Churches Together in England is the national body set up by the churches in 1990, and has partner bodies in Scotland, Wales and Ireland. Churches Together in Britain and Ireland is the successor body to the British Council of Churches, and co-ordinates the work of the four nations.

At a national level Churches Together in England has 30 Member Churches or Councils of Churches and 27 Bodies in Association. Churches are also continuing to develop ecumenical commitment locally and at intermediate (county) level.

Churches Together in England is a visible sign of the Churches' commitment as they seek a deepening of their communion with Christ and with one another, and proclaim the Gospel together by common witness and service. Its strength comes from people from different traditions finding new ways to work and worship together.

 

There are many different Christian churches and denominations, but all have the same basic calling - to worship God, to share the good news about Jesus Christ and to work for the good of all people.

 

So they often need to work together, as well as co-ordinate the work they each do separately. When they do, they are acting as Churches Together.

 

But being Churches Together means more than that. It means commitment by each church and denomination to deepen its fellowship with the others and, without losing what makes each interestingly different, to work with them towards a greater visible unity.

To help the churches live as Churches Together, a number of small organisations have been created to ease their way. There is one in almost every town or community to help them to work together locally. There are others in the regions and for each of the four nations of Wales, Scotland, Ireland and England. And there is Churches Together in Britain and Ireland.

 

Many areas of work are best tackled for Britain and Ireland as a whole (see our work), rather than in the separate nations. It is also important for those involved in similar activities in different parts of Britain and Ireland to keep in touch even when working separately. Churches Together in Britain and Ireland is the instrument that facilitates that process.

 

Supported and facilitated by a skilled and committed staff team, it networks specialists across the churches, arranges regular meetings of church representatives and links the churches to a wide range of inter-church organisations. As the successor to the former Council of Churches for Britain and Ireland, and before that the British Council of Churches, it has a long history.