ASEAN Mission Conference

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).

First Preference:
Mission in Unity and Contextual Theology (MU) and Ecumenical Leadership Formation and Spirituality (EF)
Second Preference:
Building Peace and Moving Beyond Conflicts (BP) and Prophetic Diakonia and Advocacy (PD)
03 June 2014
christian conference of Asia, Asia christianity

  ASEAN COMMUNITY 2015: Challenges and Opportunities for Churches

An ASEAN Mission Conference,  jointly conducted by the Christian Conference of Asia (CCA) and the Church of Christ Thailand (CCT) called for more intra and inter-faith dialogue, sharing of scriptures and stories and blending of cultural expressions for peaceful co-existence. The conference that brought together 55 participants representing churches from the ten countries forming the ASEAN community, further called for economic co-operation through integration and sharing of resources; forging a common identity and forming a people-oriented,  socially responsible community;  and  hoped that the ASEAN region would become the "fulcrum of geopolitical peace and stability in Asia."

The  Conference, that is being held from 2-6 June 2014 at the CCT’s  75th Anniversary Building, Chiang Mai, Thailand aims to increase knowledge and understanding of the new ASEAN Community and its impact in the Asian region; redefine the vision and mission of churches in ASEAN communities, and identify strategies for  sharing  experiences,  joint implementation, networking and closer participation in the future.

The Association of Southeast Asian Nations (ASEAN) is a political and economic organization of ten countries located in Southeast Asia, which was formed on 8 Aug 1967 by Indonesia, Malaysia, the Philippines, Singapore and Thailand. Since then, membership has expanded to include Brunei, Cambodia, Laos, Myanmar and Vietnam. Its aims include accelerating economic growth, social progress, and socio-cultural evolution among its members, protection of regional peace and stability, and opportunities for member countries to discuss differences peacefully.

ASEAN was preceded by an organization called the Association of Southeast Asia (ASA), an alliance consisting of the Philippines, Malaysia and Thailand that was formed in 1961. The bloc itself, however, was established on 8 August 1967, when foreign ministers of five countries – Indonesia, Malaysia, the Philippines, Singapore, and Thailand – met at the Thai Department of Foreign Affairs building in Bangkok and signed the ASEAN Declaration, more commonly known as the Bangkok Declaration. The five foreign ministers are considered the organization’s Founding Fathers. The motivations for the birth of ASEAN were so that its members’ governing elite could concentrate on nation building, the common fear of communism, reduced faith in or mistrust of external powers in the 1960s, and a desire for economic development.

On the occasion of the 30th anniversary, leaders adopted The ASEAN Vision 2020, based on a shared vision of ‘One Vision, One Identity, One Community.’  At the ASEAN Summit in 2003, it was resolved that an ‘ASEAN Community’ be established. The three pillars of regional co-operation were identified as the ASEAN Political-Security Community (APSC),  ASEAN Economic Community (AEC) and the ASEAN Socio-Cultural Community (ASCC).

The conference provides the opportunity to deliberate on the ASEAN Vision 2020, with reference to the three pillars of the Community, along with the blue prints and the Initiative for ASEAN Integration; and the challenges and opportunities it poses to the people and religious communities. Worship, theme presentations and group discussions over the next two days are expected to facilitate in-depth understanding and awareness of the post 2015 vision, plan and recommend a road map for churches to be relevant in a community that looks forward to be seamless in its efforts to bring peace, prosperity and progress in the region.