I recently attended an ecumenical service that took place at Hereford Cathedral to celebrate the 1700th anniversary of the Council of Nicaea. The service was organised by the Church of England and the Roman Catholic Church, collectively working together to celebrate the significance of this anniversary. The Archbishop of Cardiff-Menevia spoke on the unity that arose out of the decisions that were made at Nicaea.
Archbishop Mark O’Toole spoke powerfully about how “affective ecumenism leads to effective ecumenism.” In other words, essentially, when our emotions are engaged and we begin to desire unity, this leads to the outcome of unity. We constantly need to fuel the fire in our hearts and remind ourselves of our motivations. Why are we here? What is the reason we work and worship together to help spread the gospel? It’s a plea from Jesus himself.
This was exactly what the Bishops did in 325 AD at the first Ecumenical Council of Nicaea. They banded together, demonstrating their affectiveness, their desire, so that they could help others understand the Gospel. They worked together to agree, explain and set down the crux of the Christian belief. The theme of Christ’s sacrificial love is interwoven in the Nicene Creed. It displays and honours God’s might, as well as the cost paid by Christ which means salvation is open to all.
Taking part in this time of shared worship and singing hymns such as Kingsfold by Timothy Dudley-Smith was incredibly moving. The line “renew, restore, unite, inspire. The Church that bears your name…” is incredibly profound; because however long you have walked with Christ, it reminds us that fundamentally the Church bears his name. We are ambassadors for Christ and it is through his strength that the Church can be renewed, continuing to unite because we bear his name. Christ desires our heart and desires our unity. As long as we give Jesus our heart, we need not be afraid.
As we adopt an attitude that desires unity, we can continue to turn affective ecumenism into effective ecumenism. It was a significant action that the Bishops decided to take in 325 AD. May we continue to collectively carry out those actions in our hearts, churches and communities, remembering the crucial impact of affective ecumenism 1700 years ago.
Emma Wright has been the County Ecumenical Officer for Churches Together in Herefordshire since 2023 and is also a Trustee of Churches Together in England since March 2025. She attends a New Frontiers church and has a passion for facilitating clear communication between denominations and overseeing unity across Churches/Christians Together groups so we can continue to spread the Good News to build up the body of Christ.