Fifth Asian Ecumenical Youth Assembly begins with celebrative worship

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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17 April 2026

Participants of the Asian Ecumenical Youth Assembly (AEYA) - 2026

Chiang Mai, Thailand: The fifth Asian Ecumenical Youth Assembly (AEYA) opened with a celebrative worship service rooted in Asian traditions, unfolding as a vibrant expression of faith enriched through music and dance drawn from diverse Asian traditions, setting the tone for a week of engagement, reflection, and dialogue with the theme, “Break Every Yoke” (Isaiah 58:6).

The historic Asian youth summit began in the afternoon of 17 April 2026 at the Sirindhorn Learning Resource Center, Payap University in Chiang Mai, Thailand, with the participation of more than 200 youth from Christian Conference of Asia (CCA) member churches, national councils of churches, and ecumenical youth organisations from across Asia.

The overarching theme “Break Every Yoke” serves as a prophetic invitation to discern and respond to the diverse challenges confronting young people in contemporary Asia.

The opening worship was led by youth leaders representing different church and liturgical traditions in Asia, and the special prayers offered during the worship expressed deep solidarity with those suffering injustice, particularly the stateless, displaced, trafficked, and marginalised, entrusting their struggles to God while seeking justice, healing, and liberation.

Participants also gave thanks for the gift and potential of youth, and prayed for guidance and strength to live out their faith with courage and purpose.

In resonance with the AEYA-2026 theme, the prayers became a collective cry for the breaking of all forms of “yokes,” both visible and invisible, affirming a shared hope for freedom, restoration, and renewal in God’s presence.

The first day’s sessions included the inaugural address by CCA General Secretary Dr Mathews George Chunakara and a thematic presentation by Rev. Dr Hoyoung Ma, a prominent Korean theologian and research fellow at Yonsei University, Seoul.