Photo credit Mark Beach (photographer) and the World Council of Churches
The ecumenical movement is The Episcopal Church’s response to Jesus’ prayer for his disciples in John 17:21 “that they may all be one.” The Office for Ecumenical and Inter-Religious Relations offers prayers for unity and participates in formal dialogues to nurture a spirit of understanding and respect, while collaborating actively in mission and ministry opportunities. The Office of Ecumenical and Interreligious Relations works closely with Episcopal Diocesan Ecumenical and Interreligious Officers (EDEIO) to equip diocesan officers to carry out their work. Each province of The Episcopal Church is represented by a provincial coordinator elected from within the organization.
Full Communion Partners
Communion in the Church and communion between and among the churches is a dynamic reality, a reality in progress, a reality never perfectly achieved, a reality with which we struggle as we struggle in our personal communion with God and with one another.
Ecumenical Dialogue Partners
The Episcopal Church is engaged in formal bilateral talks with the following churches. These dialogues have been established by act of General Convention and are provided with oversight by the Office of Ecumenical and Interreligious Relations in conjunction with clergy and laity appointed by the EIR and the Office of General Convention.
Ecumenical News
- September 2020 Episcopal-Presbyterian Dialogue CommuniquéMeeting remotely by Zoom on September 17th and 18th, 2020, the representatives of the Episcopal-Presbyterian Bilateral Dialogue met and considered how the two ecclesial traditions could work to deepen ties and work together for mutual mission. […]
- Task Force to Coordinate Ecumenical and Interreligious WorkThe General Convention in 2018 established a new Task Force to Coordinate Ecumenical and Interreligious Work. The twelve members of the group are appointed by the Presiding Bishop and the President of the House of Deputies […]
- Statements on Hagia SophiaThe Episcopal Church joins with the Anglican Communion/Archbishop of Canterbury … our ecumenical and interfaith partners in calling on the Turkish government to maintain the status quo with Hagia Sophia remaining as an open cultural and […]
- A Covenant among the Evangelical Lutheran Church in America, Northwest Lower Michigan Synod, the Episcopal Dioceses of Eastern and Western Michigan, and the Roman Catholic Diocese of GaylordIt is the will of our Lord Jesus that all his disciples be one. Encouraged by the international, national and regional dialogues among Lutherans, Anglicans, and Roman Catholics, we celebrate the faithful initiative of our church […]
- Virginia Lutheran-Anglican-Roman Catholic-United Methodist Covenant (2006)Preamble We Bishops are witnesses to two powerful experiences in our time which have impelled Lutherans, Episcopalians, Roman Catholics, and United Methodists toward church unity: the Ecumenical Movement and the Second Vatican Council. The Holy Spirit […]
- South Carolina LARCUM Covenant (1995)The Lutherans, Anglicans, Roman Catholics, and United Methodists in the State of South Carolina We, the Bishops of the South Carolina Synod of the Evangelical Lutheran Church in America, the Episcopal Dioceses of South Carolina and […]
