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| Faith and Order Conference | |
|---|---|
| Name | Faith and Order Conference |
| Type | Ecumenical conference |
| Founded | 1927 |
| Founder | World Council of Churches |
| Location | Geneva |
| Area served | Global |
| Key people | Charles Webster, Nathaniel, Willem Visser 't Hooft |
| Affiliations | World Council of Churches, World Evangelical Alliance, Anglican Communion, Roman Catholic Church |
Faith and Order Conference The Faith and Order Conference is an ecumenical assembly associated with the World Council of Churches that brings together theologians, bishops, clergy, lay leaders, and scholars from traditions such as the Anglican Communion, Roman Catholic Church, Eastern Orthodox Church, Lutheran World Federation, Methodist Church, Baptist World Alliance, World Evangelical Alliance, Pentecostalism, and Oriental Orthodox Churches. Meetings have convened in cities like Lausanne, Prague, Stockholm, Madras, and Mexico City with papers and dialogues involving figures linked to institutions such as Harvard University, University of Oxford, University of Cambridge, Union Theological Seminary, and Yale University.
The conference traces roots to early 20th-century ecumenical efforts including the Edinburgh Missionary Conference and the Lambeth Conference, followed by interwar gatherings influenced by leaders like William Temple, Marcus Dods, A. E. J. Rawlinson, and diplomats tied to the League of Nations. Early meetings engaged delegates from the Eastern Orthodox Patriarchate of Constantinople, the Syriac Orthodox Church, the Coptic Orthodox Church, the Armenian Apostolic Church, and representatives linked to universities such as Princeton Theological Seminary and King's College London. Post-World War II developments connected the conference to founders of the World Council of Churches including Nathan Soderblom and administrators who worked with Willem Visser 't Hooft and officials from the United Nations and the International Missionary Council.
The conference aimed to address doctrinal divisions evident in debates from the Council of Trent era through responses to doctrines discussed by scholars at Vatican II, seeking convergence on topics like baptism, Eucharist, ministry, and ordination as discussed in papers paralleling those from Second Vatican Council sessions. Goals included fostering communion among traditions represented by delegates from the Church of England, Russian Orthodox Church, Greek Orthodox Archdiocese of America, Evangelical Lutheran Church in America, and missions linked to the Society for the Propagation of the Gospel.
Governance reflected models similar to assemblies of the World Council of Churches and commissions with chairs drawn from leaders such as bishops from the Anglican Communion, patriarchs from the Eastern Orthodox Church, moderators from the Presbyterian Church (USA), and presidents of seminaries like Gordon-Conwell Theological Seminary. Committees mirrored structures found in institutions like the Pontifical Council for Promoting Christian Unity, with secretariats collaborating with organizations including the Faith and Order Commission, national councils such as the National Council of Churches, and academic partners at University of Edinburgh.
Significant gatherings occurred alongside events like the 1937 Edinburgh Conference influences and the 1927 Stockholm meeting, with later milestones coinciding with Vatican II outcomes and the 1968 Uppsala Assembly of the World Council of Churches. Later milestone conferences intersected with global summits in Geneva, debates at Harvard Divinity School, and statements that paralleled ecumenical agreements such as those negotiated by delegations from WARC and coalitions involving the Lutheran World Federation and Roman Catholic Church delegations.
Notable participants included theologians and church leaders associated with names and institutions like Karl Barth, Dietrich Bonhoeffer, Paul Tillich, Jürgen Moltmann, Hans Urs von Balthasar, John Paul II-era diplomats, ecumenists such as Lesslie Newbigin, Philip Potter, and representatives from the World Evangelical Alliance, Conference of European Churches, All Africa Conference of Churches, and mission agencies like the World Missionary Conference networks.
Debates focused on sacramental theology discussed by scholars from Notre Dame University, ecclesiology debated by delegates influenced by Thomas Aquinas and Martin Luther traditions, and ethics shaped by responses to documents from the United Nations and theologians like Dorothy Day and Reinhold Niebuhr. Other themes included ministry and ordination, papal primacy conversed about in light of First Vatican Council and Second Vatican Council deliberations, and liturgical renewal alongside movements connected to Taizé and monastic bodies like the Benedictine Order.
Outcomes influenced ecumenical dialogues that informed agreements such as bilateral communions between the Evangelical Lutheran Church in America and the Roman Catholic Church dialogues, ongoing conversations with the Anglican Communion and Oriental Orthodox Churches, and academic curricula at seminaries including Princeton Theological Seminary, Union Theological Seminary, and Trinity College, Cambridge. The conference’s legacy endures in commissions and dialogues within bodies like the World Council of Churches, national councils such as the National Council of Churches in Christ in the USA, and partnerships with global institutions including the United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization.
Category:Ecumenical conferences