Lecture - The Church - by William Henn

15 Reageer Similarly, some of the material in the third chapter entitled “Life in Communion in an for the World” would more appropriately be integrated into the first chapter on “The Church of the Triune God” – for example, some of the statements on baptism, Eucharist and ministry. Secondly, regarding the reduced material in the boxes, it still seemed that some of the positions presented as contrasting could in fact be seen as complementary. Third, the text seemed too long and difficult to read. It needed to be shorter, more dynamic and better reflective of the various contexts in which Christian communities actually live. Finally, the study needed to show much more explicitly that progress had been made toward a common vision of the Church, not only at the multi- lateral level of Faith and Order but also in the very numerous bilateral dialogues which had taken up ecclesiological themes in the last twenty years. These positive affirmations and constructive criticisms came from the responses of various churches, from missionary organizations and councils of churches, from academic and ecumenical institutes, from the plenary commission of Faith and Order held in Crete in 2009 and from a major inter- Orthodox consultation held at Aghia Napa, Cyprus, in 2011. The text was also given to several veteran ecumenists from various confessional traditions who were asked to make suggestions for the final version on the basis of their considerable experience in dialogue and in drafting ecumenical agreements. 10 10 See the “Historical Note” attached to The Church: Towards a Common Vision , 45-46.