The Relationship of the Trustees to the Work of Church House and Its Responsible Committees
Synod Of Scotland: EMU
Following the end of the SCIFU process (Scottish Churches Initiative for Union) which was rejected by the Church of Scotland and questioned in part by the Scottish Episcopal Church the three remaining participants undertook a series of meetings to explore possible ways to work together. These three partners were the Scottish Episcopal Church, the MethodistChurch and the United Reformed Church giving rise to the shorthand name of EMU.
Senior representatives of the three churches have now met eight times. There has been progress in the areas of Church & Society and in Education where possibilities for closer working are already being explored.
It is worth noting that in the area of Church & Society the Church of Scotland has a very good ecumenical engagement – for example the CofS Church & Society Council has members from other churches attending, the Council also oversees two ecumenical ventures – the Scottish Churches Parliamentary Office and Eco-congregations. A question for future consideration will be if the three EMU churches develop closer working what impact and what possibilities will this have for the Church of Scotland?
One of the most exciting outcomes of the EMU meetings has been the proposal to establish a ecumenical covenant. Due to Episcopal sensitivity to the historical use of the word covenant in Scotland the term Partnership will be used. The draft below was discussed at our last EMU meeting. The text will be revised following comments made at the meeting and presented to each of our churches during 2009 with a view to being adopted in 2010 as part of marking the centenary of 1910. In the case of the United Reformed Church the proposal will be discussed at our Autumn Synod
The United Reformed Church is already involved in a number of Local Ecumenical Partnerships with the Episcopal and MethodistChurches, in covenant partnerships with the Episcopal Church and in United Churches with the MethodistChurch. We are also involved in a number of partnerships, both covenant &united models, with the Church of Scotland. It is worth noting that in Livingston all four of these denominations form the Livingston Ecumenical Parish. A map of LEPs in Scotland can be viewed at:
A shorter URL for printing could be
The growth of LEPs in Scotland has been slow. It is hoped that in areas where the member churches of EMU co-exist there may be scope for further development and that in other areas it will be easier for isolated church members to be welcomed fully into a tradition not their own. It will certainly be a benefit in looking at future deployment of ministers and church resources. There is also a hope that being a larger entity the EMU partnership will be more easily able to relate to the Church of Scotland.
STATEMENT OF PARTNERSHIP BETWEEN
THE SCOTTISH NATIONAL SYNODTHE METHODIST
EPISCOPAL CHURCHCHURCH OF SCOTLANDCHURCH IN SCOTLAND
We, the Scottish Episcopal Church (SEC), the MethodistChurch in Scotland andthe National Synod of Scotland of the United Reformed Church, in recognition of our developing relationships, instigate this statement of partnership. We solemnly declare that we will work for ever closer co-operation in serving Christ. We are glad of the partnerships that have already been established between us and commit ourselves to strengthening these relationshipsand building new ones. By regular meetings between our various officers, and encouragement to our congregations, we shall work to identify, explore and develop opportunities to share inmission and ministry by continuing to forge stronger ties between us. Specifically we shall explore together ways of:
Being Church and serving God together;
Increasing the confidence of our members to speak of God and faith in ways that make sense to others;
Cooperating in teaching and learning about Jesus Christ, and our mission together;
Cooperating on Church and Society issues, supporting community development and taking action together for justice, especially among the most deprived and poor in Scotland;
Sharing in the provision and deployment of both lay and ordained ministries of all the people of God;
Sharing our resources across Scotland to fulfil our shared Christian mission to spread the Gospel
We shall seek to widen our Ecumenical engagementwithin this Partnership and with otherdenominations, wherever possible, so that our working together may be as wide as possible and our diversity not hindered by ongoing dis-union and rivalry. Progress in this partnership will be formally reviewed on a 5 yearly basis from the date of signature.
In signing this statement we affirm our commitment to God, Father, Son and Holy Spirit, and trust in God’s power for the implementation of this partnership.