Human Trafficking Should be a major concern of Asian Churche's

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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15 October 2015

Group-PhotoThe Executive Committee of the Christian Conference of Asia  has approved the future program direction of CCA and a new program structure with four key thematic areas. The new program structure will replace the existing program structure which was originally initiated in 1998 and became operational from the year 2000. 

The newly constituted Executive Committee which met from 13-16 October at the headquarters of the Church of Christ in Thailand in Bangkok, after detailed deliberations, unanimously accepted the new program structure with effect from January 2016. The focus of the new program structure will have thrusts on areas such as Mission in Unity and Contextual Theology; Ecumenical Leadership Formation and Ecumenical Spirituality; Building Peace and Moving Beyond Conflicts; and Prophetic Diakonia and Advocacy. 

While presenting the proposed program structure and strategic program directions CCA General Secretary, Dr. Mathews George Chunakara stated that “the salient features and constitutive elements of CCA’s enduring vision and abiding mandates are still relevant. The acknowledgement and the quest for engagement in responding to God’s call to our obedience of witnessing God’s mission in Asia is deeply rooted within the framework of the wider ecumenical principles. However, what is needed to make the programs of CCA relevant in the emerging contexts is to be responsive to address the current realities”.

The proposed new program structure and activities of CCA will focus on a wide range of activities within the thematic framework of four key program areas. The activities and programs will include mission and witness in a multi-religious context, contextualisation of theology and nurturing of ecumenical theological education, interreligious cooperation amidst growing inter-religious intolerance, ecumenical formation and leadership development, ecumenical spirituality and nurturing of Asian indigenous liturgical traditions, peace and human security, building peace with justice for moving beyond conflicts, peace building training for church workers, advocacy at the U.N on various Asian issues, migration, statelessness and human trafficking, and training in human rights advocacy for church workers.

The new program structure also envisages special focus on women and youth concerns and the proposed programs will include Young Asian Women Theologians Conferences, Women’s Leadership Development and Ecumenical Formation, Ecumenical Women’s Action against Violence (EWAAV), Youth Leadership development, Young Asians for Peace in Asia (YAPA).

Earlier in his report to the executive committee, Dr. Mathews George outlined proposals to organise major ecumenical events during the tenure of the current executive committee until 2020; Asia Mission Conference, 60th Anniversary Celebrations of CCA in 2017, Asian Ecumenical Women’s Assembly, Asia Youth Assembly and Congress of Asian Theologians (CATS) gatherings in 2016, 2018 and 2020. An annual Asian Ecumenical Institute (AEI) with a month-long duration will aim at the ecumenical formation of the younger generation as part of CCA’s new strategic program plans to nurture ecumenism at the grassroots levels.