The Route We Travelled

Churches Together in England is part of the ecumenical structure which emerged in 1990 when the British Council of Churches was replaced by the Council of Churches in Britain and Ireland (later renamed Churches Together in Britain & Ireland) and four national instruments of which CTE is one.

'The Story of the BCC - follow the pilgrim road' was designed by Alan Dawkins with notes by Colin Davey. It attempts visually and verbally to portray in a brief, entertaining, but accurate way some of the main events in the life of the British Council of Churches, including some account of its origins and some indication of the ecumenical events in the life of the churches and of its sister-councils in Ireland, Scotland and Wales. For the sake of space much has had to be omitted, but it is hoped that what is recorded here will help people to follow this stage of the ecumenical pilgrimage particularly during the years I942 to 1990, and to be aware of the enormous variety of ecumenical work that has been undertaken during this period.

Reflections brings together the statements put forward in 1985 during 'Not Strangers But Pilgrims' by the participating Churches at national level in response to the question which is central to the whole process:

"In your tradition and experience, how do you understand the nature and purpose of your Church (or Churches when the national body is a federation of local Churches) in relation to other Christian denominations and as we share in God's mission to the world?"

Though there have been some changes of names and personalities since then, this will still be a useful resource for understanding better the varieties in our unity.