ACELC urges Asian churches to pursue models of integrity leadership

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).

No preference updated.

03 May 2023

Panel session on ‘Integrity Leadership: Towards Mutual Accountability and Transparency’ during ACELC at PGI Headquarters; from left to right: Bishop Steven Lawrence (Malaysia), His Grace Dr Youhanon Mar Demetrios (India), and Rev. Dr Henriette Hutabarat Lebang (Indonesia)

Jakarta, Indonesia: A special panel session on ‘Integrity Leadership: Towards Mutual Accountability and Transparency’ saw presentations from two senior Asian church and ecumenical leaders, Rev. Dr Henriette Hutabarat Lebang from Indonesia and Bishop Steven Lawrence from Malaysia, who called upon one hundred Asian church and ecumenical leaders to pursue models of integrity leadership that were marked by humility, accountability, transparency, and integrity. 

The panel session was held as part of the Christian Conference of Asia’s (CCA) Asian Church and Ecumenical Leaders’ Conference (ACELC) and took place at the headquarters of the Persekutuan Gereja-gereja di Indonesia (PGI), or the Communion of Churches in Indonesia (CCI).

Rev. Dr Henriette Hutabarat Lebang, the Asia President of the World Council of Churches, illustrated the facets of Christian integrity leadership, at the heart of which are servanthood, sacrifice, and selflessness. 

“We believe that our leadership should be inspired by God; not by power, privilege, or position,” said Rev. Dr Lebang, who also served as the General Secretary of the CCA from 2010 to 2015.

“A leader of integrity is trustworthy, reliable, and capable of making wise judgements. They earn trust through their competence and ethical behaviour…despite challenges of politics, moral scandals, and other issues that polarise the church. Such leaders inspire accountability through their ability to accept responsibility,” she shared. 

Rev. Dr Lebang further proposed the model of ‘transcendental leadership’. While transactional leadership was profit-oriented and transformational leadership was people-oriented, transcendental leadership was planet-oriented and fulfilled the planetary call for the good governance of all creation. 

Bishop Steven Lawrence, from the Evangelical Lutheran Church in Malaysia, presented a fresh reading of Mark 10:35–45, where, in the context of James’ and John’s unhealthy request for leadership and power, Jesus reveals his expectations of leadership and subverts the dominant associations of leadership with power. 

“God revealed Himself to us in opposites—His glory was in the cross and His power was in weakness. God measures success not by authority or prestige, but by humble servanthood and service. God does not approve of self-centredness, self-indulgence, and self-seeking behaviour in the leaders He appoints; greatness in God’s kingdom comes through servanthood, suffering, and self-denial,” said the Malaysian bishop.

Karmila Jusup from the Mission-21 Office in Indonesia, Rev. John Gilmore from the National Council of Churches in Australia, and Rev. Mery Kolimon from the Protestant Evangelical Church in Timor shared practical challenges or barriers to implementing integrity leadership from the floor. 

His Grace Dr Youhanon Mar Demetrios of the Malankara Orthodox Syrian Church moderated the session. 

More photos can be found here.