English Covenant facts for kids

The English Covenant was a big idea to bring several Christian churches in England closer together. It was a plan for the Church of England, the Methodist Church, the United Reformed Church (URC), and the Moravian Church to work as one. This plan was first shared in 1980, after many talks in the 1970s. However, the idea did not happen because the Church of England said no to the plan in 1982.

Why Churches Wanted to Unite

In 1972, church leaders set up a group called the Churches' Unity Commission. This group wanted to find ways for different Christian churches to become more united. They believed that working together would make the Christian faith stronger.

The Plan for Unity

In 1976, the commission shared a document called Ten Propositions on Visible Unity. This document suggested creating a new group called the Churches Council for Covenanting (for Unity). This council would help guide the churches towards unity.

Five churches agreed to move forward with this plan:

• The Church of England
• The Methodist Church
• The United Reformed Church (URC)
• The Moravian Church
• The Churches of Christ (which joined with the URC in 1981)

The Methodist Church generally liked the plan. The URC, a church that was already keen on unity, also approved the idea. They even started to change how they were organized to prepare for the merger.

Why the Plan Failed

The plan for unity needed approval from all the churches involved. In 1982, the General Synod of the Church of England voted on the plan. The Synod is like the main governing body for the Church of England.

The Church of England's Vote

The General Synod has different parts, like different houses in a parliament. For the English Covenant to pass, it needed a special majority vote. This means at least two-thirds of the votes in each part of the Synod.

Two parts of the Synod approved the plan. However, the "House of Clergy" did not give the required two-thirds vote. Because of this, the English Covenant could not go forward. Even though other churches were ready, the plan for unity failed in 1982.

See also

• Anglican Communion and ecumenism
• Churches Together in England
• Local ecumenical partnership
• Synod of Whitby (664)
• Westminster Assembly (1643 to 1653)