Ecumenical Relationships Commission

Our Core Areas of Work

1. Encouraging Local Ecumenical Relationships

We encourage Global Methodist local churches to build relationships with other churches and ministries in their communities.

Audience: Local churches

What we are doing:

• Developing a curriculum to help congregations form healthy, Gospel-centered relationships with non-GMC churches in their communities
  
• Encouraging a posture of “receptive ecumenism,” where we listen, learn, and receive from others while remaining rooted in our own tradition
  
  

2. Promoting Wesleyan Theology with Other Denominations

We pursue opportunities to promote Wesleyan theology alongside other denominations, including shared publishing projects.

Audience: Existing denominations and publishing houses

What we are doing:

• Engaging in conversations with several Wesleyan-holiness and other denominations
  
• Exploring joint publishing efforts
  
• Working toward the publication of resources that support local churches and highlight Wesleyan theology in an ecumenical context
  
  

3. Building Ecumenical Friendships and Networks

We cultivate friendships and mutual learning with ecumenical organizations and networks where unity in Christ can be emphasized.

Audience: Denominations and ecumenical networks

What we are doing:

• Participating in groups such as Wesleyan Holiness Women’s Conference, Wesleyan Holiness Connection, and Global Wesleyan Alliance, all of which support orthodox-leaning Wesleyan denominations
  
• Organizing an intercessory prayer group that prays over our emerging relationships
  
• Engaging with Open Doors and planning to use their resources, including local church kits and “persecution preparedness” training
  
• Exploring participation in ecumenical roundtable discussions in regions where persecution is more prevalent
  
  

4. Sharing Best Practices Within the Global Methodist Church

We help connect what we learn from other traditions to the ongoing work of the Global Methodist Church.

Audience: Other GMC commissions, leadership teams, and eventually local churches

What we are doing:

• Meeting with leaders from other denominations (for example, the Church of the Nazarene) for learning and discovery
  
• Connecting commissions such as the Kingdom Advancement Commission with ecumenical resources
  
• Continually looking for opportunities to resource the Assembly of Bishops, Connectional Council, and other commissions with best practices we discover
  
  

5. Walking with Groups Discerning Partnership or Membership

We walk alongside groups seeking to discern their best path forward in relationship with the Global Methodist Church.

Audience: Existing or forming groups of Christian churches exploring connection with the GMC, formally or informally

What we are doing:

• Building covenant relationships with theologically aligned groups seeking closer partnership
  
• Accompanying other groups as they discern whether full inclusion in the GMC is the right step
  
• Encouraging organic relationships that emphasize connection at the local church level while providing guidance for those seeking a more formal relationship
  
  

Our commission is relational, not statistics-driven.

Success for the ERC looks like:

• Churches in local communities working together across denominational lines
  
• Pastors and lay leaders forming genuine friendships with one another
  
• Shared learning and mutual support that strengthens the Body of Christ