Challenge of kindling hope should be a missional priority, affirms CCA Executive Committee

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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15 July 2017

Ex-Comm-2017-Photo-FinalOpening session of the Executive Committee of the CCA — July 2017. 

“Despite many social and political reforms that have taken place in Asia, the continent is now facing the rise of religious fundamentalism and threat to peace and security,” said Archbishop (Euphorus) Willem T. P. Simarmata, Moderator of the Christian Conference of Asia (CCA).

Speaking at the opening session of the annual Executive Committee meeting, held from 13 to 15 July 2017 at the headquarters of the CCA in Chiang Mai, Thailand, the CCA Moderator said that, “the churches and ecumenical councils in Asia have the responsibility to respond to such situations.”

The General Secretary of the CCA, Dr. Mathews George Chunakara, in his report to the Executive Committee, described the growing trend of religious intolerance, as well as the need for the reaffirmation of mission in a changing Asian context.

“The long-nurtured and cherished value of social and communal harmony is in peril in different Asian countries and concerted action to promote religious harmony and conflict resolutions in Asia should be a priority missional engagement of the churches.”

“The greatest challenge before the Church in Asia is to kindle hope in the hearts of millions of Asians, as they are looking for a ray of hope which will light up their lives and make all their struggles meaningful.”

“What Asia needs at this stage is the redemptive message of Christ; a message of hope for which the Church in Asia must become more an animator, facilitator, and accompanier, rather than a dominator, keen to exercise only “ecclesiastical authorities,” added the CCA General Secretary.

The Executive Committee in its various sessions received and discussed reports on programmes and activities, financial sustainability plans, and CCA's pastoral solidarity team visits to Pakistan and Bangladesh.

The Executive Committee also received reports from the Myanmar-based local host committees of the upcoming Asia Mission Conference (AMC) 2017 and the Diamond Jubilee celebrations of the CCA.

The Executive Committee endorsed the proposal of observing Asia Sunday 2017 on 15 October in a befitting commemoration with the local congregations of CCA's member churches, and to keep the CCA in their prayers.