Faith and Order in the U.S.A.: A Brief History of Studies and Relationships

Since its founding in 1957, the National Council of Churches’ Commission on Faith and Order has worked to draw churches out of isolation into discussion on points of agreement and disagreement in faith, order, and worship. In Faith and Order in the USA, William Norgren, a long-time executive director of the Faith and Order Commission, takes a look at its background, history, and major initiatives.

He shows how the Commission — originally limited in its scope to mainline Protestant, Episcopal, and Orthodox church bodies — fostered fruitful dialogue not only between its founding churches but also, over time, with Roman Catholic, Southern Baptist, Evangelical, Pentecostal, Adventist, holiness, and peace churches, contributing to greater friendship, harmony, and partnership among many Christian churches in America.