(The Unity Commission of the Colorado Council of Churches has developed the following statement on Christian unity. The statement served as the basis for the six session DVD curriculum entitled One in Christ which you can read more about under the Publications and Curriculum heading.)
It is our conviction that Christian unity is a foundational reality grounded in Jesus Christ through the grace of God, because we are taught by Scripture that:
Jesus prayed, “The glory that you have given me I have given them, so that they may be one, as we are one, I in them and you in me, that they may become completely one, so that the world may know that you have sent me and have loved them even as you have loved me” (John 17:22-23 NRSV).
The Apostle Paul wrote, “There is one body and one Spirit . . . one Lord, one faith, one baptism, one God and Father of all, who is above all and through all and in all” (Ephesians 4:4-6 NRSV).
And the Apostle Paul wrote, “. . . there are many members, yet one body. The eye can not say to the hand, ‘I have no need of you’ ” (1 Corinthians 12:20-21 NRSV).
We therefore celebrate together:
- that our unity is dependent, not on human agreement, but on Christ who is one and who brings us together in relationship;
- that our unity is not a static end goal, but rather the dynamic present context in which we carry out our ministry together,
- that the spiritual gifts, that each communion brings, bless and enhance our own traditions and the ecumenical life of Christ’s Church;
- that in Colorado, we confirm that an expression of our unity is found in our relationships and ministry through the Colorado Council of Churches.
We confess:
- that we too often focus on the difficulty of our differences rather than the blessing of our unity in Christ;
- that we too often ignore our relationship to one another in Christ while thinking and operating in isolation from the whole Body;
- that we do not always give witness to the unity of the Body as a foundational value of the Christian faith and as the context for our practice of ministry.
We covenant with the communions in the Colorado Council of Churches:
- to affirm our unity in Christ;
- to view the Colorado Council of Churches as our own expression of commitment to the unity and mission of the one Body and not a separate ecumenical agency;
- to give witness to this covenantal relationship through representative participation and financial support;
- to be a public voice and witness together by addressing issues of peace, justice and reconciliation;
- to continually call upon the Holy Spirit to renew and empower our resolve to live out the unity and mission of Christ’s Church in Colorado.
