New Diaspora demographic trend opens up new avenues for mission initiatives, says CCA General Secretary

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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26 September 2019

GS Greetings at the opening session of IMBF 2nd International Mission Conference-2

CHIANG MAI, Thailand – Addressing the opening session of the International Myanmar Baptist Fellowship (IMBF)’s second Mission Conference, the General Secretary of the Christian Conference of Asia (CCA), Dr Mathews George Chunakara stated, “The emerging new demographic trends of Asian diaspora today open new avenues and opportunities for mission and evangelism.”

The CCA General Secretary reminded the participants that their mission and evangelism initiatives should not be limited merely in areas where they live and work as migrant communities, but that the God-given potential for being involved in mission everywhere be recognized including their home countries and elsewhere.

“As the global trend of migrant populations moves from south to north, and from east to west, the new mission initiatives of the Diaspora in recent years are evident in many countries; and this is also a reason that the Christian world has now expanded from the global north to the global south,” added Dr Mathews George Chunakara.

The CCA General Secretary further added that Myanmar Baptists have adopted active roles within the CCA since its inception in 1957, and he acknowledged the valuable contributions of the Myanmar Baptist family during the past six decades; including hosting the fourth Asia Mission Conference and the Diamond Jubilee celebrations of CCA, held in 2017.

The theme of the second Mission Conference being held from 24-28 September 2019 is ‘Mission of the Holy Spirit’.

The opening ceremony was chaired by Rev Dr Saw Ler Htoo. The General Secretary of IMBF, Rev Mehm Tun Than, welcomed the gathering and shared the purpose and aims of the conference.

Dr Thang Cin Lian, president of the IMBF and General Secretary of Myanmar Baptist Convention, spoke on the three essential aspects of the reformation era that is needed to strengthen evangelism and  mission: in all essentials – ‘unity’; in non-essentials – ‘freedom/liberty’; in everything – ‘charity and love’.

More than 350 participants representing the Myanmarese Baptists Diaspora in Australia, Canada, the United States of America, Singapore, the Philippines, Japan, and Norway, as well as from different parts of Myanmar itself, are currently attending the Second Mission Conference.

The International Myanmar Baptist Fellowship was formed in 2013  as an  initiative of the Myanmar Baptist Convention (MBC)  during the  “Global Myanmar Baptist Churches Commission” discussions  with the Myanmar pastors in the USA in 2010.