CCA mourns the passing of Rev. Dr Dhyanchand Carr, former Secretary for Mission and Evangelism and prominent Indian theologian

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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31 July 2024

Chiang Mai, Thailand: The General Secretary of the Christian Conference of Asia (CCA) Dr Mathews George Chunakara expressed deep condolences on the demise of Rev. Dr Dhyanchand Carr (86), a prominent Indian theologian and former Secretary for Mission and Evangelism of CCA.

A native of Thanjavur District in Tamil Nadu, Dhyanchand Carr was born in 1938 and passed away in Madurai, India, on 30 July 2024.

Carr worked as a teacher in Mombasa, Kenya and served as a pastor in the Tiruchi and Thanjavur Dioceses of the Church of South India (CSI) before joining the Tamil Nadu Theological Seminary (TTS), India.

Having served as a professor of New Testament for decades, and subsequently as Principal of the TTS, he retired from active service in 2003.

He served the Christian Conference of Asia in Hong Kong from 1993 to 1997 at the Mission and Evangelism desk.

Remembering his former senior colleague in the CCA Hong Kong office, the CCA General Secretary, who was also serving in Hong Kong at that time as Secretary for International Affairs, stated that Rev. Dr Dhyanchand Carr was instrumental in initiating a very inspiring and innovative programme in CCA focused on “reading and re-reading the Bible through Asian eyes”.

According to Dr Mathews George Chunakara, Dr Carr inspired many young people and students in India over the past decades. His biblical expositions helped young Asian theologians in CCA member churches relate biblical insights to contemporary realities, especially motivating them to re-read the Bible from Asian perspectives.

While recollecting the theological contributions of his former colleague, the CCA General Secretary said, “Dr Carr believed that although the churches in Asia are vigorously involved in evangelistic outreach programmes with their determination to bring more people as members of the Christian church, Asian Biblical expositions fail to address the pressing needs and aspirations of ordinary people and their struggle for life with dignity. Dr Carr considered this attitude of Asian churches to be the basic problem in Asian Biblical interpretation, and a hindrance to developing Biblical hermeneutics contextually.”

“He was committed to emancipating the Dalits and was known as a ‘Rebel Priest’ for his social activism; he considered social and human rights activism an essential component of his faith, witness and Christian obedience”, added Dr. Chunakara.

The octogenarian theologian was deeply involved in the human rights movement, even from the days of his pastoral ministry.