A Reflection on the Nature and Mission of the Church
by the Faith and Order Commission of the National Council of the Churches of Christ in the USA, in
Light of the World Council of Churches Document, The Nature and Mission of the Church
INTRODUCTION
The Church in Context
1. Of the many parallel processes that are involved in the pursuit of Christian unity, one of the most
important is the churches’ reflecting together on what the Church is and what the Church does. If the
churches are to draw closer together – towards being able to recognize in one another the apostolic
faith and the life of the Church – such a process of common discernment is vital. This has been a sure
conviction of the theological work pursued through the Faith and Order movement.
2. The World Council of Churches (WCC) Faith and Order Commission’s pursuit of this question has so
far yielded an important document, The Nature and Mission of the Church (NMC), which represents
years of consultations on numerous dimensions of ecclesiology.[1] Even as this text is undergoing its
own process of thorough revision, the Faith and Order Commission of the National Council of the
Churches of Christ in the USA (NCCCUSA)[2] has taken up this text during a four-year study as a means
of stimulating our own process of common ecclesiological engagement, as churches situated in the
context of the United States of America.[3] Our study is neither a commentary nor a set of suggested
revisions, but is a reflection on the nature and mission of the Church through the lens of The Nature
and Mission of the Church. As a result, our reflection paper refers often to the NMC text. Our work is
the product of eight semiannual meetings. Held during the years 2008-2011, these meetings brought
together a group of ecumenically committed theologians, pastors and church leaders from an
especially wide variety of traditions. A list of persons involved, with their respective affiliations,
accompanies this paper.
3. The process that generated this reflection made an indelible impression on all of us who
participated in it. Had we not participated in it, many of us would not be considering some of these
issues at all, or certainly not in this way, in this light or with this vocabulary. Our doing so enlarges
our perspective and brings us closer to one another. The process compelled us to engage seriously
and deeply with a text which, although provisional, represents a wealth of profound ecumenical
discernment on ecclesiology. We have learned a great deal from our conciliar study of this
remarkable document.
4. Our every intention is that the effect of our reflection is not limited to ourselves but reaches
further, to revitalizing the commitment of churches already engaged in ecumenical dialogue and
cooperation, and to nurturing the zeal for unity among churches not yet so engaged. We therefore
commend to US churches this reflection as an invitation to engage deeply in the study of
ecclesiological questions, and to do so especially through the landmark text, The Nature and Mission
of the Church. To serve this process, also accompanying this paper is an essay on the unique context
of churches in America.[4] Written by a study group member, it helps set the stage for an American
perspective on the nature and mission of the Church in relationship to the WCC document.
