advanced - in order to remove the evidence - that the present situation of Reformed churches is unable to stand firm on the witness to Holy Scriptures. That fear is groundless. The issue is not to revolve around a uniform desire, but solely to actively oppose that parcel of self contradictions in which Reformed churches live. Can we preach reconciliation as long as we are not reconciled to one another? Can we engage in dialogue and working together with other churches as long as we, in one family, practice mutual excommunication on one another?

With each step taken towards internal Reformed reconciliation, a glance remains directed at the wider horizons of the total ecumenical movement The work of the Reformed community simultaneously contributes to open and constructive encounters with other Christian traditions. The more profound are the experiences in our exploration with divisions within our own ranks, the clearer will the witness become in the wider ecumenical movement. The unity we seek is not uniformity but mutual recognition and communication within our diversity. So, at the general council in Seoul, was this self-understanding asserted: "Reformed churches make no claim to be self-sufficient, they rather work for the renewal of the whole church on the basis of the gospel, offering to their brothers and sisters their distinctive insights into the meaning of faithful Christian witness, confessing their offenses against others, praying and working for reconciliation (Seoul, Minutes, p.212)"

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