What Kind of Unity Should the Ecumenical Movement Seek?

Abstract “Where now for visible unity?” is the main question that will be discussed by the participants of the Sixth World Conference on Faith and Order, taking place in Egypt in October 2025. This article begins by exploring the different approaches to and concepts of visible unity in the history of the ecumenical movement and according to different church traditions. It then goes on to look at the idea of “gradual church communion” or “making unity visible step by step” on the basis of four main pillars – faith, prayer, witness, and communion – corresponding to the four marks of the church: martyria , leitourgia , diakonia , and koinonia .