What Is Full Communion?
Full communion is a formal agreement between The Episcopal Church and The United Methodist Church. It recognizes that, while we remain distinct denominations, we are part of the one, holy, catholic, and apostolic Church. It makes possible deeper partnership in worship, ministry, and mission.
What Does Full Communion Do?
- Affirms that each church is a true and faithful expression of the Church of Jesus Christ.
- Allows ordained Bishops, Presbyters, and Deacons of one church to serve in the other, with the approval and oversight of local bishops.
- Brings bishops into one another’s life: United Methodist bishops participate in Episcopal bishop ordinations, and Episcopal bishops in United Methodist bishop consecrations. Much as the ELCA did, the UMC will integrate the Historic Episcopate.
What Does It NOT Do?
Neither denomination changes polity, doctrine, discipline, or worship.
- It does not merge the denominations or their governing structures.
- It does not change patterns of worship or liturgy.
- It does not alter how wine or grape juice is used in Holy Communion.
- it does not allow Licensed Local Pastors of the UMC to serve in the Episcopal Church.
- It does not allow UMC deacons to consecrate the Eucharist in the Episcopal Church.
- It does not give blanket permission for ordained ministers to serve in the other denomination. Ministers are allowed to serve by bishops on a case-by-case basis.
Why Enter Full Communion?
- Because Jesus prayed “that they may be one” (John 17:22). This agreement is a step in answering that call.
- It allows flexibility for shared ministry in settings like rural areas, hospitals, and college chaplaincies.
- It strengthens the ecumenical family: Methodists and Episcopalians are both already in full communion with the Evangelical Lutheran Church in America and the Moravian Church. This agreement “closes the loop.”
Our Shared History
- In colonial America, Anglicans (known after the Revolution as Episcopalians) and Methodists worshiped together in the Church of England. Methodists also met in small groups for study and prayer—the “method” that gave them their name.
- After the American Revolution, both communities adapted the office of bishop to meet the needs of their time.
- As A Gift to the World explains:
What Do Episcopalians and Methodists Already Have in Common?
- Faith in Jesus Christ as Savior and Lord.
- The doctrine of the Trinity, as confessed in the Apostles’ and Nicene Creeds.
- Scripture as containing “all things necessary for salvation” and serving as the primary rule of faith.
- Baptism as full initiation into the life of Christ through the Church.
- The Eucharist (Holy Communion, the Lord’s Supper) as a sacrament of grace and the real, living presence of Christ.
- A threefold ordained order of ministry comprised of bishops, presbyters, and deacons, open to both women and men.
- A life of prayer and holiness as the path of Christian growth.
- A call to social action and justice as integral to Christian discipleship.
For a deeper dive into many of these subjects, please go to the Resources page of this site.