Page 20 - Preservation for the Documentation of Chinese Christianity

Members of the seminar felt that these figures indicate:

i) early growth was superficial and reflected numbers rather
than substantial membership;
ii) there is a tendency to be satisfied and to seek to conserve
what we have;
iii) a lack of strong leadership in the churches; and
iv) a lack of strong stewardship motivation.
The Church Planning and Development Committee of the Council
is planning to hold a follow-up seminar in the fall of 1971*

Church Unity

Although efforts toward church union in Hong Kong continue
at a slow pace, significant developments during the last year
included:

a) An Anglican-Methodist Joint Negotiating Committee, meeting
with representatives of the standing committees of the two
churches, submitted a report recommending that a Joint
Commission on Church Union in Hong Kong be set up, and that
t
other churches be invited o participate. Seven "Agreed
Principles for Church Union" were outlined. The Joint Commission
asked to review them and to draft a document, "The Agreed
Principles on Which Church Union in Hong Kong Should Proceed."
The Commission recommended that this document be sutmitted to
the churches for comment, and that negotiations proceed on
this basis. The Commission has been called together and now
includes representatives of the Anglican Church, the Chinese
Methodist Church, the United Methodist Church and- observers
from the Church of Christ in China.

b) Representatives of the Chinese Methodist Church and the United
Methodist Church produced a draft plan for union of the two
churches, and are continuing discussion and amendment of the
draft document. The present plan calls for a five year period
of growing together under a Provisional Conference. When a
final draft is agreed upon, it will be submitted to the
governing bodies of both churches, who will act upon it and
develop a definite timetable.

c) The Church Unity Committee of the Council has been holding
discussions on "Some Fundamental Problems of Church Union."
The first discussion dealt with the "Episcopacy," with special
reference to recent church union schemes. On March 29th, 19711
Dr. Robin Boyd of Gujurat United Theological Seminary met with
a group of persons involved in these discussions to consider
some of the practical implications of church union.

d) The Council has participated with representatives of the Roman
Catholic Church and the Clergy and Ministers' Group in a special
committee to plan the Week of Prayer for Christian Unity, 18th -
25th January. Activities included a City-Wide serviee in the
Caritas Community Hall, a meeting in "The Living Word" service,
a Fellowship Dinner and a Pulpit Exchange.