The first Assembly of the World Council of Churches (WCC) in the 21st century "will mark the beginning of a new phase in the search for Christian unity," according to the head of the international fellowship of Christian churches.

|TOP|While WCC assemblies, held once every seven to nine years, are often turning points in the life of the Council, the 9th assembly next month in Porto Alegre, Brazil, is expected to leave its mark on ecumenical history, according to the global body. In a written document released today, WCC’s general secretary, the Rev. Dr Samuel Kobia, reflected on his hopes for the Feb. 14-23 assembly.

“WCC assemblies have been landmark events in the life of the ecumenical movement for almost 60 years, gathering together a unique and comprehensive spectrum of Christians and churches,” Kobia wrote. “I hope that this Assembly, being the first one in the 21st century, will mark the beginning of a new phase in the search for Christian unity, and will be characterised by its vision of a new culture and forms for the modern ecumenical movement.”

The 9th assembly, which will be one of the broadest global gatherings of its kind, will gather up to 3,000 church leaders and ecumenical representatives from nearly every Christian tradition around the world “at a time of widespread injustice, poverty and despair,” the general secretary noted.

“The immense challenges which face humankind at this time call for careful discernment of the ‘signs of the times,’ and courageous visions of hope from the ecumenical movement,” he continued, later noting several critical issues that the Church needs to addressed. “Our world is in need of profound transformation.”

|AD|The theme of the upcoming assembly, which had been strongly influenced by the theological concerns of churches in the South American region, is the prayer “God, in your grace, transform the world.”

According to Kobia, the theme “is both a prayer and a hope.”

“It reminds us that God, in Christ, has offered humankind and the whole creation reconciliation and new life. This inspires me to believe that the Assembly can give an impulse towards a renewed ecumenical agenda for the 21st century,” he said.

The WCC head also expressed in his letter the desire to give greater attention to two particular areas in the future – visibility and substantiality of youth presence and participation throughout the assembly, and spirituality.

“Their (the young people’s) aspirations and interests need to be heard and their involvement needs to continue well beyond the event,” Kobia stated. He later mentioned that in all areas, “we need to find new ways of enabling youth participation, and creative approaches to ecumenical formation and leadership training, in order that we may see young people becoming central actors in the WCC, now and in the future.”

“Secondly,” he added, “I am convinced that the ecumenical movement will have to take spirituality much more seriously in order to nourish and more fully undergird our ecumenical experience together.”

The general secretary also emphasised that the WCC “is, first and foremost, a fellowship of churches” and expressed his hope of finding ways of working together “that will strengthen our sense of ownership and participation.”

Kobia reminded WCC members that the core mission of the Council is to promote visible Christian unity.

In concluding, the WCC general secretary urged members not to underestimate “the real potential of the churches together to contribute to the transformation of the world, in spite of the reality of the difficulties we face.”

“With common faith and a renewed hope, anything is possible,” he said.

“May this Assembly once more ‘set up signs’ of a common and visible Christian voice and witness, for a transformed world.”

The 9th assembly of the World Council of Churches will be the fellowship’s first assembly to be held in Latin America. It is being hosted by the National Council of Christian Churches in Brazil (CONIC) on behalf of churches throughout the region. Pre-assembly events for youth and for women will be held from Feb. 11-13.







Joseph Alvarez
Christian Today Correspondent