A Denominational Ecumenical Officer (DEO) is someone appointed by a Christian denomination to encourage and coordinate relationships with other churches in the pursuit of Christian unity. The role involves representing their church in ecumenical bodies and dialogues, supporting cooperation between denominations, and helping churches work together in prayer, mission, social action, and theological understanding. They often assist with shared worship, Local Ecumenical Partnerships (LEPs), and events such as the Week of Prayer for Christian Unity.
The role combines theology, relationship-building, and practical organisation. Ecumenical officers help their denomination remain faithful to its own tradition while also fostering mutual respect and collaboration with other Christians. The DEO’s work is rooted in Christ’s prayer “that they may all be one” (John 17:21) and in the belief that greater visible unity strengthens the Church’s witness in the world.
***
Here Rev Fiona Munn introduces herself and says a little about her background, current role and ecumenical hopes as the new Anglican DEO for Norfolk and Waveney:
“I am really pleased to have taken on the role of Denominational Ecumenical Officer for the Anglican Church in our county. I am a priest in King’s Lynn at St Faith’s Church, Gaywood. My role is that of a pioneer, listening and responding to those living in the social housing estates of our parish. I also spend time in our local schools. Our Church is a Methodist / Anglican single congregation LEP. We worship alongside one another and each gain from the richness of our different worshipping traditions.
"I am part of King’s Lynn Churches Together. This organisation has a long history of encouraging Christian unity in our town through joint events and social action projects. We also gather regularly as church leaders for breakfast meetings and friendships have grown.
"In my past life I worked as a GP. I am married with three children. My family lived in a village just outside Norwich. Following ordination in 2023, I moved to King’s Lynn and served my curacy at King’s Lynn Minster. During this time, I did two chaplaincy placements. These enabled me to see the value of working together ecumenically whilst serving the social needs of a community.
"At the Queen Elizabeth Hospital in King’s Lynn, I spent time with Baptist, Quaker, Roman Catholic and Free Church Chaplains. I particularly enjoyed our reflective conversations over lunch. Whilst in Wayland prison I met Roman Catholic, Evangelical and Anglican colleagues. These few short weeks brought huge insights. I realised the need for humility when we work ecumenically. My way of ‘doing church’ is simply one approach; it is not the correct way.
"Whilst training for ordination at St Mellitus, I travelled to Rome on pilgrimage. We spent time in ecumenical conversations with Fr Tony Currer who was serving on the Pontifical Council. I valued hearing him speak of his passion for ecumenism and being able to ask him questions. We also spent time with seminarians training for the Catholic priesthood at the Venerable English College. I learnt how ecumenism happens on many levels: within individual friendships, local churches, as well as at a national and institutional level. I saw some of the pain that there can be when we engage deeply ecumenically and yet joy can be found in unexpected places.
"Christian Unity is hugely important to me. I see the challenges the Anglican Church faces within our own denomination to deal with differences. Often these are played out on social media and sometimes demonstrate a lack of grace and compassion towards fellow Christians. And yet, I also see examples where differences are put aside, and love for our neighbour is prioritised. I have friends who hold very different theological positions to me and who worship in very different ways. We may not understand everything about these differences, but through mutual respect and listening, we can each grow in our understanding and deepen our love for Christ and each other.”
To contact Fiona please email her at: pioneer@stfaithsgaywoodlep.org.uk
Each of the seven Christian denominations that make up Churches Together in Norfolk and Waveney (NWCT) has a DEO whose role is to represent their own churches on Church Unity. The DEOs meet formally in a committee convened by Dr Ian Watson, the County Ecumenical Officer, three times a year. The current DEOs are:
Catholic - Pam Smith
pam.smith@rcdea.org.uk
Methodist & URC - Rev David Ely:
david.ely@methodist.org.uk
Baptist - Rev June Love:
juneklbc@gmail.com
Friends (Quakers) - Joy Croft
joyful.croft@gmail.com
Salvation Army - Major Jenny Barwise
jennifer.barwise@salvationarmy.org.uk
Anglican - Rev Fiona Munn
pioneer@stfaithsgaywoodlep.org.uk
Article by Dr Ian Watson, County Ecumenical Officer for Norfolk and Waveney
Photo courtesy of Rev Fiona Munn
(Author: )
Programme launched to help churches drive change in their communities
A national programme to help churches drive social change and seek justice has been launched.
Modern Slavery Conference: A Call to Christians Across East Anglia
Saturday 6 February 2027 | Newmarket and Online
Prayers of Hope
A Moment of Prayer and Reflection on Premier Christian Radio
Latest CTE Newsletter
The latest Churches Together Newsletter Highlights Christian Unity and Contemporary Challenges
Norfolk churches set to celebrate Christian unity
An annual celebration of Christian unity, hosted this year by Chapelfield Methodist church.
Norfolk book on patriotism, faith and love
Norfolk County Ecumenical Officer Dr Ian Watson has just published a book about Patriotism and the Desire for Human Flourishing, which grew out of his doctoral research in moral philosophy.
The Spirit of Assisi: Building peace through encounter
Dr Ian Watson reports on an ecumenical and inter-religious gathering in London
When Conviction Meets Conscience
An Ecumenical Reading of Romans 14 by the County Ecumenical Officer
New Convenor for Churches Together in Norfolk and Waveney
Rev Helen Hollands, Chair of the East Anglia Methodist District, has taken on the role of Convenor of NWCT – Dr Ian Watson, County Ecumenical Officer for Norfolk and Waveney, reports
CTE Conference Report by Rev Fiona Munn
Rev Fiona Munn, the Anglican Denominational Ecumenical Officer for Norfolk and Waveney, reports on the Churches Together in England (CTE) All Ecumenical Officer Conference 2026
Conscience, Truth and Christian Unity
On St John Henry Newman’s feast day, Dr Ian Watson reflects on respecting the convictions of Christians with whom we disagree.
New CTBI Magazine: Christian unity in a time of division
The Autumn 2026 edition of the Churches Together in Britain and Ireland Magazine is now available, bringing together news, resources and reflections on Christian unity and the Churches’ common witness
Ecumenism from the Bottom Up
Dr Ian Watson, County Ecumenical Officer, asks what might Pentecostal experience teach us about where Christian unity begins?
Bowthorpe Church celebrates 40 Years
Christians from across the traditions gathered in Norwich to celebrate forty years of a church built upon a shared commitment to worship, witness and service - Dr Ian Watson reports.
When Faith, Nation and Belonging Meet
The County Ecumenical Officer for Norfolk and Waveney, explains why CTE’s new Kingdom over Nation resource matters for our churches and common witness
Diverse in Culture, Nation, Race
The County Ecumenical Officer reflects on a hymn about human difference, reconciliation and belonging, and why its words speak so powerfully to the search for Christian unity
The Conversations That Keep Churches Talking
What the Malines Conversations can teach all Christians about encounter, recognition and the patient work of Christian unity
Christianity is a Faith of Companionship
The County Ecumenical Officer draws on a recent Christian Art reflection to consider what it might teach us about the ecumenical journey
Latest from Churches Together in Britain and Ireland
The latest newsletter from Churches Together in Britain and Ireland (CTBI) brings together news, resources and events from across the ecumenical life of the churches in Britain and Ireland
Becoming Neighbour
A Shared Christian Vocation
When the Cross Is Wrapped in the Flag
Christian nationalism and the search for a better patriotism, by the County Ecumenical Officer for Norfolk and Waveney
Encouragement and Hope in Gorleston
The County Ecumenical Officer visits and discusses unity with Churches in the Community in the east of the county
When Another Christian Cannot See the Point
The County Ecumenical Officer on a conversation about church buildings, and what it asks of us when another tradition cannot see what we see
Can Mary Be a Causeway to Christian Unity?
The County Ecumenical Officer reflects from Walsingham on the Solemnity of the Assumption
Learning the Grammar of Ecumenical Encounter
The County Ecumenical Officer reflects on Christian encounter, and what it means to know ourselves through others
Thetford: A Christian Response in a Time of Division
The County Ecumenical Officer signposts a timely reflection from local Christian blogger Steve Jefroy on events in Thetford and what an authentic Christian response might look like
“Do Not Be Afraid, Little Flock”
Looking Ahead to the Week of Prayer for Christian Unity 2027
The God of All the Clans
The County Ecumenical Officer finds hope for Christian unity in the prophecy of Jeremiah
East of England Ecumenical Officers meet up
Eastern regional County Ecumenical Officers gather for fellowship and encouragement in Friends House London - Dr Ian Watson reports
The Courage of Small Beginnings
What Jesus’ parable of the mustard seed and Hannah Arendt’s philosophy of action can teach us about Christian unity, faithful perseverance, and trusting God with what we cannot yet see
Snapshot of ecumenical life in new CTE Newsletter
The latest Churches Together in England newsletter has been published
From Service to Communion
A Timely Vision for Christian Social Action
Around One Presence
Finding Christian unity by drawing closer to Christ by Dr Ian Watson
When Christians Come Together
The County Ecumenical Officer on what it means to come together rather than simply to be together
Journeying Together Towards 2033
Pope Leo XIV encourages a shared Christian witness to the Jubilee of Redemption
The Face of the Other
An exploration on presence, holiness, and the ecumenical encounter before words are spoken
Duty Before Dialogue?
Giuseppe Mazzini and Unitatis Redintegratio in the Moral Calling for Christian Unity
Towards a Larger Ecumenism?
The County Ecumenical Officer writes on the Unity of the Church and the Unity of Humankind
The Waveney Valley Ecumenical Partnership
Encouraged by a Living Witness to Christian Unity in the Waveney Valley - The County Ecumenical Officer reports
Whom Do We Trust?
Christian division as a crisis of testimony – a view by the County Ecumenical Officer
Alien and at Home: Notes on Being a Catholic in Ecumenical Space
A personal and philosophical reflection by Dr Ian Watson on belonging, strangeness, and the unexpected gifts of the ecumenical journey
Unity Before Agreement?
The County Ecumenical Officer reflects on why some of the most important advances in Christian unity began with Christians learning how to remain in relationship despite disagreement
The Most Holy Trinity and the Call to Christian Unity
On Trinity Sunday, the County Ecumenical Officer reminds us that the Church seeks unity because God himself is unity
Beyond Babel? An Ecumenical Reflection on Magnifica Humanitas
A provisional personal response from the County Ecumenical Officer to Pope Leo XIV’s first encyclical from an ecumenical perspective
Pilgrimage, Fellowship and Christian Friendship in Walsingham
Reflections from the National Pilgrimage 2026 by Dr Ian Watson, County Ecumenical Officer for Norfolk and Waveney
Unity in Action Close to Home
What Global Ecumenical Trends Can Teach Us About Christian Unity in Norfolk and Waveney
An Update on Unity in Action
Encouraging signs from the Ecumenical Movement –
an update for Spring and Early Summer 2026
Brothers and Sisters in Christ
An open letter of gratitude, hope and encouragement from Dr Ian Watson to Christians Across Norfolk and Waveney, marking nearly three years as County Ecumenical Officer
Kingdom Over Nation
A new ecumenical resource developed through Churches Together in England to aid churches in dealing with the issues associated with Christian nationalism
The Seamless Tunic and the Unity of the Church
Dr Ian Watson reinforces the notion of the Seamless Tunic as an Ancient Symbol with an Ecumenical Future