CCA General Secretary calls prospective church and ecumenical leaders trained at AEI-2025 to embrace diversity and nurture inclusivity

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.

29 August 2025

Chiang Mai, Thailand: At the closing of the month-long ecumenical formation and leadership development training programme, CCA General Secretary Dr Mathews George Chunakara stated that the ecclesial identity of churches worldwide has been significantly shaped by the ecumenical movement at national, regional, and global levels over the past century, with churches embracing and nurturing the values and ethos of ecumenism in manifold ways.

In his valedictory address at the Asian Ecumenical Institute (AEI), organised by the Christian Conference of Asia at Payap University in Chiang Mai, Thailand, the CCA General Secretary reflected on the century-long efforts of churches and the ecumenical movement. These efforts have fostered greater cooperation among diverse Christian denominations, promoted inclusiveness, built mutual trust, and motivated them to engage in prophetic witnessing.

Dr Mathews George Chunakara urged AEI students to embrace diversity and inclusivity, and to strengthen the engagement of churches, communities, and individuals in creating unified responses and joint actions as part of authentic Christian witness and mission, particularly in a fragmented world.

The annual residential ecumenical training, which was attended by 25 young ecumenists, concluded on 29 August 2025.

AEI-2025 provided four weeks of learnings and discussions on the main theme “The Nicene Creed: Enduring Faith and Embracing Unity”, along with several sub-themes and exposure visits.

While congratulating the AEI cohort on successfully completing the intensive month-long course, the CCA General Secretary highlighted the enriching experience of engaging with youth from across Asia, representing diverse contexts and cultures. “From this day on, you are now leaders - whether in your church, the ecumenical movement, or at local, national, regional, and global levels. Our aim has been to provide a multi-layered and nuanced learning process to equip you for these roles.”

The main theme was especially significant as 2025 marks the 1700th anniversary of the First Council of Nicaea in 325 AD. This milestone offered participants an opportunity to revisit, review, and reflect on the true meaning and essence of the Nicene Creed, while also advancing understanding of its ethos and values for CCA and its constituency.

Encouraging participants to embrace ecumenical openness, Dr Mathews George Chunakara said, “We have sought to motivate you to understand one another across different traditions and cultures, to move beyond denominational barriers, and to overcome the over-fragmentation we are seeing today. As young leaders of your churches and communities, you are entrusted with the responsibility to shape your denominations with more openness and to instill hope for wider unity. We hope we have instilled in you hope for the unity of all humanity and all of God’s creation.”

Dr Chunakara further stated, “Your ecumenical journey does not end here but will continue. You are now part of a growing AEI network, spread across the globe, and an integral part of the CCA and the Asian ecumenical family. CCA will accompany you in this journey, and we affirm that our strength emerges from our member churches and councils, and from all who have supported our mission over the years.”

Rev. Jung Eun (Grace) Moon and Arceli Bile, coordinators of the AEI, expressed their gratitude to the AEI-2025 cohort for their eagerness to learn from the resource persons, exposure visits, and from one another over the past four weeks. They shared their hope that the participants will continue to offer active contributions and embrace roles of leadership in the ecumenical movement and in their own local contexts in the future.

For pictures of the Asian Ecumenical Institute 2025, please click here.