Congress of Asian Theologians’ Ninth Summit begins in Indonesia

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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06 August 2019
THP03267-01(Edited)Participants of Congress of Asian Theologians (CATS-IX)

The Ninth Congress of Asian Theologians (CATS-IX) was inaugurated in a solemn ceremony held at the Gereja Bethel Indonesia (GBI) Medan Plaza auditorium in Medan, Indonesia’s North Sumatra province.

More than 120 theologians from across Asia are participating in the CATS-IX. The participants took part in the opening worship service together with the local hosts, and witnessed traditional Indonesian worship that included welcoming cultural performances.

Rev. Agustinus Purba, moderator of Gereja Batak Karo Protestan (GBKP) delivered a homily based on the Biblical text Genesis 9:12-17.

Rev. Purba said, “Creation works cannot be separated from salvation works. The order and arrangement of the world must be a space of life for all creations, and a meeting space for God Himself. God’s self-revelation, the design of creation, and the salvation of humans are all united. Humans cannot know the Creator without knowing His creations.”

Archbishop Dr Willem TP Simarmata, Moderator of the CCA, opened CATS-IX with a call for a theological resistance to discrimination. He appealed to restore and renew the creation and overcome human’s dominance over earth.

Emphasizing the need for participatory and inclusive ways of living together, Dr Simarmata said, “We must intensify our commitment to justice and peace for the healing of creation, in order to address Asia’s contemporary challenges.”

Dr Mathews George Chunakara, General Secretary of CCA who delivered the introductory and welcome address, pertinently asked, “Considering the enormous human resources, intellectual capacities, potentials, opportunities for mutual interactions and exchanges that are available within Asia, how successful have we been in presenting an authentic Asian theology?”

He elaborated upon the theme of CATS-IX, “Reconciliation, Renewal, and Restoration: Divine Indicative and Human Imperative”, by stating that several issues in Asia concerning land, life, human relations, security, peace, and justice must be articulated on the basis of biblical and theological perceptions and convictions from an Asian perspective. The indicative-imperative model, he said, provided the “scope for innovative theological thinking rooted in Asia’s pluralistic contexts, which could then facilitate an articulation of the theme with authentic Asian theological emphasis”.

The CCA General Secretary further added, “The discussions of CATS-IX prelude two major events that the CCA will organize in the near future with almost similar themes. The theme of the forthcoming Asian Ecumenical Women’s Assembly (AEWA) in November 2019 will be ‘Arise, Be Awake to Reconcile, Renew and Restore the Creation’, and the theme of the CCA General Assembly will be, ‘God, Renew Us in Your Spirit and Restore the Creation’.”

Dr Henriette Hutabarat Lebang, Chairperson of the Communion of Churches in Indonesia (PGI) greeted the participants said, “CATS is a tremendous opportunity for young and old theologians ponder together in a rapidly changing Asia”.

Fr Clarence Devadass of the Federation of Asian Catholic Bishops’ Conferences (FABC), said that CATS was just one of the many collaborative efforts between the CCA and the FABC. The opening of CATS-IX was timely and auspicious, according to him, as it coincided with the Feast of Transfiguration. He hoped that CATS too would be a catalyst in transfiguring the work of theologians in Asia.

Rev. Bambang Jonan, Senior Pastor Emeritus of the GBI/ Medan Plaza, the host of CATS-IX addressed the participants, and said “With the competitive aspects in all walks of life, the relationship as religious people within the framework of the Great Commandment of Christ and as people created by God, we have the responsibility to conserve the earth, God’s creation.”

Four thematic presentations based on the main theme and sub-themes, seminar sessions, workshops, Bible studies and inter-faith dialogue sessions are part of the agenda of the four days’ sessions.