Australian Methodist ecumenism

This article surveys the Australian Methodist involvement in ecumenism from 1902, when the Methodist Church of Australasia was formed in a union of Methodist churches, until the formation of the Uniting Church in 1977. It traces the Methodist commitment to ecumenism to the ‘catholic spirit’ of its founder John Wesley and in the international ecumenical context. It argues that, though there were many setbacks, Australian Methodists never gave up on the vision of full organic union with other Protestants and were remarkably consistent in their advocacy of such union. The influence of the Faith and Order Committee of the World Council of Churches and the thought of Lesslie Newbigin are shown to have made a significant contribution to Australian Methodist ecumenism.