Bringing together more than three hundred representatives of CTE’s Member Churches, Intermediate Bodies, Co-ordinating Groups and Charities and Networks in Association, CTE’s Forum is the broadest representative ecumenical gathering of Christians in England.
Forum is an opportunity to be encouraged by the diversity and depth of Christian witness in England, and to be enriched by forging new relationships and connections. More than that, it is a chance to celebrate and to deepen our relationship with Jesus and with each other, through Bible study, discussion, workshops and listening to speakers from all parts of the Christian Church.
Forum is not a deliberative meeting, but it is a way of taking the ecumenical temperature, of hearing from each other where we are on the journey to be ‘one in Christ’. All Member Churches feed back reports from Forum into their systems, and the Enabling Group and Board of CTE take careful note of what is said and what happens.
Forum, then, is the enrichment of our discipleship, an encounter with Christ who comes to us in the glorious diversity of his people, and leads us deeper into the love of God.
Forum is presided over and guided by a Moderator and Deputy Moderator.
Since the inauguration of CTE in 1991, the Forum was initially held every two years, shifting to every three years in 2003. The Forum is a unique meeting place, providing an opportunity to review the life of the Churches and impetus for further commitment.
Image © Joan Burgess, used with permission