1996 Book of Discipline: Paragraph 639| General Conference 2000

¶ 639. 1. Each annual conference shall create a conference commission or committee on Christian unity and interreligious concerns or alternative structure to work with the General Commission on Christian Unity and Interreligious Concerns. The commission or committee will report each year to the conference in such manner as the conference may direct.⁸¹ The responsibilities of the commission on Christian unity and interreligious concerns may be assigned to an existing or newly created multifunctional agency.

[FTN] 81. See Judicial Council Decision 576.

2. It is recommended that this commission or committee be composed of two United Methodists from each district (complying with ¶ 607.5), one of whom shall be district coordinator for Christian unity and interreligious concerns and shall serve as liaison with local church ministry areas on Christian unity and interreligious concerns. Additional members may include persons from The United Methodist Church or other member churches of the Consultation on Church Union as directed by the conference to ensure ecumenical expertise and interchange with other agencies.

Ex officio members of the annual conference commission on Christian unity and interreligious concerns shall include any United Methodists residing within the conference bounds who are members of the following: the General Commission on Christian Unity and Interreligious Concerns, the governing board of the National Council of the Churches of Christ in the U.S.A., the World Methodist Council, the United Methodist delegation to the most recent World Council of Churches Assembly, and the United Methodist delegation to the most recent plenary meeting of the Consultation on Church Union.

3. There shall be a representative of the commission who serves as one of the conference representatives to state councils or conferences of churches.

4. The duties of the commission or committee shall be to act in cooperation with the annual conference council on ministries, in coordination with the duties of the General Commission on Christian Unity and Interreligious Concerns, as outlined in ¶¶ 1902{@-}1903, and as it may recommend, and to take initiative in ecumenical and interreligious concerns as follows:

a) To interpret, advocate, and work for the unity of the Christian church in every aspect of the life of the conference and its churches and to encourage dialogue and cooperation with persons of other living faiths.

b) To recommend to the conference the goals, objectives, and strategies and to assist the conference, in cooperation with the bishop and the cabinet, in the development of ecumenical relationships and planning for mission with other judicatories, particularly in the establishment of new churches, yoked congregations, and in the process of local church union efforts.

c) To stimulate participation in and evaluation of mission programs ecumenically planned and implemented, such as experimental parishes, ecumenical parish clusters, ecumenical task forces, and united ministries in higher education, and in other issue-oriented tasks.

d) To stimulate conference, district, and congregational participation in councils, conferences, or associations of churches, in coalition task forces, and in interreligious groups through ecumenical educational or shared-time programs, jointly approved curriculum resources, interreligious study programs, or ecumenical community action projects such as institutional ministries and media communications, and various other modes of interchurch cooperation.

e) To participate in the selection of conference delegates to state councils or conferences of churches, which participation may include nomination, in cooperation with the conference nominating committee, for conference election the delegates to these bodies; to select representatives to district, area, and regional ecumenical and interreligious task groups and workshops; and to act as the body to which such delegates are accountable by receiving and acting on their reports and recommendations.

f) To promote and interpret the work of national and world ecumenical bodies such as the National Council of the Churches of Christ in the U.S.A., the World Council of Churches, the Consultation on Church Union, and the World Methodist Council; and to cooperate in and provide leadership for specific ecumenical experiences of worship and celebration such as the Week of Prayer for Christian Unity, Pentecost Sunday, World Communion Sunday, Reformation Sunday, and other appropriate occasions.

g) To stimulate understanding and conversations with all Christian bodies, to encourage continuing dialogue with Jewish and other living-faith communities, and to encourage an openness of mind toward an understanding of other major world religions.

h) To fulfill other functions assigned by the annual conference and to respond to such requests as may be made by its leadership.



	1996 Discipline ¶ 639
	¶ 639. 1. Each annual conference shall create a conference commission or committee on Christian unity and interreligious concerns or alternative structure to work with the General Commission on Christian Unity and Interreligious Concerns. The commission or committee will report each year to the conference in such manner as the conference may direct.⁸¹ The responsibilities of the commission on Christian unity and interreligious concerns may be assigned to an existing or newly created multifunctional agency. `[FTN] 81. See Judicial Council Decision 576.` 2. It is recommended that this commission or committee be composed of two United Methodists from each district (complying with ¶ 607.5), one of whom shall be district coordinator for Christian unity and interreligious concerns and shall serve as liaison with local church ministry areas on Christian unity and interreligious concerns. Additional members may include persons from The United Methodist Church or other member churches of the Consultation on Church Union as directed by the conference to ensure ecumenical expertise and interchange with other agencies. Ex officio members of the annual conference commission on Christian unity and interreligious concerns shall include any United Methodists residing within the conference bounds who are members of the following: the General Commission on Christian Unity and Interreligious Concerns, the governing board of the National Council of the Churches of Christ in the U.S.A., the World Methodist Council, the United Methodist delegation to the most recent World Council of Churches Assembly, and the United Methodist delegation to the most recent plenary meeting of the Consultation on Church Union. `3. There shall be a representative of the commission who serves as one of the conference representatives to state councils or conferences of churches.` `4. The duties of the commission or committee shall be to act in cooperation with the annual conference council on ministries, in coordination with the duties of the General Commission on Christian Unity and Interreligious Concerns, as outlined in ¶¶ 1902{@-}1903, and as it may recommend, and to take initiative in ecumenical and interreligious concerns as follows:` `a) To interpret, advocate, and work for the unity of the Christian church in every aspect of the life of the conference and its churches and to encourage dialogue and cooperation with persons of other living faiths.` `b) To recommend to the conference the goals, objectives, and strategies and to assist the conference, in cooperation with the bishop and the cabinet, in the development of ecumenical relationships and planning for mission with other judicatories, particularly in the establishment of new churches, yoked congregations, and in the process of local church union efforts.` `c) To stimulate participation in and evaluation of mission programs ecumenically planned and implemented, such as experimental parishes, ecumenical parish clusters, ecumenical task forces, and united ministries in higher education, and in other issue-oriented tasks.` `d) To stimulate conference, district, and congregational participation in councils, conferences, or associations of churches, in coalition task forces, and in interreligious groups through ecumenical educational or shared-time programs, jointly approved curriculum resources, interreligious study programs, or ecumenical community action projects such as institutional ministries and media communications, and various other modes of interchurch cooperation.` `e) To participate in the selection of conference delegates to state councils or conferences of churches, which participation may include nomination, in cooperation with the conference nominating committee, for conference election the delegates to these bodies; to select representatives to district, area, and regional ecumenical and interreligious task groups and workshops; and to act as the body to which such delegates are accountable by receiving and acting on their reports and recommendations.` `f) To promote and interpret the work of national and world ecumenical bodies such as the National Council of the Churches of Christ in the U.S.A., the World Council of Churches, the Consultation on Church Union, and the World Methodist Council; and to cooperate in and provide leadership for specific ecumenical experiences of worship and celebration such as the Week of Prayer for Christian Unity, Pentecost Sunday, World Communion Sunday, Reformation Sunday, and other appropriate occasions.` `g) To stimulate understanding and conversations with all Christian bodies, to encourage continuing dialogue with Jewish and other living-faith communities, and to encourage an openness of mind toward an understanding of other major world religions.` `h) To fulfill other functions assigned by the annual conference and to respond to such requests as may be made by its leadership.`
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1996 Discipline ¶ 639