Ecclesiology

North Africa and West Asia are home to Christians of diverse ecclesial traditions who nevertheless face shared threats of persecution and their faith’s extinction in its traditional homeland. Typical ecclesial traits of the historic Eastern churches include a mystical approach to liturgy, apostolical succession through the episcopate, the centrality of the Eucharistic gathering, and the status of the patriarch as the “first among equals” in the synod. Eastern Catholic churches have moved towards Roman ecclesiology through acceptance of papal authority and doctrines such as the Filioque and transubstantiation. Protestant and evangelical missionaries also brought a very different Western ecclesiology, gaining their foothold primarily through promoting education. The Middle East Council of Churches (MECC) has been a positive force for ecumenism and collaboration towards healthy pluralism on the basis of a shared Arab culture.