Fellowship of Middle East Evangelical Churches

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The Fellowship of Middle East Evangelical Churches (FMEEC) is an ecumenical organisation comprising Protestant churches in the Middle East with representatives from Sudan to Iran. Established in 1974, the current president of the FMEEC is the Rev Dr Andrea Zaki. [1]

Ecumenism Cooperation between Christian denominations

The term "ecumenism" refers to efforts by Christians of different Church traditions to develop closer relationships and better understandings. The term is also often used to refer to efforts towards the visible and organic unity of different Christian denominations in some form.

Protestantism Division within Christianity, originating with the 16th century Reformation, a movement against what its followers perceived to be errors in the Roman Catholic Church

Protestantism is the second largest form of Christianity with collectively between 800 million and more than 900 million adherents worldwide or nearly 40% of all Christians. It originated with the 16th century Reformation, a movement against what its followers perceived to be errors in the Roman Catholic Church. Protestants reject the Roman Catholic doctrine of papal supremacy and sacraments, but disagree among themselves regarding the real presence of Christ in the Eucharist. They emphasize the priesthood of all believers, justification by faith alone rather than also by good works, and the highest authority of the Bible alone in faith and morals. The "five solae" summarise basic theological differences in opposition to the Roman Catholic Church.

Middle East region that encompasses Western Asia and Egypt

The Middle East is a transcontinental region centered on Western Asia, Turkey, and Egypt. Saudi Arabia is geographically the largest Middle Eastern nation while Bahrain is the smallest. The corresponding adjective is Middle Eastern and the derived noun is Middle Easterner. The term has come into wider usage as a replacement of the term Near East beginning in the early 20th century.

Contents

History

Early cooperation

Protestant churches and missions were one of the early proponents of ecumenism and inter-church cooperation in the Middle East. [2] In 1911, an inter-Protestant effort was initiated in Beirut leading to the establishment of the United Missionary Council in 1920. A parallel development occurred in 1924 when a Conference for Workers in Moslem Lands [3] was convened in Jerusalem leading to the eventual formation of the Western Asia and North Africa Council in Helwan in 1927. [2] Other early cooperative efforts that stemmed from these early initiatives were the Missionary Conference of Syria and Palestine and the Missionary Conference of all Egypt. [4] These various groups eventually united as the Near East Christian Council in 1927. [3] [4]

Beirut City in Lebanon

Beirut is the capital and largest city of Lebanon. No recent population census has been conducted, but 2007 estimates ranged from slightly more than 1 million to 2.2 million as part of Greater Beirut. Located on a peninsula at the midpoint of Lebanon's Mediterranean coast, Beirut is the country's largest and main seaport.

Jerusalem City in the Middle East

Jerusalem is a city in the Middle East, located on a plateau in the Judaean Mountains between the Mediterranean and the Dead Sea. It is one of the oldest cities in the world, and is considered holy to the three major Abrahamic religions—Judaism, Christianity, and Islam. Both Israel and the Palestinian Authority claim Jerusalem as their capital, as Israel maintains its primary governmental institutions there and the State of Palestine ultimately foresees it as its seat of power; however, neither claim is widely recognized internationally.

Helwan City in Cairo, Egypt

Helwan is a city in Egypt and part of Greater Cairo, on the bank of the Nile, opposite the ruins of Memphis. Originally a southern suburb of Cairo, it served as the capital of the now defunct Helwan Governorate from April 2008 to April 2011, after which it was re-incorporated into the Cairo Governorate. The kism of Helwan had a population of 643,327 in the 2006 census.

Near East Council of Churches

As missionary influences gradually reduced, the Near East Christian Council took on a more indigenous flavour. As amicable contact and informal cooperation between the Protestants and the Eastern and Oriental Orthodox continued to develop, the Syriac Orthodox Church established formal cooperation with the Protestants in 1962 and enlarged council became known as the Near East Council of Churches. [5]

Syriac Orthodox Church The Syriac Orthodox Church of Antioch, or Syriac Orthodox Patriarchate of Antioch and All the East, is an Oriental Orthodox Church tracing its origin‎ to Antioch by Saint Peter and Saint Paul in the 1st century.

The Syriac Orthodox Church, or Syriac Orthodox Patriarchate of Antioch and All the East, is an autocephalous Oriental Orthodox church. It was established by Severus of Antioch in Antioch in 518 A.D., influenced by Jacob Baradaeus, while tracing its history to Antioch by Saint Peter and Saint Paul in the 1st century, according to its tradition. The Church uses the Divine Liturgy of Saint James, associated with Saint James, the "brother" of Jesus and patriarch among the Jewish Christians at Jerusalem. Syriac is the official and liturgical language of the Church based on Syriac Christianity. The primate of the church is the Syriac Orthodox Patriarch of Antioch currently Ignatius Aphrem II since 2014, seated in the Cathedral of Saint George, Bab Tuma, Damascus, Syria.

Middle East Council of Churches

In 1964, dialogue began to form a larger ecumenical organisation in the Middle East incorporating the various Church traditions present in the region. This meant that the Protestants had to intentionally take a smaller administrative role in coordinating inter-church work. The result of this dialogue was the establishment of the Middle East Council of Churches in 1974. [6] A Protestant specific fellowship was also retained and became formally known as the Fellowship of Middle East Evangelical Churches in the same year. [4]

The Middle East Council of Churches was inaugurated in May 1974 at its First General Assembly in Nicosia, Cyprus, and is now headquartered in Beirut, the capital of Lebanon. Initially it contained three "families" of Christian Churches in the Middle East, the Eastern Orthodox Churches, the Oriental Orthodox Churches and the Evangelical Churches. These were joined in 1990 at the MECC Fifth Assembly by the Catholic Churches of the region. It is a regional council affiliated with the mainstream ecumenical movement which also gave birth to the World Council of Churches, of which the Middle East Council of Churches is also a member.

Current developments

Efforts continue to be made to establish full fellowship and communion between the member churches of the FMECC. In 1997, the FMECC tabled a Proposal for the Unity of the Evangelical Churches in the Middle East but failed to achieve agreement between the member churches. [4] A renewed effort was made in 2005 focusing on member churches of the Reformed and Lutheran traditions and in 2006 an agreement was reached in Amman for full communion was reached with the signing of the Amman Declaration of Lutheran and Reformed Churches in the Middle East and North Africa. The declaration established the mutual recognition of baptism, eucharist, ministry and ordination between the signatory churches. [2]

Calvinism Protestant branch of Christianity

Calvinism is a major branch of Protestantism that follows the theological tradition and forms of Christian practice set down by John Calvin and other Reformation-era theologians.

Lutheranism form of Protestantism commonly associated with the teachings of Martin Luther

Lutheranism is one of the largest branches of Protestantism that identifies with the teaching of Martin Luther, a 16th-century German reformer. Luther's efforts to reform the theology and practice of the church launched the Protestant Reformation. The reaction of the government and church authorities to the international spread of his writings, beginning with the 95 Theses, divided Western Christianity.

Amman City in Amman Governorate, Jordan

Amman is the capital and most populous city of Jordan, and the country's economic, political and cultural centre. Situated in north-central Jordan, Amman is the administrative centre of the Amman Governorate. The city has a population of 4,007,526 and a land area of 1,680 square kilometres. Today, Amman is considered to be among the most modernized Arab cities. It is a major tourist destination in the region, particularly among Arab and European tourists.

Member churches

The FMEEC consists of the following Protestant denominations: [4] [7]

North Africa
Levant & Mashriq
Arabian Peninsula & Iran

Affiliations

The FMEEC is a regional member of the World Council of Churches. [8]

See also

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References

  1. ↑ "Final Communiqué of the 6th General Assembly of the FMEEC" (Communiqué). Fellowship of Middle East Evangelical Churches. 15 January 2010. Archived from the original on 15 April 2012. Retrieved 10 December 2011.
  2. 1 2 3 The Amman Declaration, 2006 Agreement of Full Mutual Recognition of Lutheran and Reformed Churches In the Middle East and North Africa. Amman: Fellowship of Middle Eastern Evangelical Churches.
  3. 1 2 "Section IX: Middle East Missions". Church Missionary Society Archives. Adam Matthew Publications. Retrieved 10 December 2011.
  4. 1 2 3 4 5 "Federation of Middle East Evangelical Churches". Member Churches. World Council of Churches. Retrieved 16 May 2014.
  5. ↑ "History and Character". Middle East Council of Churches. Retrieved 10 December 2011.
  6. ↑ "Middle East Council of Churches". Member Churches. World Council of Churches. Archived from the original on 9 September 2011. Retrieved 10 December 2011.
  7. ↑ "Fellowship of Middle East Evangelical Churches". Regional Partners. Global Ministries. Retrieved 10 December 2011.
  8. ↑ "Member Churches in the Middle East". Member Churches. World Council of Churches. Archived from the original on 9 March 2012. Retrieved 10 December 2011.
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