CCA Executive Committee appoints new advisory committees for next quinquennium

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.

18 January 2024

CCA Vice Moderator Dr Anna Alisha Mathew Simon chairs a session during the second day of the Executive Committee meeting 

Chiang Mai, Thailand: The Executive Committee of the Christian Conference of Asia (CCA), which met for the first time after the General Assembly in Kottayam, made key decisions in appointing various advisory Committees and sub-Committees.

Advisory bodies such as the Programme Committee, Finance Committee, and the Asian Ecumenical Committee (AEC), among others, will serve for the next quinquennium, until the 16th CCA General Assembly in 2028. 

The Programme Committee of CCA normally meets three times between Assemblies. It is responsible for developing programmes as per the mandate of the General Assembly and the guidelines provided by the Executive Committee. 

The Programme Committee, led by the Chairperson, gives programmatic and thematic input and finalises the Strategic Programme Plan (SPP) as well as reviews the SPP during the five-year implementation period.

The Executive Committee appointed 14 members to the new Programme Committee for the next five years:

•    Dr Sureka Goringe, Uniting Church in Australia (F/L)
•    Rev. Keita Hotere, Methodist Church in New Zealand (F/O)
•    Bishop Steven Lawrence, Evangelical Lutheran Church in Malaysia and Singapore (M/O)
•    Rev. Jimmy Marcos Immanuel, Protestant Church in Western Indonesia (M/O)
•    Ms Ma Kay Catherine Almario, National Council of Churches in the Philippines (F/Y/L)
•    Rev. Minji Kim, National Council of Churches in South Korea (F/O)
•    Ms Nandita Biswas, National Council of Churches in Bangladesh (F/Y/L)
•    Rev. Reuben Qamar, National Council of Churches in Pakistan (M/O)
•    Ms Rosiana Purnomo, Communion of Churches in Indonesia (F/Y/L)
•    Ms Suk-Yi Pang, Hong Kong Christian Council (F/L)
•    Ms Wellorich Sokhlet, Presbyterian Church of India (F/L)
•    Rev. W.P. Ebenezer Joseph, Methodist Church of Sri Lanka (M/O)
•    Rev. Dr Yoontae Kim, Presbyterian Church of Korea (M/O)

The Chairperson of the Programme Committee, Dr Kuriakose Mor Theophilose Metropolitan from the Malankara Jacobite Syrian Orthodox Church, was elected by the 15th CCA General Assembly in October 2023. 

Although the CCA Constitution allows for up to 20 representatives to be appointed to the Programme Committee, the Executive Committee decided to appoint 14 members. However, the CCA Officers were mandated by the Executive Committee to appoint special Working Groups consisting of experts for each programmatic area to ensure efficiency in the implementation of programmes and activities at national, sub-regional, and Asia regional levels. Each Working Group will be coordinated by a designated Convenor who will also be involved in the Programme Committee meetings. 

The General Secretary’s proposal to decentralise programme implementation by enlisting expert assistance from Working Group members was seen as a novel approach to add capacities for programme implementation as well as wider representation of member churches and councils in CCA programmes and activities. The Executive Committee welcomed the idea as a positive move towards increased ownership of the CCA by its member constituencies. It was also considered an innovative way to address the staff shortages at the CCA headquarters. 

The Executive Committee appointed the Finance Committee, comprising financial experts who meet annually.

The members appointed include:

•    Rev. Kwok-Keung Chan, CCA Treasurer
•    Ms Tiurida Hutabarat, CCA Executive Committee Member from Huria Kristen Batak Protestant in Indonesia
•    Mr Nuttee Kunlacharnpises, Church of Christ in Thailand
•    Bishop Melzar D. Labuntog, United Church of Christ in the Philippines
•    Mr Patrick Yuen, Hong Kong Christian Council
•    Dr Mathews George Chunakara CCA General Secretary

The CCA Executive Committee appointed representatives of the CCA in the Asian Ecumenical Committee.

The CCA and the Federation of Asian Bishops’ Conferences (FABC) of the  Roman Catholic Church formed the Asian Ecumenical Committee to monitor and jointly organise activities and programmes such as the Congress of Asian Theologians and the Asian Movement of Christian Unity, foster ecumenical relations at the national and local levels, and make visible the unity of the Church in Asia. 

The AEC was set up by the two largest Christian bodies in Asia, the CCA and FABC in 1993, and then approved at the 1995 FABC Plenary Assembly in Manila and the 1995 CCA General Assembly in Colombo.

The Executive Committee appointed the following members to the Asian Ecumenical Committee:

•    Bishop Reuel Norman Marigza, Moderator of CCA 
•    Dr Abraham Mar Seraphim Metropolitan, Malankara Orthodox Syrian Church
•    Rev. John Gilmore, National Council of Churches in Australia
•    Dr Mathews George Chunakara, CCA General Secretary

The CCA and the FABC are equally represented in the Asian Ecumenical Committee with five members from each body. An additional member from CCA will be appointed in due course.

Other key appointments made by the Executive Committee include the following:

As CCA’s main legal entity is based on its Company registration in Hong Kong two special committees are constituted by the CCA Executive Committee after every General Assembly, namely, the Director Board of the CCA Hong Kong Company and the CCA’s Asset Management and Fund Investment Committee in Hong Kong. 

CCA Hong Kong Company Board of Directors:

•    Bishop Reuel Norman Marigza, CCA Moderator
•    Dr Anna Alisha Mathew Simon, CCA Vice Moderator
•    Rev. Kwok-Keung Chan, CCA Treasurer
•    Rev. Po Kam Cheong
•    Rev. Eric So
•    Dr Mathews George Chunakara, CCA General Secretary

CCA Asset and Fund Management and Investment Committee:

•    Rev. Kwok-Keung Chan, CCA Treasurer
•    Rev. Po Kam Cheong
•    Bishop Thomas Soo
•    Rev. Eric So
•    Dr Tong Wing Sze
•    Mr Patrick Yuen
•    Dr Mathews George Chunakara, CCA General Secretary

The CCA Foundation Thailand Committee oversees the legal status and organisational compliance of CCA in Thailand.

CCA Foundation Thailand Committee:

•    Rev. Dr Pradit Takerngrangsarit, CCA Executive Committee member
•    Dr Prawate Khid-Arn
•    Ms Sompan Wongdee
•    Ms Supaporn Yarnsarn
•    Mr Thaworn Sutyka
•    Dr Mathews George Chunakara, CCA General Secretary

The second day of the Executive Committee meeting was held on 18 January 2024.

For more photos (Photo Gallery), please click here: Executive Committee Meeting 2024 Day 2