Asian Church leader and human rights advocate Rev. C.M Kao passes away

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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15 February 2019

Rev. Dr. C.M Kao

Former General Secretary of the Presbyterian Church in Taiwan (PCT) Rev. C.M Kao, a prominent Asian church leader and human rights advocate, passed away in the afternoon on 14 February, 2019.

A native of Tainan, Rev. Kao was born in 1929 and graduated from the Tainan Theological College and Seminary. He served as a minister at Taiwanese indigenous churches.

During his tenure as Principal of Yushan Seminary, he helped the seminary endure many difficult phases and it later became the only school founded for indigenous Taiwanese.

Dr. Mathews George Chunakara, General Secretary of the Christian Conference of Asia stated, “Rev. Kao had devoted his life to proclaiming the Gospel and practical applications of the Gospel message in every area he served. It was precisely for this reason that he was arrested and imprisoned for the values he struggled for, especially the protection of human rights and human dignity during the martial law period in Taiwan.”

Rev. Kao was arrested and imprisoned for more than four years by the martial law regime in 1980.  The World Council of Churches had consistently advocated for his release during that time.

The CCA General Secretary recalled the bold initiatives Rev. Kao had taken based on his faith and witness; justifying his position against martial law in Taiwan in the 1970s,  Rev. Kao wrote, “Looking at it from the point of view of Christian faith and ethics, if the Church's life and human rights are violated, then (i) the Church cannot but contend vigorously for the truth of the Gospel and its own life, and (ii) also fight to protect God-given human rights, for the origin of human rights lies in man having been created in the image of God (Gen. 1:26-27)”.

Rev. Kao responded to the criticism against the position of the PCT while he was its General Secretary and when the Church produced a statement against authoritarianism and human rights violation by stating, “This kind of statement is not basically political, but is a confession of faith. It is like the Bremen Declaration of the Confessing Church in Germany under the Hitler regime, and, more recently, the statements issued by Churches in South Africa and Rhodesia”.

His efforts to promote social harmony and happy families inspired the city of Tainan to create “Happy Family Day” and promote healthier families. In 2012 he was awarded the prestigious “Outstanding Resident” award by the Tainan Government.

Recollecting her long years of close association and work with Rev. Kao, a mission co-worker with PCT Miss Carys Humphreys from Wales described her former colleague as “a dearest colleague, brother and friend; a precious friend and faithful, humble servant of God”.

The date of Rev. Kao’s funeral will be announced later by the General Assembly Office of the Presbyterian Church in Taiwan.