Christian Churches Together in the USA
El Retiro San Inigo Jesuit Retreat House
Los Altos, California
June 1 – 3, 2005

Christian Churches Together in the USA met for the fifth time June 1 – 3, 2005, at the Jesuit Conference Center in Los Altos, California. Sixty-seven national Christian leaders from five Christian families gathered to pray and dialogue together. The agenda was a balance of worship, education and business, with an emphasis throughout on relationship building. Worship services in the chapel opened and closed each day. A special prayer time focused on the challenges and celebrations within the churches and organizations.

Following an opening meditation, those attending the meeting introduced themselves by speaking of their hopes for CCT. Many of the responses spoke of the desire to draw closer together in Christ in order to strengthen our witness in the world.

As part of the effort to learn more about each other, representatives from five faith families and a national organization shared information concerning their present ecumenical relationships. Another panel responded to the question “Why are we joining CCT?” Out of the particularities of their own experiences, representatives of the Open Bible Church, the Orthodox Church in America, American Baptist Churches in the USA and the Catholic Church spoke of the rich fellowship and new possibilities for common witness that led to their participation.

Participants listened to a presentation on the Global Christian Forum by Hubert van Beek, who serves as Secretary to the Forum’s Continuation Committee. The Global Christian Forum is a global initiative to bring together the wide diversity of Christian traditions into fellowship and cooperation. Understood primarily as a process, it seeks to offer new opportunities for broadening and deepening encounters, independent of existing structures. A four-year plan calls for a series of consultation in major regions of the world and in 2007, a representative global gathering of Christian leaders.

Participants met in small groups to discuss the CCT goals:

• Rejoicing in our faith in the Triune God;

• Discerning the guidance of the Holy Spirit through prayer and theological dialogue;

• Providing fellowship and mutual support;

• Affirming our commonalities and understanding our differences;

• Fostering Christian evangelism faithful to the proclamation of the gospel;

• Speaking to society with a common voice whenever possible;

• Promoting the common good of society.

The groups affirmed the goals, with some responses pointing to a certain sequential logic e.g., being together in prayer and fellowship precedes speaking with a common voice to society.

Relationships were strengthened and deepened not only during meal time conversations and walks in the Center’s lovely open spaces, but through the agenda activities as well. Intensive conversations concerning CCT’s readiness to organize formally and on “being” and “doing” opened new levels of dialogue among those present.

The Steering Committee sought consensus among participants, with the help of Historic Black Church leadership, on whether to move forward with formal organization at this time. The arbitrary benchmark of 25 participants, established in Houston, as the prerequisite for organization had been more than met. While this was celebrated with thanksgiving, there was also recognition that we do not have sufficient representation of the Racial/Ethnic family to make that category sustainable, particularly from the Historic Black Churches. The following was agreed:

We are not ready to launch.

We affirm the vision of CCT and believe that it is an inspired thing – irresistible, biblical, compelling, beyond us.

We are still motivated and responsive in obedience.

We affirm the five families.

The Steering Committee will continue to be in dialogue with all interested and out of that dialogue we will discover the new reality. We will listen to the families and make the decision together.

The discussion also included comments about “being” and “doing” -- how do we engage both in relationships and in mission? John 17 seems to have a built-in tension between unity and mission. In the process of CCT we have focused initially on our fellowship, on being together; now we are beginning to talk about what we can also do together.

Participants were asked to consider in Faith Family groups the following questions:

When we gather again, how would you like that time to be focused?

How do we move forward?

There was consensus around the issue of poverty, in the context of mission, as presenting an inclusive and critical area for common witness.

Program for the 2006 meeting will include the following:

• Ample time for prayer including sharing and testimony

• “Intentional” relationship building (i.e. more planned program to build relationships in addition to building relationships during meals and work sessions)

• The topic for the meeting will be “How to overcome poverty in the United States.” Understanding what “Mission” means to each of the faith families will be the framework or vehicle for discussing poverty

• Involvement of Historic Black Churches leadership in leading/participating in discussions about mission and poverty will be a priority

• More time is needed for hearing the perspectives of each of the faith families and each family panel representative should speak from the same perspective. For example:
  1) Each panel member address their family’s “understanding of the root causes of poverty.” Or,
  2) address “the consequences of poverty”.

• Presentations should be made by those who have experience (“skin”) in the field of poverty

• Bible study and/or the biblical perspective relative to poverty should be part of presentations

• The Steering Committee will have to determine if the focus of consideration will be poverty locally and internationally or simply locally. (Participants were not agreed upon the degree of focus.)

Participants reviewed draft by-laws and proposed specific changes. A proposed fee structure will be reevaluated at the 2006 meeting in light of the budget prepared by the Steering Committee. Founding participants are asked to use the proposed fee structure for 2005 and to begin paying dues.

Wes Granberg-Michaelson was enthusiastically and unanimously affirmed to remain for another year as moderator of the Steering Committee.

The current Steering Committee was unanimously affirmed to remain for another year with the understanding that some members may transition off and that Michael Tryst will be added to the committee. Steering Committee has the authority during the interim period to replace and add members. The Steering Committee will meet September 18, 2005, 3:00 pm to noon on Monday, September 19, in Washington, D.C.

Participants enthusiastically reaffirmed their commitment to “grow closer together in Christ in order to strengthen our Christian witness in the world.”

The meeting closed, as it had begun, with prayer for God’s guidance and a sense of gratitude for the Spirit’s presence.