This article focuses on what has been attained in ecumenical cooperation and what remains to be done on the occasion of the 50th anniversary of the Faith Constitution Lumen gentium. The article touches on a broader ecclesiastical understanding of the Church in the context of diversity. It makes mention of the ecclesiastical creativity of the Early Church in comparison with the current searching for relevant ecclesiastical forms. This article underlines the positive influence of the mission of the Church on the unity of the Church. The missionary endeavor of the Church is viewed as a meaningful imperative and a motivation on the path towards Unity. The growing contacts between the Evangelical movement and the Roman Catholic Church are recalled as new important ecumenical dialogues. The question of "Volkskirche" is opened up in post-Christian Europe and the process of it slowly changing itself into the confessing Church. The author considers the positive influence of various Church spiritual movements for the question of Church unity. The question is speculated whether the rise of denominations was predominantly negative and whether it created problems for the unity. There have been denominations in different epochs of history fighting against persecution, spreading certain benefits of tolerance and providing the possibility of cooperation across the boundaries of various Churches. This article aims at further ecumenical dialogue and views the Postmodern period as a major challenge for future ecclesiastical development and ecumenism.
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