Who is Kentucky Council of Churches and What Do They Affirm?
Who We Are
Witnessing to Christian unity through relationships and actions,
We are drawn to…
- be a Christian community of hospitality to all,
- developing and supporting deep relationships,
- hold each other accountable to the ongoing mission of unity,
- continuing our faith journeys together,
- express a Christian voice of conscience,
- providing a voice for the voiceless, and,
- increase the visibility of this mission and ministry,
- partnering throughout the Commonwealth of Kentucky.
The preamble to our constitution states our reason for being in biblical terms that inspire us deeply and that extends a meaningful invitation to all churches in Kentucky that profess Jesus as the Christ:
“In the providence of God, communions and congregations in the Commonwealth of Kentucky that profess Jesus as the Christ, covenant together to manifest more fully the unity of the Church. As communions and congregations, we profess that the ecumenical calling to Christian unity is essential to our own identities, and we therefore commit ourselves to shared life and ministry together in the Kentucky Council of Churches, a conciliar structure that shall serve as a community of communions for us. Our unity is both a gift and a challenge, calling us to interdependence as intimate as the members of a single body (I Corinthians 12), the branches of a single vine (John 15), the stones of a single house (I Peter 2)—a unity that preserves the dignity of our diversity and which gives us a common ministry for justice, peace, and the integrity of creation under the leading of the Holy Spirit. We welcome others to join our household of faith to share in our common life.”
KENTUCKY COUNCIL OF CHURCHES VISIONING
A report and recommendations adopted by the Annual Assembly meeting in Georgetown, KY, on October 28, 2011
Running the race of faithfulness before God and the “cloud of witnesses” involves more than staying on one’s feet. It is also a matter of reading the signs and adjusting course. How will the Kentucky Council of Churches run the race in the coming years? We propose in this report a number of answers born of a longing to …
- broaden the relationships and partnerships in which our churches pursue the ministry of unity
- deepen the fellowship among our denominational leaders
- be yoked in all our work with the next generations of Christian leaders and redouble ecumenical service and advocacy inspired by God’s reign.
To these ends, our recommendations include:
- a concise statement of our mission
- a new “ecumenical formation initiatives” unit devoted to new partnering,
- an initiative promoting training and enrichment opportunities for church leaders,
- places of influence for persons representing pockets of energy for unity,
- an annual gathering for denominational heads,
- specific plans and targets for growth in both relationships and funding, and
- an increased emphasis on networking and equipping in all our work.
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