|
In follow-up of the Consultation on the Global Christian Forum in Santiago, Chile, in June 2007 and of the Global Forum that took place in Limuru, Kenya, in November 2007 a new process called « Forum for Unity » has been initiated in Latin America. At a first meeting held in Quito on 3 – 4 April several representatives of the following organisations came together :
CONELA (Latin American Evangelical Fellowship)
FIDE (Ibero – American Forum of Evangelical Dialogue)
FTL (Latin American Theological Fellowship)
SBU (United Bible Societies)
VM (World Visionl)
Lausanne Committee for World Evangelization, Latin America Region.
The participants shared their views on the ecclesial context of Latin America and identified some of the challenges. They noted that there is an institutional crisis and a lack of credibility of the churches and the ecumenical and evangelical institutions of unity. The number of independent churches is increasing. On the other hand one can see a great desire of coming together more closely and new forms of relationship such as the councils for clergy. The new situation has to do with the mission of the church. There are new possibilities of being in relationship with the Catholic Church. Some of the key issues of the ecclesial context are the affirmation of values around the theme of mission, reconciliation, the catholic – protestant dialogue, the call for unity, trust and inclusivity.
The group decided to write a pastoral letter addressed to the churches, organizations and institutions inviting them to join in the reflection and in the experience of this journey towards unity. It was agreed to meet again on 2 – 4 July 2008 in Lima, Peru with other invitess and to invite CELAM (Episcopal Conference of Latin America of the Catholic Church).
Pastoral Letter: An Invitation to Dialogue and Action. Forum for Unity, Latin America
On April 3-4, 2008, a group of pastors and leaders of different Christian organizations of Latin America met in Quito, Ecuador, in order to pray, get to know each other better, and reflect on the new challenges of unity facing the churches in Latin America and the Caribbean. Those of us in attendance came from different organizations: The Ibero-American Evangelical Forum for Dialogue (FIDE), United Bible Societies (UBS), World Vision International (WV), Lausanne Committee, Latin American Evangelical
Fellowship (CONELA), and Latin American Theological Fraternity (FTL).
The convocation was spontaneous, setting aside institutional formalities, born of the wish to get better acquainted, appreciate our mutual efforts on behalf of the unity of God’s people, and begin a pilgrimage of spiritual discernmentabout the new signs of the times and their implications for the life and mission of churches in Latin America. We met in a spirit of service and humility, willing to discern the voice of the Lord, to dream, and to
accept the new challenges of today.
We live in times that imply radical changes for our churches, institutions, and service organizations. We are called to be witnesses of our faith in a global, regional, and local context, which defies our imagination. A changing reality calls for much more than the routine of charisma; it calls for ability for change, and willingness to be transformed. Evangelical churches are at a turning point, which invites us to reflect and to act. New times call for renewed churches that measure up to the new demands of their mission.
It is time to move forward with maturity and responsibility in the promotion and proclamation of the kingdom of God. Otherwise, we run the risk of losing our relevance as “salt of the earth and light of the world” (Mt 5:13, 14). Many fragmentations and many individual interests conspire against a greater impact and extent of our mission. It is time
to act together, and with a sense of urgency. Faced with these challenges, we affirm the admonition of the Word for us to be “one body and one Spirit, just as you were called in one hope of your calling.”(Ephesians 4: 4 NKJV)
Diversity is part of the identity of Evangelical churches, just as unity is part of their vocation. Present times demand a clear and decisive testimony of unity. A unity that goes past institutional distances and even beyond doctrinal, theological, confessional, and ideological borders, which have pushed us away from each other. The call of the Lord resonates intact: “That they all may be one … that the world may believe” (John 17:21 NKJV).
In our meeting, we celebrated our personal and institutional achievements. We are grateful to the Lord for them. However, we also recognized that what we are doing is insufficient for the huge challenges of the present. This new time requires much more from us, and invites us to dream and imagine new commitments for unity and mission.
At our gathering, we made time to seek a first approach to the discernment of the new times regarding the efforts made, and also the obstacles that arise in the effort for unity. We detected that presently:
- Mission and unity are inseparable and have more than ever a defined church
image.
- We live in tension between new forms of ecclesiastical fragmentation, along with
new and surprising attempts at unity, which we ascribe to the activity of the Holy
Spirit.
- There is a crisis in institutional ecumenism, but not a crisis in the vocation for
unity among churches.
- There are also telling signs of exhaustion or obsolescence of historical models of
denominational organization. This acknowledgement does not imply denial of identities, but the need for transitions in search for new forms of cooperative work with specific mission objectives.
- Churches seek to meet together around and serve in various forums or networks
of meaning. The formal, institutionalized, ecumenical structures do not always respond to these new demands. So, there is an urgent need to facilitate church support, without necessarily institutionalizing new forms of organization.
- The dynamics of church relations take place mainly in local and informal
frameworks around themes of common interest, not of institutional adherence or
loyalties.
- New efforts towards unity should give priority to the local and should be
constructed “from the ground up” in a flexible and communal way. The regional and institutional aspects still have their place, but they should be reshaped with more flexibility, as a resource for facilitation of encounters, for coordination of efforts, and for mutual support.
- We note that the word “ecumenism”, apart from its rich and deep biblical
meaning, is misunderstood many times and in many places. Many churches are unaware of the history of ecumenism and its undeniable contribution to churches and societies in general. Therefore, we need to renew the meaning of this term, and at the same time, to seek new words pointing to the same vocation of Christian unity. That vocation is not confined exclusively to a single verbal expression, and even less to a single movement or historical institution identified with it.
Our invitation to churches, church agencies, theological institutions, service organizations and to every Evangelical Christian in Latin America and the Caribbean is this:
- Pray for Evangelical churches in Latin America and the Caribbean, and for the
efforts towards unity so “that the world may believe.”
- Determine with simplicity and humility to reach out to other churches in the
pilgrimage for unity.
- Pray, reflect, and act together in search of renewed roads of unity and mission.
- Come into contact with Foro de Unidad (the Forum for Unity) and generate a
wide network of communication and information of ideals and experiences: www.forodeunidad.com
We are motivated by a passion for unity, faithfulness to God, commitment to the Evangelical churches, and a sense of service to our peoples. We encourage everyone to initiate or strengthen local unity processes.
Fraternally in Christ,
Rev. Israel Batista (Methodist Pastor)
Rev. John Paul Bongarrá (Lausanne Committee)
Dr. H. Fernando Bullón (FTL)
Rev. Jesiel Carvajal (WM)
Rev. Ricardo Luna (CONELA)
Lic. Alfredo Mora (FIDE)
Rev. July Rosas (CONELA)
Rev. Samuel Olson (FIDE)
Rev. King Victor (FTL)
Dr. Melvin Rivera (UBS)
Rev. Norberto Saracco (Lausanne Committee)
Rev. Harold Segura (WM)
<< Back to the events page
|
