“Human dignity is the basis of a just and inclusive community”, tells CCA General Secretary at NCCI Quadrennial Assembly

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)
29 April 2016

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“Human dignity is the basis of a just and inclusive community and the dignity of the human person is a fundamental right in itself”, CCA General Secretary Dr. Mathews George Chunakara stated at the 28th quadrennial assembly of the National Council of Churches in India (NCCI).

Delivering the first thematic address at the assembly being held from 28 to 30 April in northern Indian city of Jabalpur on the theme ‘Towards Just and Inclusive Communities’, the CCA General Secretary said, “Laws that uphold the value of the human dignity and laws that make the downtrodden uplifted from the bondages are needed to reach the goal of justice and inclusiveness in any society”.

He added that “the emerging global system hinders the development of a just and sustainable order in various ways and an international economic order with fair international trade and investment process becomes an alien concept or principle as far as a vast number of the poor and marginalised in the world are concerned”.

“The role of civil society in achieving the goal of just and inclusive communities in any society is pertinent whether it is at the global or national levels. Broad sectors of actors are needed to attain this goal. Civil society included such broad sectors in any given context, including faith based organisations. Ecumenical movement is also a part of the civil society”, said Dr. Mathews George Chunakara.

Hosted by the Church of North India, the quadrennial general assembly is attended by more than 400 participants representing 30 member denominations of NCCI from all over India.

At the outset, the CCA General Secretary brought greetings to the assembly on behalf of Asian churches and said Indian churches played an important role in the formation of CCA and most member churches of NCCI are members of CCA.

Founded in 1914, the NCCI was a founding member of CCA and has a membership of 14 million Christians in India.