1.
As Christians, we believe in the reconciling power of God that appeared with Jesus Christ and finds its rightful expression in his one, undivided church locally and worldwide. We believe that this is the will of God with his church for the testimony of his love and glory, so that the world may believe in Christ.
2.
As members of the separate denominations, we confess that we have missed the target of our communal calling. We confess the sin of the unspeakable division of the body of Christ owing to profane motives or because of differing knowledge. We confess that we have fallen short of our own message and haven't allowed the Gospel enough space. That we have clouded the Holy Spirit and neglected His unifying power.
We confess that in this way we have not become the church the Lord wants us to be, reflecting in visible unity his mercy and the fullness of his spiritual riches. We repent that we have brought dishonor to God's redemptive work and have been deficient in our mission to spread his light in this world.
3.
We confess our guilt. And we no longer fail to repent and turn back. What we have been given in Christ and what we want to convince people of should also be lived by us in a credible way.
Therefore, we are coming together anew, and we will remain together in future. In humility before one another, we expect that the Spirit, who leads us into the whole truth, will answer the questions that are still open between us. But we hold fast to that truth of God which is above all questions of doctrine and knowledge. We bear witness to the truth of His unifying love that reshapes our world.
We allow it to broaden our horizons and overcome our milieu boundaries. Already today, we gather for common prayer, to listen to his word, for praise. In order for God's glory to be complete and undimmed, we are also ready to completely remove all fences. Let the denominations gladly yield to His will. Let His boundless grace be revealed to all the world. His kingdom come!
As Christians, we believe in the reconciling power of God that appeared with Jesus Christ and finds its rightful expression in his one, undivided church locally and worldwide. We believe that this is the will of God with his church for the testimony of his love and glory, so that the world may believe in Christ.
2.
As members of the separate denominations, we confess that we have missed the target of our communal calling. We confess the sin of the unspeakable division of the body of Christ owing to profane motives or because of differing knowledge. We confess that we have fallen short of our own message and haven't allowed the Gospel enough space. That we have clouded the Holy Spirit and neglected His unifying power.
We confess that in this way we have not become the church the Lord wants us to be, reflecting in visible unity his mercy and the fullness of his spiritual riches. We repent that we have brought dishonor to God's redemptive work and have been deficient in our mission to spread his light in this world.
3.
We confess our guilt. And we no longer fail to repent and turn back. What we have been given in Christ and what we want to convince people of should also be lived by us in a credible way.
Therefore, we are coming together anew, and we will remain together in future. In humility before one another, we expect that the Spirit, who leads us into the whole truth, will answer the questions that are still open between us. But we hold fast to that truth of God which is above all questions of doctrine and knowledge. We bear witness to the truth of His unifying love that reshapes our world.
We allow it to broaden our horizons and overcome our milieu boundaries. Already today, we gather for common prayer, to listen to his word, for praise. In order for God's glory to be complete and undimmed, we are also ready to completely remove all fences. Let the denominations gladly yield to His will. Let His boundless grace be revealed to all the world. His kingdom come!