REUNION OF CHURCHES.

Dominion, Volume 6, Issue 1716, 5 April 1913, Page 9

REUNION OF CHURCHES.

MELBOURNE CONGRESS : DECIDED UPON; Tho unofficial movemont"«n)ipfifest. lead-. ing ministers and laymen of ,tho,;Cliristian churchcs in tho aireotion of reunion, has made a further advaiice'.nr'l'he',proposal to hold a congress in . Melbourne.',..about September next has been* -accepted-by leading men in all t iie churches on the understanding that the congress be" somewhat on the lines of thcgreat'lSdmburgh World's Missionary Congress of. a.-few years back, and that the "Anglican, Church be invited to participate. The idea, was suggested that only the"'Nouciihfoiiiiist churches should participate'at--'-first;' and that when these had arrived ut.a basis' of : negotiation the Anglicans-sliauld/bojap-proached. . This was not entertained, and now all Christian churches .oxcept! the Roman Catholic Church aivs embraced in tho scheme of work. -The Edinburgh model is l:o_ be followed, and three commissions or expert committees-have beenappointed to prepare reports -for. discussiou at tlio Melbourne congress. - : Should. Archbishop Clarke return to Melbourne ho will probably bo Usked to-preside.-- At the Edinburgh Missionary Congress tho Archbishop of York was a leading figure. Tho subjects handed over to tbo throo commissions arc significant in that they plainly show the direction in which tho first steps towards ecclesiastical reunion will Ije taken:—(l) Union control of home missions (preventing overlapping) ;..(2) the standardisation of college curricula! • (3) the mutual eligibility of ministers (tho. interchange l of pulpits..and, /parishes). Some of tho most learned men in tho churches aro understood to have promised their services in connection • with the commissions. Aii executive .committee has been appointed to organiso the congress, Mr. Horaco E. Wootton. having accepted.the honorary secretaryship to' tho satisfaction of the promoters. The congress will last a week, the tentative dates suggested being September 14 to 21. .