In 2002 the Methodist Church in Ireland and the Church of Ireland formally entered into a Covenant which recognised ‘one another's churches as belonging to the One, Holy, Catholic and Apostolic Church of Jesus Christ and as truly participating in the apostolic mission of the whole people of God’. The covenant also sought to encourage the development of united Methodist/Church of Ireland congregations.

 

The following year a Covenant Council was formed to ’acilitate full implementation of the Covenant at Local, regional and national level.'  In their 2025 report the Covenant Council made the following comment in relation to CCP:

The coming together of Methodist and Church of Ireland congregations in Primacy Church in Bangor into a single congregation covenant partnership has provided an opportunity to review and update the regulatory framework of Local Covenant Partnerships. This will ensure that such partnerships will fulfil all constitutional obligations under the respective requirements of both denominations and be compliant with the charity regulator. The Covenant Council is encouraged by the richness of the partnership in Primacy and continues to encourage existing partnerships, along with seeking out new opportunities for congregations to share together in life and ministry.

 

In May and June 2025 General Synod and the Methodist Conference both recognised Christ Church Primacy status as Covenant Church that fully belonged to both the Methodist Church of Ireland and the Church of Ireland.  With the assistance of Archdeacon Barry Forde and the Rev. Heather Morris (Secretary of the Methodist Church in Ireland) a ‘model’ Local Partnership Agreement was developed and agreed by both church bodies.

 

The following extract from our CCP Summer 2025 Outreach magazine provided a summary of the presentation given to the Congregation by our Lay Pastoral Assistant (Colin Burrows). It set out how the LCP addresses key areas relevant to how denominational structures and processes are unified in a Covenant Church. Colin's presentation covered three areas:

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Agreed by Dioceses and the Circuit Executive

Ratified at General Synod and Conference

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Goverance

Leadership Model

Appointment of Clergy

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Governance: Since 2016, the NI Charities Commission has included ‘Religious designation’. Each CoI ‘Parish’ is registered individually, while MCI is registered as a single entity comprising all ‘Societies’ (churches) in Northern Ireland.

For legal, constitutional and practical reasons, Archdeacon Barry Forde recommended that for Covenant Churches, such as CCP, the MCI 'umbrella' registration was the best fit. This removes the need for local ‘trustees’, and finances would be audited centrally by MCI, who would also process gift aid applications. As finance and policies are both ‘governance’ issues, we would follow the Methodist Church in Ireland Safeguarding policy and training. CCP is therefore recognised by MCI as being a ‘Society in Covenant Partnership’.

The Local Covenant Partnership also provided that:

A single Register of Members of the Covenant Church will be maintained of persons aged 18 and over. Only persons on this register will be eligible for appointment or election to the Local Covenant Council, and are entitled to elect and appoint to the same. All persons on this register shall be deemed members of both the Methodist Church in Ireland and the Church of Ireland.

Leadership model: It was recognised that the Church Council’s functions were wider than those of the Select Vestry. Similarly, roles like Rector’s Church Wardens and Society Stewards needed alignment. The LCP approved the creation of a ‘Local Covenant Council’ with revised job titles, ensuring each role met denominational requirements.​