What is ecumenism?
The word “ecumenism” comes from the Greek oikoumene, “the inhabited earth”, the whole world. It describes the effort of Christians from different churches to seek the unity Christ asked of the Father. Ecumenism does not aim to erase differences or create a blended religion, but to recognise what already unites us in Christ, to discuss respectfully what divides us, to pray together and to serve the world together.
“Neither pray I for these alone, but for them also which shall believe on me through their word; That they all may be one; as thou, Father, art in me, and I in thee, that they also may be one in us: that the world may believe that thou hast sent me.”
John 17:20-21
Jesus prayed for the unity of his followers the night before he died, and gave the reason: “that the world may believe.” Divisions among Christians weaken the witness of the Gospel; unity strengthens it.
A history of divisions and reunions
The Church of the first centuries confessed one faith at the great councils, such as Nicaea (325) and Chalcedon (451). Yet over time separations arose: after Chalcedon the ancient Oriental churches, such as the Coptic, Armenian and Syriac, went their own way; in 1054 came the schism between East and West; and in the sixteenth century the Reformation gave rise to the Lutheran, Reformed and Anglican churches, followed by Baptists, Methodists, Pentecostals and many others.
The modern ecumenical movement is usually dated to the World Missionary Conference in Edinburgh in 1910, where missionaries found that divisions confused the peoples to whom they proclaimed Christ. In 1948 the World Council of Churches was founded in Amsterdam; today it brings together more than 350 Protestant, Orthodox, Anglican and other churches. The Catholic Church committed itself to ecumenism at the Second Vatican Council, with the 1964 decree Unitatis Redintegratio. That same year Pope Paul VI and Patriarch Athenagoras embraced in Jerusalem, and in 1965 they lifted the mutual excommunications of 1054.
Fruits of dialogue
Dialogue has borne concrete fruit. In 1999 the Catholic Church and the Lutheran World Federation signed the Joint Declaration on the Doctrine of Justification, recognising a basic consensus on the issue that had divided Western Christianity in the sixteenth century; Methodists, Reformed and Anglicans later affirmed it. Many churches mutually recognise baptism performed with water in the name of the Father, the Son and the Holy Spirit. In 2017 Catholics and Lutherans jointly commemorated 500 years of the Reformation. And in November 2025 leaders of many traditions gathered to celebrate 1,700 years of the Nicene Creed, which they confess together.
Forms of ecumenism
Spiritual ecumenism: praying for unity and with other Christians, as in the Week of Prayer for Christian Unity, held each year from 18 to 25 January in the northern hemisphere. Ecumenism of dialogue: theologians of different churches study Scripture and tradition together to better understand their agreements and disagreements. Practical ecumenism: different churches cooperate in humanitarian aid, defending life and dignity, Bible translation, care for creation and peacemaking. Ecumenism of blood: an expression recalling that persecutors do not distinguish between Christians of different churches; today’s martyrs unite us.
Unity is not uniformity
Christian unity does not require everyone to think alike on everything. Paul compares the Church to a body of many different members (1 Corinthians 12). Differences in worship, organisation or ways of expressing faith can be riches. At the same time, honest ecumenism does not hide real differences on issues such as authority in the Church, the sacraments or the interpretation of certain texts. Love allows us to speak of them truthfully and respectfully, without dismissing the other.
How to live ecumenism in your city
Pray for Christians of other churches and their pastors. Get to know believers of other traditions and listen to their experience of faith. Take part in joint celebrations, such as the Week of Prayer for Christian Unity or Pentecost gatherings. Work together in service projects with other churches in your neighbourhood. Speak respectfully of other churches, avoiding caricature and mockery. Affirm the essentials: faith in Jesus Christ, true God and true man, who died and rose again for us.
This site is ecumenical: it writes respectfully of all Christian traditions and, where they differ, presents those differences in a balanced way. You can read the latest news of church meetings and collaborations on this page and in Good news, and learn the history of the Church in Biblical history.
“Endeavouring to keep the unity of the Spirit in the bond of peace. There is one body, and one Spirit, even as ye are called in one hope of your calling; One Lord, one faith, one baptism, One God and Father of all, who is above all, and through all, and in you all.”
Ephesians 4:3-6
A prayer for Christian unity
Lord Jesus Christ, who prayed that we may all be one, forgive our divisions, our pride and our harsh words against other brothers and sisters. Give us humility to listen, courage to seek the truth and love to walk together. May the unity of your Church be a testimony so that the world may believe. Amen.
The Creed that unites us
Most Christian churches confess the same Nicene Creed: one God, the Father almighty, maker of heaven and earth; one Lord Jesus Christ, the only Son of God, who for us and for our salvation came down from heaven, was incarnate of the Holy Spirit and the Virgin Mary, was crucified under Pontius Pilate, rose again on the third day and will come again in glory; and the Holy Spirit, the Lord and giver of life. This shared confession, formulated in 325 and completed in 381, is a solid foundation for dialogue. Unity is, in the end, a gift of God that we receive in prayer.