Volkskirche und Ökumenisches Missionsdenken: Einige Reflexionen über den Porvoo-Bericht
The purpose of this paper is to examine wether the Porvoo Common Statement, "Together in Mission and Ministry" (1993) reflects the fact that most churches involved in the proposed church fellowship are "folk churches"/national churches. Obviously "mission" (cf. the titl...
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| Format: | Electronic Article |
| Language: | German |
| Check availability: | HBZ Gateway |
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| Fernleihe: | Fernleihe für die Fachinformationsdienste |
| Published: |
Vandenhoeck & Ruprecht
1995
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| In: |
Kirchliche Zeitgeschichte
Year: 1995, Volume: 8, Issue: 1, Pages: 128-141 |
| Online Access: |
Volltext (lizenzpflichtig) |
| Parallel Edition: | Non-electronic
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| Summary: | The purpose of this paper is to examine wether the Porvoo Common Statement, "Together in Mission and Ministry" (1993) reflects the fact that most churches involved in the proposed church fellowship are "folk churches"/national churches. Obviously "mission" (cf. the title of the document) is important. The statement, however, relates and applies mission to the Church Catholic, as realized in and by national churches. National here refers basically to the intimate links between historically ordered churches (apostolic episcopal succession, traditional liturgy etc.) and nations. Compared with the discussions about church and mission since the missionary movement began in the 19th century, some preliminary notices could be made: "Folk church" or national church identity has always been stronger than the confessional identity. In historical perspective the national Churches of Denmark-Norway and Sweden-Finland are good examples. The lack of interrelations between churches of Lutheran-Melanchthonian confessions in the third world is another example. The Porvoo Common Statement is in line with that. The mission through voluntary societies and their relations to the churches is not dealt with in the document. This means that both an unsolved ecclesiological problem and an open question when it comes to implementation of the proposed agreement, remains. Further, even if the context of European mission (with exception of the Church of Sweden) was that of the missionary societies, in the third world Christian faith became institutionalized in a kind of "Folk Churches". The consequences of the Porvoo Common Statement for these former "daughter churches", manked by the sending traditions, are not dealt with. Another unsolved ecclesiological problem is the question what mission really means in countries where the majority of the people are baptized church-members. Finally, the central position given to ordained ministry in the document, reflects very well the missionary tradition in which the priest/pastor has functioned as the link between voluntary societies and the institutional church. In spite of the fact that the Porvoo Common Statement has put mission as a central point of the document, it leaves the traditional debate on mission behind. By analysis, of course, the document can be related to that debate, but mainly it is focussing present theological insights: the Church itself is mission and has a character of sacrament (sign and instrument) for the world. |
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| ISSN: | 2196-808X |
| Contains: | Enthalten in: Kirchliche Zeitgeschichte
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