Ecumenical is derived from the Greek oikumene which means the "whole inhabited earth". The term has been used since the Fourth Century to describe the unity and wholeness of the faith community. The Council of Nicea produced the Nicene Creed in 325 A.D. is called the first ecumenical council. In modern usage the word 'ecumenical' is used to describe the concern among Christians for the unity of the church and the unity of all things in Christ.

Our unity with God was broken with the fall of Adam, but restored in the one new Man, Jesus Christ (I Cor. 15:22). Ecumenical refers to a unity in tension. Our diversity is an essential prerequisite for unity. The fact that we are independent in relation to each other reveals our true unity Within the content of love, our differences can be the glue to unite us.

The ecumenical movement views the "whole inhabited earth" as its concern. The fundamental task of the church is to enable holistic churches to bring the whole gospel to the world as the vision of Christian unity is promulgated.