Faith and Order

The Faith and Order Movement was an early attempt to reunite the divided Christian churches by means of dialogue and analysis of divisive issues of doctrine (faith) and polity (order). The 1910 General Convention passed a resolution to appoint a joint commission to bring about a conference to consider questions concerning faith and order, and to invite all Christian communions to join in arranging and conducting the conference. The joint commission was continued by the General Conventions of 1913, 1916, 1919, and 1922, and a preliminary meeting was held at Geneva in Aug. 1920. The first World Conference on Faith and Order was held at Lausanne, Aug. 3-21, 1927, with the Episcopal Church as one of the convening churches. The Episcopal Church was represented and the president of the conference was Charles Henry Brent, Bishop of Western New York. The second World Conference was held at Edinburgh, Aug. 3-18, 1937, and the Episcopal Church sent ten delegates. When the World Council of Churches was formed in 1948, Faith and Order became a commission of the council. The 1982 meeting of the Faith and Order Commission issued Baptism, Eucharist, and Ministry, which represented an unprecedented convergence among the Christian churches of the world on these topics. See Brent, Charles Henry; see Life and Work; see World Conference on Faith and Order.