Steps towards Church unity – the Porvoo Communion
With interdependence of ministries recently approved between the Methodist and Anglican Churches in Ireland, readers are invited to consider another recent agreement, this time an international one between some Lutheran ad Anglican Churches. Helene Steed, a Swedish Lutheran who is currently Archdeacon of Clogher, steers us through its development.
Ecumenism was one of the most significant ecclesiastical developments of the twentieth century. The establishment of Councils of Churches, both international and local, sprang from the great missionary conference in Edinburgh of 1910, as did the theological conferences (Life and Work and Faith and Order) of the World Council of Churches. Another ecumenical trend was bilateral conversations between denominations.* Full article available in printed copies.
Helene Steed
Ministered for nine years in Sweden before transferring to Ireland in 2004 and is currently the Rector of the Clones group of parishes and Archdeacon of Clogher. She is the Porvoo contact person for the Church of Ireland.