A German church delegation on its way to China stops in Hong Kong and visits CCA

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:
Building Peace and Moving Beyond Conflicts (BP) and Prophetic Diakonia and Advocacy (PD)
Second Preference:
Mission in Unity and Contextual Theology (MU) and Ecumenical Leadership Formation and Spirituality (EF)
06 October 2004
christian conference of Asia, Asia christianity

Delegation of the council of EKD from Germany with the CCA
staff. Front(From left): Cora Tabing-Reyes, Rolf Koppe, Kara
Huber-Kaldrack, Ahn Jae Woong, Wolfgang Huber, Frauke
Hansen-Dix, Alexander Dix, Paul Oppenheim, Michael Lackner,
Margit Fleckenstein, Gabi Hettler. Back (From left) Maren von
der Heyde,Josef Widyatmadja, Hermann Grohe, Hope Antone,
Konrad von Bonin, Tony Waworuntu, Prawate Khid-arn, Christoph
Hildebrandt-Ayasse, Monika Gaenssbauer, Philip Mathew

Peace building and interreligious dialogue are important tasks
for Christians all over the world, says German church leader

HONG KONG -- Building peace based on justice, and initiating dialogues between religions are important tasks for Christians all over the world, said a renowned German church leader here on 6 October.

Dr Wolfgang Huber, a noted theologian and bishop of the Evangelical Church in Berlin-Brandenburg told a meeting organised by the Christian Conference of Asia (CCA) that interreligious dialogue is a major task of our time.

We have many tasks to do together, like exchanging, encouraging and seeking Gods blessing for our common ministry, Bishop Huber, who is leading a 14-member delegation of the Council of Evangelische Kirche in Deutschland -- Evangelical Church in Germany (EKD) to China, told the meeting.

The German delegation visited the CCA Centre during their stopover in Honk Kong and met with the CCA General Secretary Ahn Jae Woong and the staff, and the staff of Documentation for Action Groups in Asia (DAGA) and the Ecumenical Coalition on Tourism (ECOT).

Bishop Huber, who is the chairman of the Council of the EKD, said that the delegations visit was mainly to broaden their perspectives and to see how Christians in this part of the world cooperate with each other in dealing with many common issues and concerns.

Earlier, welcoming the delegation, Ahn Jae Woong noted that Christians, who are religious minorities in Asia,  have to live our lives based on the biblical teaching of love our neighbours as ourselves.

Rediscovering the Christian identity and ecumenical commitment and reengaging and networking with people are ecumenical tasks at this point of time in history, he said.

The general secretary thanked the German churches for their unstinted support and encouragement for the ecumenical movements in these trying times. 

Your continued support, solidarity and prayers are one of the great sources of strength to our ecumenical ministry in Asia, he added.

The delegation heard brief presentations of the work of the CCA, DAGA and ECOT made by Prawate Khid-arn, Chan Beng Seng and Ranjan Solomon repectively.

Among the members of the delegation were Dr Konrad von Bonin, executive director of the Church Development Agency (EED), Bishop Rolf Koppe, head of the department of Ecumenical Affairs and Ministries Abroad in the Church Office of the EKD, Ms Margit Fleckenstein, president of the Synod, member of the Council of the EKD, Mr Herman Grohe, member of parliament of the Federal Republic of Germany, Rev Maren von der Heyde executive secretary for Asia and Middle East and associate general secretary of the Association of Protestant Churches and Missions in Germany (EMW), Rev Paul Oppenheim, executive regional secretary for Asia, Australia and Pacific in the Church Office of the EKD, Ms Kara Huber-Kaldrack, Dr Frauke Hansen-Dix, Dr Alexander Dix, Ms Gabi Hettler, Dr Michael Lackner, and Dr Monika Gaenssbauer.


CCA General Secretary welcoming the delegation


Leader of the delegation Wolfgang Huber addressing the meeting


Ahn Jae Woong presenting a memento to Wolfgang Huber


Paul Oppenheim, Konrad von Bonin and Maren von der Heyde with
Ahn Jae Woong at the CCA canteen


German delegation at the CCA canteen