The call to be ecumenical is usually drawn from John 17 where Jesus commands his disciples to be one as He is one. It does not appear that Jesus had in mind the denominational differences that we have today. To me, John 17 reads more as a broad instruction to follow the command to “love your neighbour” and in particular “love your brother and sister”. For the reality is that unity, and division, start at home.
My reflection over the years is that “just meeting” together on occasion, good though it is, is not enough to build the trust that allows full unity to grow. It is, of course, unity despite, and fully recognising our differences, that we are aiming for. And that unity requires us at times to agree to disagree, and yet to keep on the ecumenical pathway. In the ecumenical community movement of which I am part, one of the tenets of how we relate together is a recognition that it is OK to think that the other person is mistaken in their beliefs and still say that we are brothers and sisters working together.
My faith was renewed through the Charismatic Renewal. That renewal led to the formation of many different communities of Christians, who are often ecumenical in their composition, and often involve commitments to a community way of life. Yet, even with all that in common, there have been divisions, and at times, maybe because of the commitments made, very difficult divisions between communities, or networks of communities, that grew up out of the charismatic renewal. Whatever caused those divisions the way to repair them, and prevent disunity happening again, is to humbly forgive/repent of past failure, and to commit to stick together.
With that history in mind, the International Partnership of Ecumenical Charismatic Communities (IPECC), was founded in July 2023 as a way to actively build unity across ecumenical community networks. Representatives from four multi-branch communities – the Sword of the Spirit, the European Network of Communities, the Servants of Jesus in Australia, and the North American Network, came together in London. Two other communities joined in 2025 and 2026, the Bruderhof (a fully in common Protestant covenant community) and the Italian Forum of Charismatic Communities.
IPECC is only one expression of an intentional work to build unity, across non-denominational lines. It is an expression by agreement (a partnership), that we are united around core values and aims, and will support one another in these, despite our differences.
In a perfect world we would all be united without intentional work to ensure we remained united. But Satan is determined to try and divide us, not only to destroy the unity that God wants for us, but also to undermine the work of God to expand the kingdom. With that in mind if we want to remain united, we need to be intentional about achieving that.
Andy Pettman is a Senior leader of the Antioch Community (Sword of the Spirit) 2009-2019, and Sword of the Spirit (SOS) European zonal president 2019-2023. He now works on international development projects for the SOS, and works as Secretary for IPECC, and as a committee member for the Society for Ecumenical Studies. He is a consecrated single living as part of an ecumenical brotherhood called the Servants of the Word, in their London household.