A Report from FWM on its discussion of issues facing the ACC with some recommendations

SECTION III: DOCUMENTS

Documents Accompanying the Report of the Faith, Worship and Ministry Committee

Document 1

A Report from FWM on its discussion of issues facing the ACC
with some recommendations

During the course of the last few days, our discussion of issues facing the ACC has been helpfully facilitated by the use of the sacred circle. We are grateful that the seriousness of the issues we have discussed combined with the frankness and vulnerability of those who have shared their convictions and experiences has brought out new insights and valuable gifts within our members. We have heard expressions of pain, confusion, anger, and we have felt the temptations to accuse, dismiss, and personalise. But, we believe in the power of prayer, and our conversation has enriched our experience of worship, just as our worship has nourished us. We write not out of a sense that we have resolved the issues which divide us, but in the recognition that we all share some vital things in common, including:

• reverence for Scripture;
• a conviction that we belong together as a community for whom Christ died and that we live together through the grace of our baptism and the nourishment of the Eucharist;
• a belief that this is God's Church, and that God is at work within us;
• a realisation that the issues which we face are complex, and that we need the illumination of the Spirit;
• and finally, a hope that what binds us together will prove stronger than what threatens to divide us.

In our attempt to discern the leading of the Spirit at this time,

We reaffirm our commitment to seek healing and reconciliation with indigenous peoples as our main priority, while we attempt to bring the lessons we learn in this process to bear on the other issues we face in our church.

Secondly, we commend the 'Final report from the International Conversations on Human Sexuality' for wide distribution and discussion. Out of our own experience, we would underline the report's stated conviction that face-to-face communication is important and that meaningful and productive dialogue takes time. We would also urge those endeavouring to discuss contentious issues to adopt the report's 'covenant' as the basis of respectful dialogue.

Finally, we commend the use of the attached questions as potentially helpful in exploring contentious issues.