Confessional Family

a) Meaning and Usage. In the early 19th century the Catholic theologian J. A. Moehler (Symbolik 1832) gave the name “confessions” to the various church currents internal to Christianity, which until than had been called “religions,” “religious parties,” or “Christian societies.” “Confession,” which already had various complementary meanings in theology, has since then been the technical term used to designate a particular Christian tradition, a confessional family.

This usage can be explained historically and theologically against the background of the Reformation. Having challenged the magisterial and ministerial structures of the church, as well as the centralized exercise of authority, as being the glue and the expression of the unity of the church, most of the communities that came out of the Reformation defined themselves in relation to doctrinal references set out in confessions of faith. For example, the Augsburg Confession of 1530 became the common charter of the Lutheran churches; the Thirty-nine Articles that of the Anglican community; the Confession of Faith of La Rochelle (1559) that of the French Reformed churches. At their ordination, pastors committed themselves on the basis of these documents. Although their intentions were universal, these confessions defined the faith and identity of particular churches, and for that reason, when several of these churches made reference to a single document, they were called “confessions” or “confessional families”. In the late 19th century, geographical expansion led confessional families to organize themselves into world churches and to establish international structures. For example, in 1867 the Anglican Church organized the first meeting of the Lambeth Conference, which brought together all the bishops of that confessional family. In 1877, the Reformed churches founded the World Alliance of Reformed Churches; in 1881, the Methodist churches set up the World Methodist Council. The World Baptist Alliance was created in 1905, and the World Lutheran Federation in 1947.

Catholicism and Orthodoxy have always refused to be considered as confessional families. These churches do not see themselves as church traditions alongside others, but each one considers itself to be the sole full expression of the single Church of Jesus Christ. A more sociological approach to “confession” as the expression of a particular church identity would however lead to the inclusion of these churches within the group of confessional families. This notion is indirectly confirmed by the regular participation of the Orthodox patriarchate and the Pontifical Council for Unity (Vatican) in meetings of the leadership of confessional families, which, since 1979, have preferred the title World Christian Communities.

b) Character and Structure of Confessional Families. For confessional families, it is understood that the one, holy, catholic, and apostolic church takes on concrete existence in this world in plural forms. Each confessional family sees itself as an expression of that one church. Many consider themselves as world churches and are structured accordingly. This is the case for the Anglican communion and the communion of Lutheran churches, who each, in this way, approach the self-understanding of the Catholic and Orthodox churches. Others, by contrast, emphasize their character as free associations or federations of churches. Within a single confessional family, participating churches are conscious of belonging to the same spiritual family sharing a single historical heritage. Forms of piety and liturgical celebrations, doctrinal references, church structures, as well as visions and priorities are the same, or at least very similar, for all. Member churches of a particular confessional family generally live in full church communion: communion in the celebration of the word of God and of the sacraments, as well as mutual recognition of ministries. Their international bodies have analogous structures (regular general assemblies, executive committees, presidents and secretaries-general, commissions for theology, mutual aid, and education, etc.). The authority of international structures, however, remains limited. Member churches, generally organized into regional or national communities, insist on their autonomy, giving them the power of decision. After a difficult period during which many considered the Ecumenical Council of Churches (ECC) as a place in which distinctions between confessional families would be overcome, solid cooperation has now been established between the ECC and confessional families, almost all of whose churches are members of the ECC. Confessional families are the privileged locations for theological dialogue among [567] Christian traditions. The reconciliation that has already taken place between various confessional families is essential for the unity of the whole church.

Bibliography

• H.E. Fey (1970), “Confessional Families and the Ecumenical Movement,” in id. (Ed.), A History of the Ecumenical Movement, vol. 2: 1948-1968, Geneva, 115-42 (2nd Ed. 1986).

Y. Ischida, H. Meyer, and E. Perret (1979), The History and Theological Concerns of World Confessional Families, LWF.R 14.

Source: Encyclopedia of Christian Theology. Volume 1. ed. Jean-Yves Lacoste - editor. Publisher: Routledge. Place of Publication: New York. Publication Year: 2004. pp. 566-567.