Dr. Tony Richie, a Church of God bishop and senior pastor of New Harvest church in Knoxville, Tennessee, was invited to speak at the National Council of Churches of Christ General Assembly which convened in New Orleans November 9-11, 2010 as a centennial celebration of the famous mission conference conducted in Edinburgh, Scotland in 1910.
This was a historic invitation intentionally inviting a Pentecostal perspective on the future of Christian mission and unity during this pivotal moment of reflection and re-envisioning. More than 400 people of faith, including denominational and organizational leaders from more than 40 Christian communions, came to New Orleans to celebrate a century of ecumenical engagement and to discuss how the churches might live and work together in an uncertain future.
The general theme for the gathering was “Witnesses of These Things: Ecumenical Engagement in a New Era.” This theme was taken from Luke 24:48 which is the scriptural theme text for the 2010 Week of Prayer for Christian Unity – intended as an additional reminder that there is one, multi-faceted ecumenical movement. In a plenary panel presentation climaxing the week’s discussions, Richie reflected on “The Future of Ecumenism: Moving Forward from a Pentecostal Perspective.” Richie’s remarks drew attention to the explosive global growth of Pentecostal-type Christianity contributing to a rediscovery of experientialism and primal spirituality in a postmodern age characterized by globalization and shifting centers of gravity for historic Christianity. He argued that holistic Christian mission includes unity, evangelism, and advocacy, and that so-called mainline churches should build trust together with Evangelicals and Pentecostals for purposes of partnering in doing Christian mission more effectively in the future. Richie stressed that the churches can come together only through the renewal of the Holy Spirit and accordingly called for ecumenical and interreligious testimony and dialogue. He closed with an appeal quoting an important initiative of the Presiding Bishop of the Church of God, Dr Raymond Culpepper, on “a quest for trust.” For Richie, this internal denominational emphasis on a quest for trust may serve as an example and incentive for relationships with other Christian churches as well.
In a letter to Richie following the NCC General Assembly, Dr. Michael Kinnamon, General Secretary of the NCC, stated: “This session was for me a highlight of our assembly that was filled with good moments.” Kinnamon added that “Your contribution was a very significant part of what I think was a spirit-filled event.” He also noted that “The diversity of the panel and the insights that you showed advanced our thinking about the future of ecumenism on this continent.”
For further information on this important event and for links posting the various addresses, visit http://www.ncccusa.org/ [1].