CCA urges churches to challenge mental health stigma and strengthen pastoral care on World Mental Health Day 2026

Programme Review and Programme Direction

Two key deliberative sessions during the 15th CCA General Assembly are the Programme Review and Programme Direction sessions.

The Programme Review and Programme Direction sessions will both be conducted in three groups relating to the CCA’s programme areas, namely, (i) General Secretariat (GS), (ii) Mission in Unity and Contextual Theology (MU) and Ecumenical Leadership Formation and Spirituality (EF); and (iii) Building Peace and Moving Beyond Conflicts (BP) and Prophetic Diakonia (PD).

Assembly participants will have the option to join one of three groups for both the Programme Review and Programme Direction sessions. For the sake of coherence, the assigned group will remain the same for both sessions.

General Secretariat

The General Secretariat oversees the coordination of programmatic, administrative, and financial activities of the organization. The GS comprises various departments such as church and ecumenical relations, relations with ecumenical partners, finance, administration, and communications, which provide crucial support and services for the implementation of programs and contribute to the overall functioning of the CCA.

Programmes: Relations with member churches and councils, ecumenical partners; advocacy at the United Nations; ecumenical responses to emerging issues in solidarity; income development and finance; and communications.

Mission in Unity and Contextual Theology (MU) and Ecumenical Leadership Formation and Spirituality (EF)

Under the MU programme area, the CCA accompanies Asian churches to strengthen their mission and witness in multi-religious contexts, revitalise and nurture church unity and the Asian ecumenical movement, and develop contextual theological foundations.

Programmes: Asian Movement for Christian Unity (AMCU); Congress of Asian Theologians (CATS); Asian women doing theology in the context of wider ecumenism; contextualisation of theology in Asia and ecumenical theological education.

The EF programme area focuses on nurturing and developing ecumenical leaders in Asia. The programme aims to enhance spiritual formation and theological understanding, enabling people to actively engage in ecumenical dialogue and collaboration.

Programmes: Ecumenical Enablers’ Training in Asia (EETA); Asian Ecumenical Institute (AEI); Youth and Women Leadership Development; Ecumenical Spirituality and Nurturing of Contextual Liturgical Traditions; Asia Sunday

Building Peace and Moving Beyond Conflicts (BP) and Prophetic Diakonia and Advocacy (PD)

The BP programme area is dedicated to promoting peace, justice, and reconciliation in Asia’s diverse contexts. Through training, advocacy, and dialogue, the programme addresses the root causes of conflicts, empowers communities, and fosters sustainable peacebuilding initiatives.

Programmes: Pastoral Solidarity Visits; Churches in Action for Moving Beyond Conflict and Resolution; Young Ambassadors of Peace in Asia (YAPA); Ecumenical Women’s Action Against Violence (EWAAV); Eco-Justice for Sustainable Peace in the Oikos.

The PD programme area focuses on promoting justice, human rights, and social transformation in Asia. Through advocacy, capacity-building, and raising awareness, the programme addresses systemic injustice, empowers marginalised communities, and advocates for prophetic actions and meaningful change.

Programmes: Human Rights advocacy; Migration, Statelessness, and Trafficking in Persons; Asian Ecumenical Disability Advocacy Network; Asian Advocacy Network on the Dignity and Rights of Children (AANDRoC); Ecumenical Solidarity Accompaniment and Diakonia in Asia (ESADA); Health and Healing; Good Governance; Action Together to Combat HIV and AIDS in Asia (ATCHAA).

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10 October 2026

Chiang Mai, Thailand: On World Mental Health Day 2026, the Christian Conference of Asia (CCA) called on churches and communities to challenge mental health stigma, strengthen pastoral care, and ensure that people experiencing mental health challenges are heard, supported, and treated with dignity.

The theme of this year’s World Mental Health Day, “Lived Experiences Heard: Real Voices, Real Change,” underscores the importance of recognising the experiences of people living with mental health challenges and ensuring that their voices shape the support they receive.

In a statement released on 10 October 2026, CCA General Secretary Rev. Jung Eun Grace Moon stressed that every person’s story matters and every voice deserves to be heard. She emphasised that mental health awareness must translate into meaningful action that responds to people’s lived realities.

Rev. Moon emphasised the responsibility of churches and communities in addressing the stigma and fear of judgement that often prevent people from seeking support. “Our churches and communities must become places where people can speak honestly about their pain without shame, exclusion or fear,” the statement affirmed.

Underscoring the importance of compassionate engagement, the statement noted that “listening is more than an expression of compassion; it is an act of justice.” 

It further stressed that mental health must be recognised as an integral part of pastoral care, community engagement, and Christian witness.

Highlighting the Church’s ministry of accompaniment, Rev. Moon called for communities that walk alongside those who suffer, strengthen those who feel weary, and nurture hope.

The statement also emphasised that people with lived experiences of mental health challenges must have an active role in shaping the ministries and programmes intended to support them.

Reaffirming CCA’s commitment to mental health awareness, the statement called on member churches, councils, ecumenical partners, and communities across Asia to challenge stigma, strengthen pastoral and community-based support, and collaborate with mental health professionals and civil society to ensure that appropriate care is accessible, inclusive, and dignified.

The full text of the CCA Statement on World Mental Health Day 2026 can be found here.