Welsh Churches Plan Ecumenical Bishop
Episcopal News Service. February 13, 1997 [97-1692K]
(ENI) Five Welsh churches are considering a plan to appoint what supporters believe would be the world's first ecumenical bishop, who would belong equally and fully to each of the denominations. The aim is to have the bishop in post by January 1, 2000. Gethin Abraham-Williams, general secretary of the Covenanted Churches in Wales, an ecumenical group, said, "There are uniting churches that have bishops, but we know of no other case of a bishop who would represent churches that are staying separate." He stressed however, that the proposal was part of a "brick-on-brick" approach to eventual full visible unity. The notion of a bishop within their structure would mean a big change for some of the churches which will consider the plan. One of the churches involved, the Church in Wales, has an episcopal tradition as part of the Anglican Communion, but the other four churches are non-episcopal: the Presbyterian Church of Wales, the Methodist Church, the United Reformed Church and the Covenanted Baptist Churches. The churches have 18 months to make their responses.