RESOURCING THE CHURCH FOR ECUMENICAL MINISTRy A ...

Celebrating 100 Years
as a Movement for Unity
Peter M. Morgan
Rev. Peter M. Morgan, President Emeritus of the
Disciples of Christ Historical Society, serves as the volunteer
historian and archivist at National City Christian Church in
Washington, D.C.
Come sit with me in a classroom at the old
College of the Bible in Lexington. The year is
1962. Paul Crow, a very young professor, is at the
head of the class lecturing on the history of ministry
in the patristic era. Suddenly Professor Crow fast
forwards 1700 years. “Many of you will soon be
preparing for your ordinations—a magnificent day,
the modern equivalent of the ancient church
shouting at you ‘Axios! Axios!’ (worthy worthy) It’s easy
to become confused on that day. The celebration is
not primarily your celebration. It is the church
celebrating once again God trusting it to propagate
the gospel.”
Professor Crow, I remember well your lesson and
come on this occasion as one of your students to
recite a brief history of the Council on Christian
Unity and its propagation of the gospel. The
stewardship of the gospel of primary interest to the
Council is the prayer of Jesus, “that they may all be
one” (John 17:21) and the teaching of Paul “There
is one body and one spirit, just as you were called to
the one hope of your calling” (Eph. 4:4).
One hundred years ago we Disciples, who were
founded as a unity movement, had a severe case of
amnesia. But God raised up a prophet, Peter
Ainslie, to help us remember and reclaim our vision
as a people blessed and burdened with a catholic
vocation of ecumenism. Earlier in that year of 1910
Peter had been in Edinburgh at the World Missionary
Conference, the initial moment which launched
the modern ecumenical movement. From an outdoor
balcony of Stirling Castle he surveyed its
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magnificent vista. Later in Topeka, Kansas Peter, in
another high place, climbed the speaker’s podium
of the International Convention. In one of the
pivotal addresses in the history of our church he
displayed a panorama of the great vista of the gospel
played out across the centuries . . . “yonder are
Polycarp . . . and Luther . . . the Wesleys . . . and
the Campbells . . . What a host of saints!” he cried.
“Some are called Nazarenes, Roman Catholics,
Reformers, and some Disciples, but whatever be
their names, all these are our brethren.” He then
urged his Disciples family to reclaim their calling of
Christian unity for that moment in history and for
the century ahead. “(I)t is God’s program; it can no
more be kept back than the sun can be kept from
rising!”
A constitution put into words our mission and
vision: “to watch for every indication of
Christian unity and to hasten the time by
intercessory prayer, friendly conferences, and
the distribution of irenic literature until we all
attain unto the unity of the faith.”
What an address! The Convention met in special
session at First Christian Church. A constitution
put into words our mission and vision: “to watch for
every indication of Christian unity and to hasten the
time by intercessory prayer, friendly conferences,
and the distribution of irenic literature until we all
attain unto the unity of the faith.” For one hundred
years we have been watching for signs of unity,
praying for unity, meeting in conferences for unity,
publishing and promoting for unity. On that great
occasion Peter Ainslie set in motion a movement