The first Women’s Concerns Programme Secretary of CCA, Rev. Dr Elizabeth S. Tapia, passes away

Chiang Mai, Thailand: The Christian Conference of Asia (CCA) mourns the passing of Rev. Dr Elizabeth S. Tapia, the first Women’s Concerns Programme Secretary of the CCA and a distinguished Asian theological educator. She passed away on 5 June 2025.
An ordained minister of the United Methodist Church in the Philippines, Rev. Dr Tapia’s life and ministry left an indelible mark on churches and communities across Asia and the world. She served the World Council of Churches (WCC) at the Bossey Ecumenical Institute as a professor of mission and contextual theology.
CCA General Secretary Dr Mathews George Chunakara expressed heartfelt condolences to Rev. Dr Tapia’s family and acknowledged the pivotal role she played as the first women’s secretary of the CCA in addressing women’s concerns and in building the Asian ecumenical women’s movement.
Recalling their time together as members of the Asia Task Force of the WCC Secretariat in Geneva during his tenure as Asia Secretary of the WCC, Dr Chunakara stated, “Dr Tapia was a very refined ecumenical colleague who always dealt with others with pastoral care and personal warmth. She consistently demonstrated her commitment to the transformative witness of the Gospel and was a steadfast advocate for justice and inclusion”.
A passionate teacher and advocate, Rev. Dr Tapia taught widely in the fields of mission, contextual theology, and ecumenism. Her academic and missional service included roles as Professor of Theology, Bible, and Mission at John Wesley College of Divinity, Dean of Union Theological Seminary in the Philippines, and faculty member at Harris Memorial College. She later served as Director of Mission Theology at the General Board of Global Ministries of the United Methodist Church in the United States of America.
Rev. Dr Tapia is survived by her husband, Rev. Alan Cogswell.