An Anglican/Methodist Group co-chaired by the Bishop of Grimsby, the Rt Revd David Tustin, and the Secretary of the Methodist Conference, the Revd Brian Beck, have recommended that a new unity scheme for the two Churches should be attempted. The group has been meeting for informal talks for two years. It suggests that that future candidates for the ministry be ordained into both Churches, without exception.

The immediate unification of the two Churches is out of the question says the group. Two many differences still exist, not least over the reconciliation of the Churches' ministries, which caused previous schemes to flounder. The group plans to proceed by means of formal conversations to a common statement and a declaration (as in the Meissen and Porvoo agreements), and by the gradual integration of ministries.

"Each Church would continue to recognise the intention of the other to ordain into the ministry of the universal Church of God," says the report. "It would, however, be open to presbyters in the existing ministries of either Church to offer themselves freely for the laying-on of hands in the other Church."

But the report does not specify what words a bishop would use when laying hands on a Methodist minister, that would be for formal conversations to determine. It says though:"to participate in such an act would not be to call into question the ordination or apostolicity of any of those ordained... or to deny the fruitfulness of past ministry. Such an act would involve prayer that God would strengthen our confidence in each other's ministry."

The introduction of joint ordinations for those newly entering the ministry would bring about a "single episcopally ordained ministry in the historic succession". Special provision would be made for those who did not wish to be jointly ordained, provided they were already in training for ordination before the common declaration was made.

The group recommends that formal talks should take place only if the Churches are willing to take account of the "complexities" arising from the conscience provision for opponents of women priests. "We are agreed that any change in relationship between our two Churches must honour this attempt at securing comprehensiveness and at living with differences during the process of discernment", says the group, in its report - Commitment to Mission and Unity. "Equally, though, we are agreed that the Methodist Church cannot contemplate limiting the ministry of oversight already exercised by women."