Looking Back: Towards a Common Life and Witness with the Church of England

From March 1955

Inter-Church Conversations at Durham

The following statement was issued after meetings between representatives of the General Assembly of the Church of Scotland and representatives of the Church of England appointed by the Archbishop of Canterbury.

Delegates appointed by the authority of the General Assembly of the Church of Scotland continued their resumed series of Conversations with delegates appointed by the Archbishop of Canterbury, in accordance with the Resolutions passed with the Convocations of Canterbury and York, at St John’s College, Durham, from Thursday, 6th January, to Saturday 8th January. Appointed representatives of the Presbyterian Church of England and of the Episcopal Church of Scotland attended also as full members of the Conference.

It was noted that a considerable measure of doctrinal agreement between the four Churches had already been registered and that the recommendations of the earlier Conversations respecting such matters as the regulated interchange of Preachers between the Churches of England and Scotland and the admission in certain circumstances of communicants of the Church of Scotland to Holy Communion in the Church of England had been accepted by the authorities of the Churches concerned. The Conference, in accordance with its instructions, turned now to consider an Agenda directed to what had been described as a ‘long-term policy looking to the ultimate fulness of the Church’s life.’

The Conference recorded its intention to set about the preparation, within three years, of a draft outline of practical ways and means whereby, with some measure of mutual adaptation and modification of their respective traditions, but without disloyalty to principles held to be essential, the Churches taking part in the Conversations might by God’s grace be enabled to attain mutually a fuller manifestation of catholicity in faith and order than was exhibited by any of them in separation. The hope was expressed that, at the earliest practicable stage in the process of mutual adaptation and growing together, appropriate steps would be taken to secure unrestricted and fully authorised intercommunication between the Churches concerned.

The Church of Scotland was represented by Professors William Manson, J.H.S Burleigh, William S. Tindal, and Thomas F. Torrance, the Reverend Dr H C Whitley, Sir Randall Philip, QC, and the Reverend R. Stuart Louden.

Those present on behalf of the Church of England were the Bishops of Durham and Derby, Professors S.L. Greenslade and H.E.W. Turner (Canons of Durham), and the Reverend J.P. Hickinbotham, Principal of St John’s College, Durham.

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