Dialogue Document
Ministry in the Church 1971
Ministry in the Church: Presbyterian & Reformed-Roman Catholic Dialogue, October 30, 1971
"The Church of Jesus Christ is charged with the responsibility of living in the unity of his Spirit "so that the world may believe" (John 17:21). Seen against this responsibility, the present divisions within the Church constitute an intolerable scandal. The world to which the Church is sent is painfully divided, and yet earnestly seeking new forms of human unity. The inescapable fact of division within the Christian family contradicts the mission of the Church and the aspirations of modern man.
The common purpose which we have increasingly shared together since 1965 has made a genuine dialogue possible between us and brought us to a meeting of minds on many matters of faith and ministry. In talking to one another we each came to recognize in the ministry of the other rich and necessary elements which both of us affirm.
Neither of our traditions feels that church office is a purely humanistic institution or that Christians have a right to abolish it if they choose. Nor, in our view, may it be restructured solely to suit the wishes of church members or officers. The leadership of service in the offices of the Church is exercised in obedience to the Risen Christ who is present and operative for the healing and salvation of his people.
Such obedience, however, need not be resistant to change. This report, then, must be seen in the context of the Church's prayerful attempt to discern the future shape of her mission and ministry. In our discussions it has become increasingly clear to us that the Church's ministry, unordained and ordained, is far broader in scope and far more susceptible to change and adaptation to pressing pastoral needs than either of our theological traditions for centuries recognized in practice."