Towards a common testimony
On the way to a common certificate ( Towards common witness ) is a 1997 study published document of the World Council of churches . In it, proselytism is rejected. The historical background was the missionary activities of various churches in Central and Eastern Europe, Africa, Asia and Latin America, which were aimed at members of existing churches. In this context, tensions between the Orthodox and Roman Catholic Churches caused by the existence of Eastern Rite Catholic Churches are also addressed .
Mission as a common witness
The study document initially outlines its own understanding of mission : It is therefore primarily a work of God. The Church as the body of Christ is missionary by nature. All Christians are commanded to participate in God's mission:
- holistic - mission addresses the whole person;
- local - mission becomes concrete on site and is therefore primarily the task of an existing local church ;
- universal - mission addresses all people across national and other borders.
The credibility of the mission also depends on whether it is the common witness of Christians. The members of the World Council of Churches recognize a certain amount of ecclesial communion, albeit imperfectly, that exists between them - even if the WCC is not a church. An essential point is the mutual recognition of baptism . This creates a basis for common witness. It emphasizes the connecting elements that the member churches are already mutually identifying.
The WCC has been committed to the human right of religious freedom since its first assembly in Amsterdam in 1948 .
Definition of proselytism
Proselytism is defined as asking members of a church to change their denomination if improper means are used. The difference to the authentic Christian witness can be seen in the following points:
- Doctrines, beliefs and customs of the Church to which the recruited person belongs are ridiculed and caricatured.
- The own church is touted as the only true church, its teaching as the correct faith.
- The ideal of one's own church is contrasted with existing problems of the church to which the recruited person belongs. Media support the missionaries in presenting their own community in a beneficial way. Repeated home visits exert pressure.
- The missionaries create incentives to change denominations: financial advantages, access to education, humanitarian aid - in doing so, they take advantage of the lack of education of the person being poached as well as their personal problems, such as loneliness or illness.
Notwithstanding this, the authors of the study recognize that some Christians change their denominations without being manipulated by proselytism. It is stated that the member churches themselves create reasons whereby members turn away from them and turn to another church.
Guidelines
The following topics require further investigation:
- Processing of the historical experiences of majority and minority churches;
- Legitimate diversity in essential beliefs and their limits;
- Different conceptions of church membership and Christian commitment, which are reflected in terms such as “nominal” or “committed” member, “true” or “born again Christian ”, “unchurched” region or “(re) evangelism ”;
- Concepts of church growth , church expansion , which aim at the highest possible number of new members;
- Validity of the traditional concept of “ canonical territory ” in today's world.
recommendations
The WCC central committee approved the following recommendations to member churches: In educational events, each church should encourage respect for other denominational identities among its members. The knowledge of other denominations and their history should be conveyed, historical mutual injuries should be dealt with. Encounters and dialogues with members of churches who are accused of proselytism should arouse their understanding of reservations about this missionary activity. Several churches can cooperate on social projects, for example. It would be desirable that the member churches jointly reject proselytism and label it as the opposite of mission. Furthermore, prayer is necessary for the unity of Christians.
The WCC has a supportive role in these steps by using its educational work on mutual knowledge of the churches and carrying out a study on ecclesiology and mission.