“Reflecting Light”
Tampere 2008
PART 2
“ECUMENICAL” – A Survey on the Use of the Term
At the Third Global Conference of Campus Chaplains (“Reflecting Light” – held in
Tampere, Finland in June-July 2008), I had opportunity to survey religious professionals
1 from around the world on their experience of the use of the word “ecumenical”.
I presented a paper reviewing “the many meanings of ecumenism” (above) and collected responses from some of those in attendance.
Thirty-two university chaplains were interviewed and/or filled out a brief questionnaire.
This was a self-selective process: all the respondents were interested in the vocabulary of inter-church and interfaith relations. There is no reason to assume that the respondents represented the population of 230 university chaplains and campus ministers who attended the conference. Nor can it be assumed that the chaplains at the conference are typical or representative of their profession. In fact, it is quite likely that each is an exceptional person, highly committed to a specialized chaplaincy career and professional development as a campus minister. However, despite the unscientific nature of the survey, their responses provide vocabulary and insight for conversation about how ecumenism is perceived and practised around the world today.
For the record, most of the 32 respondents provided some information about themselves; country/region
United States continental Europe
United Kingdom
Canada
Israel unidentified religious identity
10
9 (Austria, Finland, Germany, Norway, Sweden)
6
2
1
4 (including some from New Zealand and Australia)
Protestant
Anglican, Episcopal,
Church of England,
Roman Catholic
Jewish
Muslim unidentified gender male female unidentified
15
6
4
3
1
3
13
15
4 tom_sherwood@carleton.ca
www.carleton.ca/ecumenicalchaplaincy/

The Questions and Responses
“Reflecting Light”
Tampere 2008
2
Responses to the first two questions indicate that the word “ecumenical” is a common and familiar term but not universal in campus chaplaincies. It is a formal term, used in a legal and/or carefully defined way in many places. It is used informally in even more campus ministries.
1. Is the term “ecumenical” used in any formal way related to your ministry setting?
Yes 17 No 15
2. Is the term commonly or informally used in or around your ministry setting?
Yes 23 No 9
In terms of the paper I presented at the conference, “the many meanings of ecumenism,” most of the respondents indicated that they employed the Fourth Meaning (“interdenominational Christian cooperation and/or church unity”) and spoke overwhelmingly
(29 to 3) against the usage referred to as the Fifth Meaning (“interfaith cooperation, multifaith activity”).
3. In your context, what does the term “ecumenical” mean?
“interdenominational Christian”
(including various similar phrases, such as “several churches together”)
“nondenominational Christian’
“interfaith”
“various religious and non-religious”
“It has more than one meaning.”
30
4
4
3
4
(45 responses from 32 respondents) other suggestion:
R4 the worldwide Body of Christ
Many respondents were quite emphatic in resisting the Fifth Meaning, the multifaith and/or interfaith usage developed by Matthew Fox and others in the late Twentieth
Century. A few were familiar with that broader usage, and some of them liked it, but found that it did not really work in the field: too confusing and impractical.
4. Do you use the term “ecumenical” to include non-Christian religions? tom_sherwood@carleton.ca
www.carleton.ca/ecumenicalchaplaincy/

“Reflecting Light”
Tampere 2008
Yes 3 No 29
R4 I use interfaith or multifaith.
R6 Prefer interfaith when Christian and other religions involved.
R12 No It is useful to distinguish collaboration between Christians from collaboration between different faith groups.
R15 No. But some in the university think ecumenical means interfaith.
R16 No. It is not used in the UK for other faiths! There is no confusion:
Ecumenical refers to different churches; Multi-Faith refers to different faiths.
R24 No. Exclusively Christian.
R25 No. For me it is quite clear that the term concerns churches or other
Christian denominations.
R31 Though theologically I believe in “whole world ecumenism” I use the term for Christian cooperation and “inter-faith” when including many faiths.
3
5. Would you like to express an opinion about the use of the term
“ecumenical” to describe multifaith diversity?
R1 According to my Jewish colleagues, Jewish students see it as Christian and would not feel included.
R2 When “ecumenical” is used in a multifaith setting it needs to include some reference to multifaith diversity because many non Christians associate
“ecumenical” terminology with Christianity.
R3 It doesn’t. It’s Christian.
R4
…Greek term historically connected to the Christian church
R5
…does not make sense in terms of multifaith diversity
R6 Prefer that it NOT be used in multifaith context.
R7 Not correct, given the Greek and RC usage.
R8 It is the improper use of the term and really leaves out those from other faiths. It is very confusing to use the same term for two very different realities.
R9 I prefer to use the word interfaith.
R10
It doesn’t mean multifaith.
R11 It doesn’t. As a Jew I feel it is a Christian term.
R14 Too much Christian baggage for it to be used to describe multi-faith and interfaith activity.
R16 It is a mistake.
R20 There is one house (oikos) and many roads that could take you to the house.
R22 I think it should be used to refer to cooperation among Christian churches.
R25 It is better to use the word “multifaith” – it is clearer. tom_sherwood@carleton.ca
www.carleton.ca/ecumenicalchaplaincy/

“Reflecting Light”
Tampere 2008
4
R27. I think the terms “ecumenical” and “multifaith” should be kept separate in order to avoid confusion.
R28
It is better to use the word “multifaith” – it is clearer.
R31
People don’t know what it means… There is confusion as to whether it is only Christian or all faiths.
On the other hand, this population of experienced chaplains acknowledge that
“ecumenical” is not a user-friendly term for this generation of university students. They often find themselves struggling to explain it and define it; and yet they have not all developed an easy or effective explanation. The students in my Ecumenical Chaplaincy at Carleton University in Ottawa explain “ecumenical” as “without borders” – like
“Medecins sans frontiers” – and the chaplaincy is a place of “Caring Without Borders.”
An American United Methodist chaplain in his 50s (R4) suggested “worldwide” and
“universal.” Another interesting and creative response came from a Swedish Lutheran chaplain in his 40s (R23), who suggested “open faith” and “open faith chaplaincy.”
6. Can you suggest some accurate and/or effective synonyms for the term
“ecumenical?”
R1 multi-denominational Christian, cooperative Christian
R3 non sectarian?
R4 worldwide universal
R9 multi-Christian
R10 inter-denominational
R11 Christian diversity (Jewish respondent)
R12 inter-church, pan Christian, catholic
R13 multi-denominational
R14 inter-denominational
R15 all the churches
R16 multi-denominational
R19 cooperation between Christian communities
R23 open faith (e.g. open faith chaplaincy)
R26
Interreligious? “Wir haben ein Interreligiosen Raum der Stille an der
Universitat” (an Interreligious Room of Silence in our university)
R27
In the Finnish context, I think the word “Christian” sometimes has the same meaning as “ecumenical.”
R28 multifaith
R31 inter-church tom_sherwood@carleton.ca
www.carleton.ca/ecumenicalchaplaincy/