Representatives from The Salvation Army and the Catholic Church convened at Sunbury Court Conference Centre, Surrey, UK, to continue with a series of informal conversations.
The 12 delegates met from 22 to 25 November 2024 to converse on the theme ‘A Shared Missional Vision for a Changed Epoch: Reimagining the Communication of the Gospel’. This was the third in a series of annual discussions. They spent time in prayer, participated in presentations, joined in worship at the nearby Staines Corps, engaged in fellowship over meals and visited Hampton Court Palace.
Colonel Bishow Samhika, Dr Meghan Clark, Archbishop Flavio Pace, Lieut-Colonel Karen Shakespeare, Dr Antonia Pizzey, Lieut-Colonel Andrew Morgan, Commissioner Jane Paone, Colonel Ian Swan, General Lyndon Buckingham, Father Martin Browne, Bishop Brendan Leahy, Lieut-Colonel Nick Coke and Bishop Paul Hendricks at Sunbury Court
Communicating the Kingdom
In her paper ‘Communicating the Kingdom: Receptive Ecumenism, Imagination and Doing as Jesus Does’, Dr Antonia Pizzey (Australian Catholic University, Brisbane) shared her expert knowledge on receptive ecumenism. She stated that ‘attention must be given both to how we aim to send our message, and also how it is received’. She continued that receptive ecumenism is a spiritual exercise, more about the ‘missionary himself and herself than it is about the recipient’. Quoting an address from Pope Francis, she added: ‘The Church grows through...the attraction of the witness that each one of us gives to the People of God.’ (Pastoral Visit to Assisi)
Colonel (Dr) Bishow Samhika (Principal, International College for Officers) shared insights on his paper ‘From Fractured Relationships to Renewed Communities’. He emphasised the importance of acknowledging that things were not right and needed to be ‘reset’, with the incarnate Christ Jesus as our model. Colonel Samhika evoked the Japanese art of ‘kintsugi’, where gold is placed in the cracks of a once-broken jar. The restored vessel shows beauty, something broken undergoes renewal and healing: the inner conversion gives outward witness.
Being the People of God
Synergy was evident in presentations on Compass: The Salvation Army’s Global Strategic Framework and the Synodal Process of the Catholic Church. Professor Dr Meghan Clark (St John’s University, New York, USA) shared on ‘All Will Know That You Are My Disciples, if You Have Love for One Another – The People of God on a Synodal Path’. In mentioning structural reform and pastoral renewal, Dr Clark also highlighted The Joy of the Gospel (Evangelii Gaudium), a flagship document of Pope Francis’s papacy. She shared that synodality is a way of being church, of being disciples, of being the people of God.
Colonel (Dr) Karen Shakespeare (Chair, International Theological Council) outlined in her paper that ‘adaptive change typically requires a cultural shift in values, attitudes and approaches, and may involve experimenting with new practices in the effort to identify long-term solutions… (it) requires everyone in an organisation to be engaged with the change’. She stated, ‘It is significant that the first priority named is the spiritual life of Salvationists. The vision is to encourage development of spiritual depth and commitment to holiness, through resource sharing and active engagement in spiritual life initiatives.’
A Renewed Confidence in the Gospel
General Lyndon Buckingham, international leader of The Salvation Army, joined the group on the final day, listening to a summary and sharing his heart. He spoke of his desire for a renewed focus on preparing our people to go deeper and gain a renewed confidence in the gospel to transform lives. He shared that ‘because we are having the conversations, we recognise that the Lord is saying similar things to us. We are listening to the Spirit speaking to us about our place in the world.’
Commissioner Jane Paone, Secretary for International Ecumenical Relations, IHQ, co-chaired the event with Bishop Brendan Leahy. She said: ‘These discussions are important. Conversations flowed freely with moments of laughter and learning from one another. In listening to the Spirit and reflecting on what it means to follow Christ, we were encouraged to continue this journey. As part of the Body of Christ, our walking together can be a profound witness.’
Building on previous years’ themes of ‘Discipleship for Mission’ and ‘Discipleship: Hope in a Change of Epoch’, next year’s informal conversations will be held in Rome with the theme ‘Formation of the People of God for Listening to the Spirit in Our Times’.