One of the biblically and theologically based convictions of the ecumenical movement is that visible unity belonging to the essence of the church.  The church is a sign, a sacrament and a foretaste of the unity that is God’s will and purpose for all things.  The church is called to offer the world a glimpse of an alternative to the conflicts and division that people experience in society no matter what that society is or where or when it is.

The quest to be that ‘lived alternative’ takes us to the heart of the Faith and Order agenda – to the heart of what Faith & Order is about.