Transformative diakonia is incomplete without respect for human dignity, says Asian woman theologian Rev. Dr Mery Kolimon

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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05 May 2023

Rev. Mery Kolimon, the Moderator of the Protestant Evangelical Church in Timor in Indonesia delivers the Biblical-Theological reflection on ‘Diakonia: Service for Humanity’ at the ACELC

Jakarta, Indonesia: In a biblical-theological reflection on ‘Ecumenical Diakonia: Service to Humanity’ at the Asian Church and Ecumenical Leaders’ Conference (ACELC), Rev. Mery Kolimon, the Moderator of the Protestant Evangelical Church in Timor in Indonesia and a theological educator, emphasised the need for a proper perception of diakonia. 

“Diakonia,” said Rev. Mery, “is a sign and proclamation of God’s love to everyone. Services for the poor and marginalised must be carried out in respect of human dignity as the image of God. Diaconal services should not be used to belittle those who are assisted or to create dependency. Instead, diaconal service should be based on the understanding that each human being has an intrinsic capacity, which is stimulated through the empowerment and independence offered through service-as-accompaniment.” 

Rev. Kolimon, who is also a member of the CCA’s Programme Committee, said that diakonia, as primarily understood by the Indonesian churches, functioned at three levels: charitable, reformative, and transformative. She grounded the biblical-theological reflection in the multi-faceted diaconal work of her church.

Charitable diaconal services were incidental to needs in the short term, while reformative diaconal services were intended to strengthen the quality of human life. Transformative diakonia served the struggle for peace and justice for humans and nature, including advocacy against injustice and exploitation of vulnerable groups and the environment, said Rev. Kolimon.

She named three challenges that impeded transformative diakonia, namely, ranking the church’s spiritual service (preaching, teaching) as higher than its social service (education, economic empowerment), focusing efforts on charitable diakonia rather than reformative or transformative diakonia as the latter was considered the task of the government or NGOs, and a lack of funds in the church for diakonia. 

Rev. Kolimon said that the competencies of church diaconal workers and practitioners had to be strengthened with both biblical and social analysis. She strongly emphasised the importance of using data in the church’s diaconal work.

More photos will be found here.