Churches Together in the Ortons
CHURCHES TOGETHER IN THE ORTONS, (with Alwalton and Chesterton) – further written as CTO – recognises that all those churches which acknowledge God's revelation in Christ, confess the Lord Jesus Christ as God and Saviour according to the Scriptures and seek to live their lives in the power of the Holy Spirit are joined in pilgrimage in God's way.
In Obedience to God's will, we, as the Churches Together in this area, commit ourselves to:-
Seek a deepening of our communion with Christ and with one another in the church, which is His body.
Fulfil our mission to proclaim the Gospel by common witness and service in the world to the glory of the one God, Father, Son and Holy Spirit.
Who we are: many churches, one purpose
There are many different Christian churches and denominations, but all have the same basic calling - to worship God, to share the good news about Jesus Christ and to work for the good of all people.
So they often need to work together, as well as co-ordinate the work they each do separately. When they do, they are acting as Churches Together.
But being Churches Together means more than that. It means commitment by each church and denomination to deepen its fellowship with the others and, without losing what makes each interestingly different, to work with them towards a greater visible unity.
CTO Constitution
AIMS
The aims shall be:
1. To give opportunities for the churches to meet and consult with one another on a regular basis.
2. To enable the member churches to share in common witness in word and action.
3. To enable the churches to respond to the needs of society and the wider world and to witness the gospel together.
In particular CTO shall seek:
1. To enable the churches, as pilgrims together, to develop growing relationships, to seek a common mind and to make decisions together.
2. To encourage churches to worship, pray and reflect together on the nature and purpose of the church in the light of its mission – each church sharing with others the treasures of its tradition.
3. To enable the churches to respond to the needs of society and to witness the gospel together
4. To enable the churches to live and share the gospel, to evangelise together and to take further steps towards fuller unity.
RELATIONSHIPS
CTO is in association with Shire and Soke (Churches Together in Northamptonshire & Peterborough)
MEMBERSHIP
Membership of CTO shall be open to:-
a) Any local church in the area which affirms the Basis and commits itself to promote the aims of CTO.
b) Any local church which, on principle, has no creedal statements in its tradition and therefore cannot formally subscribe to the statement of faith in the Basis, provided that it satisfies 75% in number of those full members churches which subscribe to the Basis that it manifests faith in Christ as witnessed to in the Scriptures and is committed to the Aims and purposes of CTO and that it will work in the spirit of the Basis.
c) Any association, network or movement which brings together Christians from different denominations in the area for purposes which are compatible with the Basis and Aims of CTO.
OFFICERS
The Officers of CTO shall be a Moderator and Deputy Moderator (one a minister and one lay person). These should be re-elected annually subject to a maximum term of office of 3 years. There should be an Honorary Treasurer and Honorary Secretary to be elected at the Annual General Meeting.
ENABLING GROUP
There shall be an enabling group whose function shall be to enable the member churches to make decisions in common. The enabling group shall be comprised of the officers, with up to 2 members (1 lay member and 1 clergy or minister if appropriate and possible) appointed by the member churches with regard to and appropriate representation of the various Christian traditions and denomination's membership.
CONSTITUTION
The constitution and any subsequent amendment to it requires the approval of 75% of the member churches, acting through their normal decision-making bodies.
REVIEW
It is intended that CTO shall reflect the developing life of the Christian churches as they continue their pilgrimage together. A Review Group may be appointed by the member churches in consultation with Shire and Soke, to report on the progress of the pilgrimage and to make proposals for desirable changes.
ANNUAL GENERAL MEETING
All members of all member bodies shall be invited to the Annual General Meeting.
Contact Information - Christ Church, 2 Benstead, Orton Goldhay, Peterborough, PE2 5JJ
Phone : 01733 394411 - Email : sarahcgower@btinternet.com - Social Media : TBC