Encountering other Christian communities

The person who is delegated to make overtures to another Christian community or communities will need to be prepared for that task. The next section suggests ways of making an approach.

1. Whom do you contact?

decide if you are prepared to introduce yourself, or is there someone who can make the introduction? (your pastor, a lay contact in the other congregation, a third party e.g. through the ministerial or council of churches)
unless you have another personal contact, try telephoning the church office
you may be talking to the secretary, or to the priest / pastor / minister
identify yourself as acting on behalf of your parish and with their authorization
inquire about lines of responsibility: is there someone other than the pastor who handles ecumenical affairs? (note that there may not be - many denominations often do not have parish ecumenical groups)

2. Explain your process

when you first meet with your contact, explain why you are there
use listening and icebreaking skills
talk about your workshop experience
affirm your and your parish's desire to be open to ecumenical action
remember that the purpose is not to get a message across but to open channels

3. Invite response

be open to non-response (we're not interested, need to think about it...)
listen & look for things you have in common
determine next steps
- do you need to get others involved from your communities?
- are you looking for common action or dialogue or both?
- how will you continue planning for action?

The focus here is on encounter, so there will be no presuppositions about what can or should be achieved. You will, however, need to carry into the encounter a sense of what your own community hopes for and is prepared to engage in.