Presbyter and Priest in Sacramental Perspective

Abstract This article examines the claim made in the 2003 Covenant between the Church of England and the Methodist Church of Great Britain that Anglican priests and Methodist presbyters exercise the same ministry of word and sacrament. The 1932 Methodist Deed of Union’s doctrinal assertion of ‘the priesthood of all believers’ casts doubt on that claim given that Anglicans affirm a distinctive ministerial priesthood. However, ecumenical dialogue has contributed to significant developments in the British Methodist understanding of ordination since the Deed of Union. Drawing on authoritative statements by the British Methodist Conference since 2003 and the fruits of the international Methodist – Roman Catholic dialogue commission, the article substantiates the claim of the Anglican-Methodist Covenant but suggests that Methodist sacramental practice in relation to eucharistic presidency is inconsistent with its official theology of ordination.