Ecumenical Movement

Inspired in part by the Chicago-Lambeth Quadrilateral (1880), the ecumenical movement was born at the International Missionary Conference of Edinburgh (1910) as a search for the reunion of Christians. Two organizations were formed: Life and Work, and Faith and Order, which joined together in 1948 as the World Council of Churches (WCC). The Anglican Communion is part of the WCC along with most Protestant and some Orthodox churches. Through plenary meetings in Amsterdam (1948), Evanston (1954), New Delhi (1961), Uppsala (1968), Nairobi (1975), Vancouver (1983), and Canberra (1994), along with meetings of its Faith and Order Commission in Lund (1950), Montreal (1963), and Compostella (1993), the WCC has assisted the churches in working together toward the reunion of Christians and better stewardship of creation. Vatican Council II (1962-1965) gave further impetus to the movement by involving the Roman Catholic Church through its Pontifical Council for the Unity of Christians.