Perspectief 2015-29

2015-29 The Making of an Ecumenical Text 21 Reag eer The Architecture of The Nature and Mission of the Church reflects, as in the first version, the search for a common understanding of the church that may lead to greater fellowship and lay the ground for the work on the remaining controversial issues. The text in four chapters dedicates two to a common understanding of the Church (“The Church of the Triune God” and “The Church in History”) and two to the ecumenical concerns: one chapter is dedicated to the elements of communion (what is required for church unity) and one on the “missionary” dimension of unity given that unity is not an end in itself, but rather “for the world”. The major change in the structure was the suppression of the chapter exclusively dedicated to the church as koinonia and the relocation of its material in the chapter on the church of the Triune God and, even more, in the chapter on the church in history. The Nature and Mission of the Church is a light revision of The Nature and Purpose of the Church . Many paragraphs were redrafted and several were relocated, but very few were partly or entirely suppressed as it was the case, for instance, of the first sentence of §19 and of §20, §45, the last sentence of §54, §94 on the Trinitarian nature of hierarchy within the ministry of oversight, and finally §124 and §125 on moving from consensus to mutual recognition as churches. The material on controversial issues, spread throughout the text in grey boxes, was considerably redrafted. The number of boxes changed from 15 to 10 as the boxes on Hierarchy, K oinonia , Apostolic Faith, the three modes of exercise of oversight (“Communal, Personal, and Collegial”), and on “Faith and ethics” were dropped. IV Phase Three: Towards The Church, Towards a Common Vision (2012) Following the publication of The Nature and Mission of the Church in 2005 and the WCC Porto Alegre Assembly in 2006, a new Commission on Faith and Order was appointed. Under new leadership 44 , the work on ecclesiology proceeded in three ways: 1) the analysis and interpretation of the responses to the text provided by churches, councils of churches, 44 The Ecclesiology Working Group consisted of Sara Lancaster and Viorel Ionita (co-moderators), and the following members: Metropolitan Vasilios of Constantia-Amnochsotos, Sarah Kaulule, André Birmelé,