What would it take for us to be “one”? Could we all join one existing church? No: too many compromises would have to be made. Could we form one new church based only on what we have in common? No: our beliefs differ too widely.
Jesus gave the solution in John 17:21:"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.”
We learn three important things in this verse:
• Christian unity is a work of God not something we can artificially force.
• Evangelism is our priority purpose — Jesus commanded it.
• Cooperation in the gospel strengthens witness.According to Jesus, the epitome of Christian unity is cooperation in the advancement of the kingdom
of God. Since the church is believers in Christ, not an organization, then church unity is not
organizational, but is oneness of heart.
Jesus illustrated this unity by describing his own oneness with the Father. They are one God, and
have one purpose. This is how Christians are to be one: having Christ’s life in common, they are topursue the saving purpose of Christ together.
When Southern Baptists talk about cooperation, this is exactly what we mean: working together to
tell the world of the Savior Jesus Christ.
What does it take to work together this way? We must agree about why people need salvation, what
God has done in Christ to provide salvation, and how we must respond in order to have salvation,
so we can cooperate to tell people about salvation. This is why Protestants are Protestants: we believe some important things together.
The source of our agreement is the Bible. We come to know the Living Word through the written word, and Protestants believe the Bible is sufficient to lead us to unity in every truth of God.
What we call “The Cooperative Program” is our way of living out the unity Christcalled for, working together to spread his saving name.
Preamle Of The Ecumenical Church Foundation
Jesus Christ calls us to unity. In obedient response to that call and in recognition and affirmation of his prayer, “that they may all be one”
(John 17:20-23),
those churches whose members proclaim Jesus Christ as Lord and Savior and who choose to express and bear testimony to such common witness do hereby constitute ourselves into the Ecumenical Church Foundation®
In so doing, we seek to enable our members to work together, to engage in dialogue, to overcome divisions and misunderstandings, to engage in prayer and work for unity, and to give, as far as possible, a common Christian witness and service, doing together all things save those which we must in conscience and obedience do separately.
May the grace and peace of God the Father, God the Son, and God the Holy Spirit rest and abide upon you now and for evermore.‡ Horst-Karl, BP Xth,TIFPEC
Charter by the Bishop Primus TIFPEC
The charter is a sacred text, granted by the ecclesiastical authority, which, for The International Free Protestant Episcopal Church is the Bishop Primus. Despite the fact that the Bishop Primus gave this Church the liberty to form committees comprised of hierarchs, clergy, and laity, and draft the charter text, the final decision is still the Bishop Primus.
The Primate said theological knowledge is key to understanding the way the Church and its traditions work.
"The charter cannot be the subject of discussion by many. Ecclesiastical charters are not similar to the ones of various associations, neither are legal documents.
Ecclesiastical charter means knowledge of Church history, theology, ecclesiology and tradition. It is in these frames that an ecclesiastical charter is written."
The right of the Bishop Primus of The International Free Protestant Episcopal Church to grant degrees is derived from the Charter of 1897 which empowered the Bishop Primus to grant dispensations previously granted by the Archbishop of Canterbury. The practice began during the time when attendance at the universities at that time in England, was frequently disrupted by the difficulty of travel because of war. The Primate was empowered to grant exemption from the residential requirements necessary for a degree.
In the United Kingdom, D.D. has traditionally been the highest doctorate granted by universities, usually conferred upon a religious scholar of standing and distinction. In descending order of seniority, the D.D. degree is followed by LL.D. (or D.C.L.) for law, Litt.D (or D.Litt.) for letters, and Sc.D (or D.Sc.) for science.
The high status of the D.D. qualification in British universities owed to their traditional affiliation with the Christian church and to their original mission of training clergymen. As universities became increasingly secular in the 20th century, the D.D. degree lost much of its preeminence. Today, a D.D. degree is usually granted as an honorary doctorate upon a distinguished individual whose work has been connected with religion. In most English-speaking universities, a graduate student who has completed a doctoral course of study and research in religion will usually receive a Ph.D. or a Th.D., rather than a D.D.
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