WCC News: Lutheran Church in Great Britain chaplain reflects on hospitality, accompaniment, and shared spiritual life

Rev. Rebecca Daniel is head of Chaplaincy and Development for the Council of Lutheran Churches in Great Britain. She took time to reflect on the Week of Prayer for Christian Unity, and on a recent visit with the World Council of Churches (WCC).  Church leaders from Anglican, Lutheran, Greek Orthodox, Pentecostal movement and Salvation Army worshipping together on the Reformation Day in London as an expression of ecumenical unity. 4th from the right side - Rev. Rebecca Daniel of the Lutheran Church in Great Britain, head of Chaplaincy and Development of the Council of Lutheran Churches in Great Britain. Photo: courtesy of Rev. Rebecca Daniel 07 January 2026 Would you share a few thoughts on the Week of Prayer for Christian Unity? Rev. Daniel: As the pastor of the Lutheran Church in Great Britain, I make it a point each year to observe the Week of Prayer for Christian Unity as an integral part of our worship life. For me, the opportunity for shared prayer, as part of the global church, enables us to grow in fellowship as we attune our hearts and ears to listen to and learn from stories of Christian witness from different parts of our world.  This year’s theme, “There is one body and one Spirit, just as you were called to the one hope of your calling” (Ephesians 4:4), comes as a timely reminder that the call to unity is inseparable from the call to work for hope for all people, everywhere. This message is especially crucial in our current global context, marked by division and fragmentation. As churches shaped by many traditions and doctrines, we are called to engage in dialogue and discernment with humility, repentance, and openness—seeking the unity Christ already desires for his church. I also continue to emphasize that Christian unity does not require uniformity. This week invites us to listen attentively to how other traditions read Scripture, worship, and live out the Gospel. In doing so, we often discover dimensions of Christ that we may have underemphasized or even forgotten. Within higher education chaplaincies—particularly among multi-faith chaplaincy teams where various Christian traditions are represented—the Week of Prayer liturgy is regularly used, drawing on resources developed by the WCC. Jesus himself links unity directly to mission: “that they may all be one… so that the world may believe” (John 17:21). The Week of Prayer for Christian Unity, therefore, is not only about healing divisions within Christianity, but about strengthening our shared witness to justice, peace, and love in a deeply fractured world. During your visit to the WCC, what did you take away regarding the wider ecumenical landscape? Rev. Daniel: During my visit to the WCC, I was deeply struck by the breadth and vitality of the wider ecumenical family. The WCC embodies a space where diverse Christian traditions—Orthodox, Lutheran, Protestant, Anglican, Evangelical, and others—come together not by minimising their differences, but by committing to walk with one another in faith, dialogue, and shared mission. While we were there, we witnessed virtually an historic commemoration of the 1700th anniversary of the First Ecumenical Council of Nicaea which was taking place in Iznik, Türkiye.   One key takeaway was the strong emphasis on relationship before resolution. The ecumenical movement today is less about forcing consensus and more about cultivating trust, mutual respect, and honest listening. This relational approach creates space for difficult theological and ethical conversations to take place without fracturing communion. I was also encouraged by how closely unity is linked to lived witness. The WCC consistently connects ecumenism with justice, peace, care for creation, and human dignity. Unity is not treated as an abstract theological ideal, but as something that must be embodied in collective action and prophetic engagement with the suffering of the world. Another important insight was the growing recognition of contextual theology. Voices from the Global South, Indigenous communities, and minority churches are shaping ecumenical conversations in fresh and necessary ways, broadening our understanding of what Christian unity looks like across cultures and histories. Overall, my visit reaffirmed that the ecumenical journey is ongoing—marked by patience, prayer, prophetic advocacy for human rights, the pursuit of a just community of women and men, commitment to climate justice, and perseverance. While challenges remain, the WCC reflects a hopeful vision of the church as a diverse yet connected body, called to witness together to Christ in a divided world. The Week of Prayer for Christian Unity is observed by international university students at the Luther Hub at St Mary’s German Lutheran Church. Working among international students is one of the key ministries of the Council of Lutheran Churches (CLC). Photo: courtesy of Rev. Rebecca Daniel Would you like to say something specific about the UK context? Rev. Daniel: In the UK context, the ecumenical landscape has a distinctive character shaped by history, diversity, and longstanding relationships. Bodies such as Churches Together in England (CTE) and Churches Together in Britain and Ireland (CTBI) play a vital convening role, creating spaces where churches pray together, engage in dialogue, and collaborate in mission and public witness. Their work sustains ecumenism at both national and grassroots levels, ensuring that unity is not only discussed by church leaders but lived out in local communities. The Council of Lutheran Churches in Great Britain (CLC) is an active member of these ecumenical bodies. Notably, the Bishop of the Lutheran Church in Great Britain, Bishop Paulina Hlawiczka-Trotman, serves as one of the Presidents of Churches Together in England. The Fourth Presidency Group brings together the Church of Scotland (Presbytery of England), Evangelical Lutheran Church of England, Council of Lutheran Churches, Synod of German-Speaking Lutheran, Reformed, United Congregations in Great Britain, and the Religious Society of Friends (Quakers in Britain). This breadth of representation reflects the depth of unity already present among the churches. The CLC also seeks to build a collaborative relationship with the Anglican churches, especially, the Church of England which occupies a unique place within the ecclesial landscape of the UK. A key example of our collaboration is the Anglican–Lutheran Society (ALS), where Anglican and Lutheran ordained and lay people learn together, explore their traditions, and collaborate in mission. I am one of the founders of ALS Young Voices, a network for those under 35 years of age—both ordained and lay—created to foster ongoing learning, mutual accompaniment, and intergenerational ecumenical leadership. Under the Porvoo Agreement and other local ecumenical arrangements, and with permission from Anglican diocesan bishops, Lutheran and Anglican clergy share pulpits and, in certain contexts, sacramental life. These practices offer a tangible expression of communion lived out in everyday ministry. What is especially significant in the UK is the strong emphasis on practical ecumenism. Churches work together in chaplaincy, social care, refugee support, food banks, and advocacy for justice and peace. In a context marked by secularisation and social fragmentation, this shared witness speaks powerfully to the Gospel and strengthens the credibility of the church’s mission. The CLC actively supports higher education chaplaincy, and several Lutheran pastors serve as university chaplains, particularly among international students. As a chaplain myself, I host a Week of Prayer for Christian Unity service each year for university students who gather at the Luther Hub at St Mary’s German Lutheran Church. This is one example of how ecumenism is lived through hospitality, accompaniment, and shared spiritual life. At the same time, the relationship within and between churches in the UK are not without their tensions – on doctrinal, moral, and pastoral grounds. Yet organisations such as CLC and CTE provide frameworks for holding these tensions faithfully, reminding the churches that unity does not mean agreement on everything, but a commitment to remain in relationship. Overall, ecumenism in the UK reflects a mature and resilient practice—rooted in prayer, sustained by dialogue, and expressed through common action. It offers a hopeful model of how churches can live into Christ’s call to unity while honouring their distinct identities within the one body of Christ. Learn more about the Week of Prayer for Christian Unity Council of Lutheran Churches in Great Britain WCC member churches in UK See more

The World Council of Churches promotes Christian unity in faith, witness and service for a just and peaceful world. An ecumenical fellowship of churches founded in 1948, today the WCC brings together 356 Protestant, Orthodox, Anglican and other churches representing more than 580 million Christians in over 120 countries, and works cooperatively with the Roman Catholic Church. The WCC general secretary is Rev. Prof. Dr Jerry Pillay from the Uniting Presbyterian Church in Southern Africa.  Media contact: +41 79 507 6363; www.oikoumene.org/press Our visiting address is: World Council of Churches Chemin du Pommier 42 Kyoto Building Le Grand-Saconnex CH-1218 Switzerland