Consultation on Church Union

Consultation on Church Union
	COCU Logo
Founded	1960
Type	Religious
Focus	Ecumenism, Mainline Christianity
Location	North America;
Origins	Sermon by Eugene Carson Blake in 1960
Area served	North America

The Consultation on Church Union (COCU) was an effort towards church unity in the United States, that began in 1962 and in 2002 became the Churches Uniting in Christ. It was a significant part of the Christian movement towards ecumenism. This effort can be seen in the context of the worldwide ecumenical attitude that was manifested in the 1948 formation of the World Council of Churches, the 1950 formation of the National Council of Churches, the 1957 formation of the United Church of Christ, and the formation of the Roman Catholic Pontifical Council for Promoting Christian Unity during the Second Vatican Council (which occurred from 1962 to 1965). The original task of COCU was to negotiate a consensus^[1] between its member denominations (originally the Protestant Episcopal Church, the Methodist Church, the United Church of Christ, and the UPCUSA).^[2]

^ While the term "merger" is widely used to describe the set of COCU proposals, it was rejected in general because of its relation to corporate culture. Moede, Gerald (1985), The COCU Consensus, Baltimore, MD: The Consultation on Church Union, p. vii
^ Lahutsky, Nadia (Winter 2003). "The Union of Christians and Disciples in 1832 and COCU/CUIC". Discipliana. 63 (4): 113–127. ISSN 0732-9881.