CCA releases ‘From Jakarta to Kottayam’, report of past eight years

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.

25 September 2023

Kottayam, India: The Christian Conference of Asia (CCA) released the narrative programme and activity report, ‘From Jakarta to Kottayam', covering the peroid from 2015 to 2023.

The comprehensive report provides an account of all programmes and activities undertaken by the CCA since the 14th General Assembly in May 2015 in Jakarta, Indonesia, up until the 15th General Assembly which will commence in Kottayam, India. Although the original mandate was from 2015 to 2020, the COVID-19 pandemic delayed the convening of the 15th CCA General Assembly and prolonged the implementation period for another three years.

As per the new strategic programme plan adopted by the CCA Executive Committee, four key programme areas were introduced starting from 2016, such as Mission in Unity and Contextual Theology, Ecumenical Leadership Formation and Ecumenical Spirituality, Building Peace and Moving Beyond Conflicts, and Prophetic Diakonia and Advocacy. The Action Together to Combat HIV and AIDS in Asia (ATCHAA) is a special project of the CCA.

'From Jakarta to Kottayam' narrates about a total of 247 programmes organised with 10,140 full-time participants who have attended.

“The focus of this implementation period has been the promotion and strengthening of ecclesial unity, stimulation of initiatives in dynamic Christian living and action, development of effective Christian responses to the challenges of emerging contexts, promotion of relationships with people of other faiths in Asia, protection of human rights and human dignity, peace with justice, and the promotion of care for the creation,” said the CCA General Secretary Dr Mathews George Chunakara.

A printed copy of the report book will be made available to all Assembly participants during the 15th CCA General Assembly.