Amidst a global context where wars and conflicts are present in every corner of the world, the Church of England and the Methodist Church have decided to prepare themselves at all levels in order to better respond to growing security threats.

Church of England: Learning from the past

Hugh Nelson, the Church of England’s bishop to the Armed Forces recently pointed out that military personnel had been warning him for the past two years of their “rising concern about the threat of very, very serious conflict, including conflict that involves the UK”.

That is why Anglicans “have started to take the potential challenges seriously”. The issue will be brought to the Church's General Synod, which will take place from 11 to 15 July in York.

“We do not want to be in the situation that we were all in – church and wider society – pre-pandemic, when those that knew things said there will one day be a pandemic, and none of us had done anything in preparation for that”, added Nelson.

During the Synod, members will hear from Brigadier Jaish Mahan, a Christian and senior military figure who served in Kosovo, Sierra Leone, Iraq and Afghanistan. He will speak about “the current global climate” and share his own experiences of the role of faith in conflict situations.

“We have looked back at some of the ways in which senior Church leadership – archbishops and bishops – led, the things that they said, particularly in the Second World War”, explained Nelson.

“Pray, work and advocate for peace”

Preparations also included reviewing how to better support the around 200 military chaplains currently serving across the Royal Navy, Army and Royal Air Force.

The Synod “will consider changes to enable army chaplains to do what they need to do without having to go through quite a lot of administrative and bureaucratic steps”, said the bishop.

Furthermore, resources for working with schools on issues of peace, war and conflict, as well as practical suggestions for making churches hospitable and welcoming to Armed Forces personnel and their families, are expected to be published after the Synod.

“As a Church, we want to do everything that we can to pray for, work for and advocate for peace, because the kingdom of God is a kingdom of justice and peace; and to face the reality and to put in place, or at least to begin to have conversations towards plans about how the Church might need to respond and to be if there were to be a serious conflict”, concluded Nelson.

Methodist church: “To be church in a time of conflict”

Not only is the Church of England concerned about the threat of increasing worldwide war and conflict, but the Methodist Church also addressed this issue at the recently held Telford Conference.

During the conference, the Methodist Forces Board presented what it has done in the last year, in a report which also urges the Methodist Church “to support its military chaplains to achieve the objectives of the Forces Board as the global security situation gives serious cause for concern”.

“In the near future, we believe church communities will need to understand what it is to be church in a time of conflict”, states de report.

“Resources rooted in Scripture”

They aim to “produce resources, rooted in Scripture and teachings of the church, to help Methodists with theological reflections and practical tools for their ministry in a time of conflict”.

The Forces Board also points out that “published statements on issues of war and peace should be reviewed in the light of the deteriorating security situation, with its associated challenges to the rules-based order of the international community”.

“This work may involve a significant mental shift from the long period of relative peace that Europe has experienced […] Our processes are currently designed for periods of stability and peace. It may become necessary to discern a call to chaplaincy from a wider range of ministerial experience than at present”, warned Kevin Highfield, Chair of the Forces Board.

Collaboration to equip the church

The Forces Board also announced that they are working together to create materials to deal with that growing conflict.

According to the report, “reflections and tools might include:

• 
  

  A brief theological approach to thinking about war, peace and conflict

  
  


• 
  

  Theological concepts and scriptural passages that can be used in preaching and teaching

  
  


• 
  

  Approaches and ideas to be used in speaking publicly in the wider community

  
  


• 
  

  Pastoral approaches that should be considered in times of anxiety and conflict, doing justice to often contradictory convictions about issues of war and peace

  
  


• 
  

  Practical resources that can be used in worship and in church buildings

  
  


• 
  

  Practical suggestions for supporting military personnel and their families.”

  
  

[analysis]

[title]Join us to make EF sustainable[/title]

[photo][/photo]

[text]At Evangelical Focus, we have a sustainability challenge ahead. We invite you to join those across Europe and beyond who are committed with our mission. Together, we will ensure the continuity of Evangelical Focus and our Spanish partner Protestante Digital in 2025.

Learn all about our #TogetherInThisMission initiative here (English).

[/text][/analysis]