CCA’s month-long ecumenical leadership development training commences

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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18 July 2018
AEI participants & FacilitatorsAEI- 2018 participants

The month-long ecumenical formation and leadership development training course, Asian Ecumenical Institute (AEI) 2018, organised by the Christian Conference of Asia (CCA) was inaugurated on Monday, 16 July 2018 at the CCA headquarters in Chiang Mai, Thailand.

The AEI is aimed at training prospective church and ecumenical leaders in Asia. The theme of AEI-2018 is ‘Wider Ecumenism in Asia’s Pluralistic Context’.

The contents of the course include four main components: analyses of situations, sharing of ecumenical vision, understanding Asia’s pluralistic contexts, leadership development and community building. These would help participants to imbibe the spirit of wider ecumenism.

The outdoor study sessions include visits to refugee camps on the Thailand – Myanmar border, meetings and interactions with the refugees and stateless people, visits to Buddhist monasteries and dialogue with Buddhist monks on faith in the context of religious plurality.

Internationally acclaimed ecumenists,  theologians, academics and social scientists who serve on the faculty of AEI-2018 include Dr. Wesley S. Ariarajah, Emeritus Professor of Drew University in  the USA who served on the staff of the World Council of Churches as Deputy General Secretary and  Director of Inter-religious Dialogue (Sri Lanka/ Switzerland); Bishop Reuel Norman Marigza, formerly a professor at the Union Theological Seminary and the General Secretary of the United Church of Christ – UCCP (Philippines); Bishop Dr. Daniel Thiagarajah, CSI Jaffna Diocese and a New Testament Scholar (Sri Lanka); Dr. Joseph Deva Komar, Theological Seminary in Kuala Lumpur (Malaysia); Rev. Dr. Pradit Takerngrangsarit, formerly the President and the Dean of the McGillivray College of Divinity of  Payap University in Chiang Mai (Thailand); Dr. Le Ngoc Bich Ly of the Institute of Religion and Culture in Thailand (Vietnam); Venerable Dr. Phramaha Boonchuay Doojai of the Suanduk Temple and Mahachulalongkornrajavidyalaya University; and Dr. John Suresh, a Development Analyst and Civil Society activity (India).

The in-house members of the teaching faculty of AEI include Dr. Mathews George Chunakara, General Secretary of the CCA and programme staff of CCA - Dr. Chuleepran Srisoontorn, Rev. Jung Eun Moon, Dr. Reynaldo Racaza Ty, Rev. Dr. Ngur Liana and Dr. Ronald Lalthanmawia.

Twenty-five young people from various Asian countries and also from Mauritius, an island country in Africa are attending the AEI. The participants are sponsored by CCA member churches as well as by the Roman Catholic and Pentecostal churches.

The Asian Ecumenical Institute will conclude its sessions on 15 August.