“Ecumenical formation of children should be a priority”, says CCA General Secretary at the Asian Conference

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).

First Preference:
Mission in Unity and Contextual Theology (MU) and Ecumenical Leadership Formation and Spirituality (EF)
Second Preference:
General Secretariat (GS)
14 January 2016

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“The vision of ecumenism should be taught to everyone, children, youth, men, women and lay and the churches should focus on a strategic direction in theological and ecumenical formation to nurture the values of ecumenism among the future generation”, said Dr. Mathews George Chunakara, the General Secretary of the Christian Conference of Asia (CCA) in a keynote address at the opening session of the Asian Conference on ‘Ecumenical Sunday School Program’. 

The Asian Conference on Ecumenical Sunday School Program jointly organized by CCA and the Association of Protestant Churches and Missions in Germany (EMW) is being held at the headquarters of CCA in Chiang Mai, Thailand from 12th to 15th January, 2016.  

“The concern for ecumenical formation and theological education has been an integral part of the ecumenical movement from its early beginnings as well as it was an essential dimension of the missionary engagement of Churches around the globe. However, the regional and international ecumenical organizations are not considering the Christian education for children in their current priorities”, added the General Secretary of CCA. 

Rev. Martin Krieg , Regional Secretary for Asia of EMW stated that “Churches need an ecumenical framework for Sunday school programs and  ecumenical curriculum development should be a priority of churches and Christian missions.” 

About 25 representatives of various Sunday School Associations and Sunday school departments of National ecumenical councils from various Asian countries are attending the Conference. 

The conference discusses the importance of Sunday School Programs as a place for ecumenical learning with an aim to encourage the national ecumenical bodies dealing with Sunday schools to develop curricula on ecumenical themes for Sunday school programs.