Ecumenism is easy to talk about. It’s doing something to promote it that’s the problem. As a pastor in a town with churches of different denominations, all of whom love their doctrinal distinctions and are jealous to defend them whenever they perceive the slightest challenge, how can you be ecumenical and seek the unity that Jesus prayed for? How can biblical ecumenism happen when the other churches in town are sensitive about their size or their reputation, their denomination and liturgy (or lack thereof) and suspicious of your church and its reputation, denomination, and liturgy?

We’ve tried inviting other pastors and congregations to join us in our conferences. We’ve held joint services with other churches. We’ve prayed publicly (and privately) for the various churches of the various denominations in our city and region – and a number of other things. In spite of all this, our ecclesiastical culture continues to be divided, suspicious, and content with the status quo.

The question is, what can we do to change this? I’m not sure of the answer yet. But, for us, the first step forward toward this goal seems to lie in joining with our brothers in serving our community: helping out in the local food bank (established and run mostly by the Baptists); assisting in the community clothes closet (begun by a coalition of mainline churches); taking a day in a local mission to feed a noon meal to the homeless (originally begun by a concerned Christian, now joined by numerous churches in our area); helping out at the Crisis Pregnancy center (manned mostly by Pentecostals and Roman Catholics); joining together with other Christians in the work of Habitat for Humanity; etc.

We not only support these works financially, but we want to be active participants. We’ve encouraged every family of our congregation to choose one of these ministries and seek to spend a few hours serving in them each month. And slowly, gradually, more and more families and individuals in the congregation are getting involved.

We don’t participate with an agenda – i.e., we’re not there to manipulate them into a theological discussion or to try to persuade them to leave their churches and join ours. We’re not doing this to enhance our reputation or obtain “good publicity.” We don’t want to “take over” their ministry. We just want to help.

And, the more we do it, the more it seems that this is probably the best way for ecumenism to begin (at least lay a foundation for it to grow). In serving with our brethren, we give them an opportunity to get to know us and trust us as fellow servants in the Kingdom. We give them the opportunity to see that we love Jesus and care about others, like they do. As they begin to trust us on this primary level, it makes it easier to explore other areas of doctrine and life.

Equally important, while we’re doing this, we get to demonstrate to our community that Christians are members of one family. In these times of joint service, we get to show Jesus’ compassion for the world – and that often communicates the reality of Jesus more clearly than we have opportunity to do through our books and conferences and symposiums. We undermine the world’s canard that Christians care more about ideas than they do about people.

And, we begin, in these small ways, to learn what it means to live as “one body.” We are praying and hoping that serving together as “one body” will be the prelude to growing in deeper unity of mind and heart. And that’s a lot better than just sitting around talking about ecumenism.

Steve Wilkins is Senior Pastor of Auburn Avenue Presbyterian Church in Monroe, Louisiana.