An Introduction to Churches Together in England

Churches together in England

What is Churches Together in England?




Churches Together in England (CTE) is the national body set up by the churches in 1990 and has partner bodies in Scotland, Wales and Ireland. The Council of Churches for Britain and Ireland is the successor body to the British Council of Churches and co-ordinates the work of the four nations.

At a national level Churches Together in England has 23 Member Churches or Councils of Churches and 13 Bodies in Association Churches. They are also continuing to develop ecumenical commitment locally and at intermediate (county) level.

Churches Together in England includes:

  • Baptist Union of Great Britain
  • Cherubim & Seraphim Council of Churches
  • The Church of England
  • Church of Scotland (in England)
  • Congregational Federation
  • Council of African & Afro-Caribbean Churches
  • Council of Oriental Orthodox Christian Churches
  • Free Churches' Council
  • Greek Orthodox Church
  • Ichthus Christian Fellowship
  • Independent Methodist Churches
  • International Ministerial Council of Great Britain
  • Joint Council for Anglo-Caribbean Churches
  • Lutheran Council of Great Britain
  • Methodist Church
  • Moravian Church
  • New Testament Assembly
  • Religious Society of Friends
  • Roman Catholic Church
  • Russian Orthodox Church
  • Salvation Army
  • United Reformed Church
  • Wesleyan Holiness Church

Churches Together in England is a visible sign of the Churches' commitment as they seek a deepening of their communion with Christ and with one another, and proclaim the Gospel together by common witness and service. Its strength comes from people from different traditions finding new ways to work and worship together.

How do the Churches work together?

Locally

There are more than 1200 places in England where local churches have formed themselves into ecumenical groupings, usually called Churches Together Groups in a particular town or village. Local Christians engage in a wide variety of activities together - meeting for worship, discussion, prayer and practical service in the community.

There are around 750 Local Ecumenical Partnerships where Churches of different denominations have made a formal agreement to share worship buildings church life, mission or ministry.

Churches Together in Fareham elected June Haye as Town Centre Chaplain. She is a leader in the Fareham Community Church and a member of the Association of Christian Counselors. She is the General Manager of The Well, The Christian Coffee and Book Shop in Fareham (You can read more about this post at the Churches Together in Fareham web site).

At Intermediate (or County) level

Local groups are served by 50 county, new town or metropolitan intermediate Ecumenical Bodies, which sponsor Local Ecumenical Partnerships and try to help the Churches to witness and work together at district diocesan level, as well as local level. County Ecumenical Officers help to resource local churches working together. Their names and addresses are available from the national offices of Churches Together in England.

Regionally

With the growth of regionalism in England, some of the Churches' life and activity is being increasingly organised in the English regions.

Nationally

....Through the Forum which brings together every other year, 300 representatives from the Member Churches, regional ecumenical bodies and related groups to review how the churches are working together and suggest priorities.

....Through the Enabling Group: 50 representatives from the Churches and ecumenical bodies, the managing trustees of Churches Together in England, meet three times a year to enable the Member Churches to make decisions in common.

....Through Coordinating Groups which enable churches in England to work together in particular fields, such as education, evangelisation, youth work, rural issues, local unity, family life, theology and unity, and the Millennium.

....Through Bodies in Association: organisations in which Christians of different traditions work together to promote a particular emphasis or concern.

....Through Agencies to which the Churches delegate responsibility to carry out work on their behalf e.g. CAFOD; Christian Aid; Christian Enquiry Agency; Churches Advisory Council on Local Broadcasting, and Opportunities for Volunteering.

....Through the staff who provide advice and assistance to the ecumenical movement and also produce books, leaflets and other literature.

....Through Pilgrim Post a bi-monthly bulletin produced by Churches Together in England, with news of the local, regional and national unity scene.

....Through the four Presidents including the Archbishop of Canterbury, the Archbishop of Westminster and the Moderator of the Free Churches Council.

Other associated links

CTE main website at www.churches-together.org.uk

Churches Together in Fareham