CCA Applauds the New Ecumenical Initiative of Churches in Aotearoa, New Zealand

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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02 March 2016

[caption id="attachment_1678" align="aligncenter" width="512"]New Zealand NDCU Officers (2) The Executive Committee of NDCU - from right, the Rev. Anne Mills, Most Rev. Philip Richardson (Chairperson) Rev. Rex Nathan (Treasurer), Ms. Pat Lythe , Rev. Cornelia Grant , and Rev. Prince Devanandan (Secretary)[/caption]

The Christian Conference of Asia (CCA) applauded the initiative of Aotearoa New Zealand churches to constitute a national ecumenical platform, the National Dialogue for Christian Unity (NDCU) in the country.

Representatives of the Anglican, Methodist and Roman Catholic Churches assembled in Wellington on 25th February 2016 and established the new national ecumenical body, NDCU. The inaugural meeting of NDCU was held at the Sacred Heart Cathedral followed by a service of celebration. The three churches ratified the constitution of NDCU, and accepted a theological statement on Unity.  The Presbyterian Church of New Zealand and the Salvation Army have chosen to remain with observer status in NDCU.

In a congratulatory message conveyed to the officers of the newly constituted NDCU, the general secretary of CCA, Dr. Mathews George Chunakara stated that the “Christian Conference of Asia warmly welcomes the new initiative of Aoteoroa New Zealand Churches to reactivate the national ecumenical platform where all Christian churches in the country will find their space to be engaged in common Christian witness and action in unity."

“The churches in Aotearoa New Zeland had played an active role in the Asian and global ecumenical movement for decades, although some churches are rather less enthusiastic in recent times in engaging themselves in wider ecumenical involvements. However, it is our fervent prayer and hope that  the newly constituted national ecumenical organization will be instrumental in reactivating the spirit of ecumenism and united witness ”, added the CCA General Secretary.

Conference of Churches of Aotearoa New Zealand, the previous national ecumenical organization in the country, was a member of the Christian Conference of Asia, became defunct ten years ago.

The office-bearers of the NDCU are Archbishop Philip Richardson (Anglican), Rev. Prince Devanandan (Secretary), Rev. Rex Nathan (Treasurer) and Pat Lythe, Anne Mills and Cornelia Grant   (executive committee members).

Rev. John Roberts, who facilitated the constituent bodies’ meeting, traced the recent history of the ecumenical movement in the country and challenged church leaders with a caution, “not to repeat mistakes of the past”.  He said, “failure to hold together faith and order issues with concern for social justice was a fundamental weakness of the previous ecumenical body which became defunct.”