CV NEWS FEED // The Episcopal and United Methodist Churches have recently expressed desire to achieve “full communion” with one another in the wake of several conservative mass exoduses.
AL.com reported that during its meeting in June, the Episcopal Church General Convention approved a resolution that encourages dialogue with the United Methodist Church “with the goal of reaching full communion” that could lead to exchanging ministers between the two churches and participating in “liturgical recognition and reconciliation of orders.”
The resolution also “celebrates” the United Methodist Church’s decision in May to recognize same-sex marriage and allow LGBT-identifying individuals to become ministers, which the Episcopal Church had already approved.
The United Methodist Church approved a similar proposal at a meeting of the Council of Bishops last fall, but emphasized that the call for full communion is not a call for a merger.
According to the United Methodist Church’s website, full communion means simply that both churches acknowledge each other’s Christian validity and sacraments, as well as work together in ministry.
Along with the change in relations with the United Methodist Church comes the election of a new presiding bishop for the Episcopal Church, Sean Rowe. According to Bishop Glenda Curry of Alabama, Rowe “has a sense of urgency” in response to changing culture and the need to try new things in the church.
The two churches’ desire to achieve full communion comes shortly after huge numbers of conservative Methodists split from the church over LGBT issues. As CatholicVote previously reported, over one-fourth of the denomination’s 30,000 congregations have disaffiliated in recent years to form more biblically-based Global Methodist churches.
Episcopalians have also been losing members for decades over criticisms that the church is no longer faithful to Biblical teachings.