WCC General Secretary welcomed at CCA headquarters in Chiang Mai

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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17 October 2025

CCA General Secretary Dr Mathews George Chunakara welcoming guests during the fellowship evening

Chiang Mai, Thailand: Rev. Prof. Dr Jerry Pillay, General Secretary of the World Council of Churches (WCC), was welcomed at the Christian Conference of Asia (CCA) headquarters in Chiang Mai on 16 October 2025.

A dinner reception in honour of Rev. Prof. Dr Jerry Pillay’s visit brought together more than one hundred guests, including global ecumenical leaders, representatives of CCA member churches and councils attending the 27th General Council of the World Communion of Reformed Churches (WCRC), representatives of ecumenical partner organisations from Europe, North America, the Caribbean, and Africa, as well as interfaith leaders and representatives of churches in Thailand.

Welcoming the gathering, CCA General Secretary Dr Mathews George Chunakara said it was a privilege to receive Dr Jerry Pillay and the distinguished group of church and ecumenical leaders at the CCA headquarters. The evening, which marked Dr Pillay’s first visit to the CCA headquarters as WCC General Secretary, also brought together several ecumenical friends from across Asia, along with other guests visiting the CCA and Chiang Mai for the first time.

Dr Chunakara expressed his heartfelt appreciation to all guests for taking time from their busy schedules to join the evening, sharing in the warmth of fellowship and the spirit of togetherness.

In his address, Dr Pillay thanked the CCA for organising the reception to welcome him and other ecumenical colleagues, and highlighted the significance of collaboration and unity in responding to the pressing challenges facing the world today.

“The World Council of Churches, as well as regional ecumenical organisations and partners, are working together to strengthen collaboration and engagement. The crises we face in today’s world are far too complex for any one body to address alone. Collaboration is critical and crucial in this time and in this age. We are stronger together, and we can do more together,” said the WCC General Secretary.

Dr Pillay also commended the CCA for its longstanding partnership with the WCC, highlighting the recent joint pastoral solidarity visit of the WCC and CCA General Secretaries to Myanmar as an example of effective cooperation.

“We are pilgrims and co-pilgrims, journeying together. The WCC wants to be present with you: to struggle with you, to rejoice with you, to support you, and to advocate alongside you. We want to amplify your voices and tell your stories so the world may know and listen. Where there is struggle, there must be unity, togetherness, and collaboration in serving God and God’s people,” Dr Pillay added.

The WCC General Secretary also conveyed his appreciation to Dr Mathews George Chunakara for his leadership and commitment to the ecumenical movement and for his dedicated service to both WCC and CCA over the past several decades.

Rev. Dr Henriette Hutabarat-Lebang, WCC Asia President and former CCA General Secretary, shared greetings and led the evening prayer.

The evening fostered fellowship and celebrated the spirit of ecumenical solidarity, providing an opportunity for church and ecumenical leaders to reaffirm their shared commitment to unity, peace, and witness across Asia.

Photos of the fellowship evening and dinner reception can be found here: