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Guidelines and encouragement for local churches

Implementing the Fetter Lane Agreement

 

The Church of England and the Moravian Church enjoy a commitment to shared life and mission as a result of the Fetter Lane Agreement signed in 1995.

 

The two churches have much in common:

They are episcopal churches with a three-fold ministry

They are both liturgical churches

Many Moravian churches have strong relationships with their local community, especially in the three settlements of Fulneck, Fairfield and Ockbrook

Special relationships between the two churches date back to the 1730s

 

The Moravian Church in Britain and Ireland is a province within a single world-wide body. In England there are 29 congregations in four districts, and 20 stipendiary ministers.

 

Sharing local church life

The arrangements by which ministers and congregations from other Christian traditions can take part in Church of England services are set out in Canon B43.

 

Local Anglican churches are encouraged to make the most of these opportunities to build closer relations with neighbouring Moravian congregations.

 

As relationships grow, local Anglicans and Moravians are encouraged to co-ordinate their witness and their response to the needs of their locality, and to express their commitment through a Local Ecumenical Partnership as permitted by Canon B44.

 

Stories of Anglicans and Moravians sharing each other’s traditions are told in Anglicans and Moravians: Under the Same Roof

 

Sharing resources for mission

Buildings can be shared in many ways. Different buildings may lend themselves to different activities and can be treated as a shared resource between both Anglican and Moravian congregations. Arrangements can be formalised through Shared Building Agreements when necessary.

 

Stipendiary Ministry can also be shared in the context of Local Ecumenical Partnership. Elsewhere there is immense scope for informal collaboration.

 

Distinctive mission insights and experience also deserve to be shared:

Moravians have long experience of settlements and the nurture of small church communities

Church of England parishes and dioceses have useful experience of sector ministries and specialists who promote new understanding and support new developments in areas such as children’s and youth work.

Both traditions have distinctive experience in evangelistic outreach and church-based community work.

 

Sharing resources for training

 

It is likely that in future Moravian ordinands will find their way to Church of England theological colleges for training.

 

A Moravian Lay Training Programme was launched in the 1990s. Local Anglican lay training initiatives exist in most dioceses. Local churches are encouraged to take advantage of all available resources.

 

Sharing in one another’s structures

Both churches acknowledge patterns of shared oversight within their episcopal traditions.

 

Where Moravians live at a distance from a church of their own tradition and worship regularly at a Church of England church, they are encouraged to play a full part in church government.

 

Church Representation Rules allow them dual membership, with the right to stand for election to the Parochial Church Council and Deanery Synod, and from there to Diocesan Synod and General Synod.

 

Parishes close to a Moravian church are encouraged to invite observers to their PCC and to send observers to meetings of the Moravian Congregational Council.

 

Local Deanery Chapters are encouraged to invite the Moravian minister to take part on a regular basis, and Moravians should always be included among those invited as ecumenical observers at Deanery and Diocesan Synods.

 

Moravian District meetings intend to invite a representative of the Church of England Deanery where the meeting is taking place.

 

Nationally, both the Provincial Synod and the General Synod have ecumenical observers.

 

In all cases ecumenical observers should be seen as active contributors to the work of the meetings.

 

Publications

 

Anglican-Moravian Conversations – The Fetter Lane Common Statement with Essays in Moravian and Anglican History(£2.50)

 

The essays tell the fascinating story of the Moravian Church and the long history of close contact between Moravians and the Church of England.

 

Available from Church House Bookshop

 

Addresses:

The Moravian Church in Britain and Ireland

Moravian Church House, 5 Muswell Hill, London N10 3TJ  Telephone: 020 8883 3409 email: moravianchurchhouse@btinternet.com

 

Church of England

Council for Christian Unity, Church House, Great Smith Street, London SW1P 3NZ   Telephone: 020 7898 1479 email: ccu@c-of-e.org.uk