World Council of Churches

The World Council of Churches (WCC) is an international Christian ecumenical organization. Based in the Ecumenical Centre in Geneva, Switzerland, it is a fellowship of about 340 churches of which 157 are members.^[1] The fellowship includes denominations collectively representing about 550 million Christians throughout more than 120 countries.^[2]

Contents 1 History 1.1 Previous Assemblies 1.2 Presidents 1.3 General Secretaries 2 Commissions and Teams 2.1 Diakonia and Development & International Relations Commissions 2.2 Faith and Order Commission 2.2.1 Texts 2.3 Justice, Peace and Creation Commission 2.4 Relations with the Roman Catholic Church 2.5 Special Commission on Orthodox Participation in the WCC 3 Other programmes 4 Regional/national councils 5 See also 6 References 7 External links 8 Bibliography

History

After the initial successes of the Ecumenical Movement in the late 19th and early 20th centuries, including the Edinburgh Missionary Conference of 1910 (chaired by future WCC Honorary President John R. Mott), church leaders agreed in 1937 to establish a World Council of Churches, based on a merger of the Faith and Order Movement and Life and Work Movement organisations.

Its official establishment was deferred with the outbreak of World War II until August 23, 1948. Delegates of 147 churches assembled in Amsterdam to merge the Faith and Order Movement and Life and Work Movement. Subsequent mergers were with the International Missionary Council in 1961 and the World Council of Christian Education, with its roots in the 18th century Sunday School movement, in 1971.

WCC member churches include most of the Orthodox Churches; numerous Protestant churches, including the Anglican Communion, some Baptists, many Lutheran, Methodist, and Reformed, a broad sampling of united and independent churches, and some Pentecostal churches; and some Old Catholic churches.

Delegates sent from the member churches meet every seven or eight years in an Assembly, which elects a Central Committee that governs between Assemblies. A variety of other committees and commissions answer to the Central Committee and its staff.

These Assemblies have been held since 1948, and last met in Porto Alegre, Brazil in February 2006, under the theme "God, in your grace, transform the world".^[3]

Previous Assemblies

• Amsterdam, Netherlands, 22 August – 4 September 1948
• Evanston, Illinois, United States, 15 August – 31 August 1954
• New Delhi, India, 19 November – 5 December 1961
• Uppsala, Sweden, 4 July – 20 July 1968
• Nairobi, Kenya, 23 November – 10 December 1975
• Vancouver, British Columbia, Canada 24 July – 10 August 1983
• Canberra, ACT, Australia, 7 February – 21 February 1992
• Harare, Zimbabwe, 3 December – 14 December 1998
• Porto Alegre, Rio Grande do Sul, Brazil, 14 February – 23 February 2006

Presidents

The Presidents of the World Council of Churches are:^[4]

• Archbishop Anastasios of Albania, Orthodox Autocephalous Church of Albania
• John Taroanui Doom, Maohi Protestant Church (French Polynesia)
• Rev. Dr Simon Dossou, Methodist Church in Benin
• Rev. Dr Soritua Nababan, Protestant Christian Batak Church (Indonesia)
• Rev. Dr Ofelia Ortega, Presbyterian-Reformed Church in Cuba
• Patriarch Abune Paulos, Ethiopian Orthodox Tewahedo Church
• Rev. Dr Bernice Powell Jackson, United Church of Christ (United States)
• Dr Mary Tanner, Church of England

A former president of the WCC was Rev. Martin Niemöller, the famous Protestant anti-Nazi theologian.

General Secretaries

Years	Name	Churches	Nationality
1948–1966	W. A. Visser 't Hooft	Reformed Churches in the Netherlands/Federation of Swiss Protestant Churches, Geneva	Netherlands
1966–1972	Eugene Carson Blake	United Presbyterian Church (USA)	U.S.
1972–1984	Philip A. Potter	Methodist Church	Dominica
1985–1992	Emilio Castro	Evangelical Methodist Church of Uruguay	Uruguay
1993–2003	Konrad Raiser	Evangelical Church in Germany (EKD)	Germany
2004–2009	Samuel Kobia	Methodist Church in Kenya	Kenya
2010-Present	Olav Fykse Tveit	Church of Norway	Norway

Commissions and Teams

There are two complementary approaches to ecumenism: dialogue and action. The Faith and Order Movement and Life and Work Movement represent these approaches ^[5]. These approaches are reflected in the work of the WCC in its commissions, these being:

• Echos- Commission on Youth (ages 18–30)
• Commission of the Churches on Diakonia and Development
• Commission on Education and Ecumenical Formation
• Commission of the Churches on International Affairs
• Commission on Justice, Peace and Creation
• Commission on World Mission and Evangelism
• Faith and Order Plenary Commission and the Faith and Order Standing Commission
• Joint Consultative Group with Pentecostals
• Joint Working Group WCC – Roman Catholic Church (Vatican)
• Reference Group on the Decade to Overcome Violence
• Reference Group on Inter-Religious Relations
• Special Commission on Orthodox Participation in the WCC

Diakonia and Development & International Relations Commissions

The WCC acts through both its member churches and other religious and social organizations to coordinate ecumenical, evangelical, and social action.

Current WCC programmes include a Decade to Overcome Violence, an international campaign to combat AIDS/HIV in Africa and the Justice, Peace and Creation initiative.

Faith and Order Commission

WCC's Faith and Order Commission has been successful in working toward consensus on Baptism, Eucharist, and Ministry, on the date of Easter, on the nature and purpose of the church (ecclesiology), and on ecumenical hermeneutics.

Texts

• Baptism, Eucharist and Ministry (Faith and Order Paper No. 111, the “Lima Text”; 1982) ^[6]
• The Nature and Mission of the Church – A Stage on the Way to a Common Statement (Faith and Order Paper no. 198; 2005 ^[7]) after The Nature and Purpose of the Church (Faith and Order Paper no. 181; 1998 ^[8])
• Towards a Common Date of Easter ^[9]

Justice, Peace and Creation Commission

Justice, Peace and Creation has drawn many elements together with an environmental focus. Its mandate is:

To analyze and reflect on justice, peace and creation in their interrelatedness, to promote values and practices that make for a culture of peace, and to work towards a culture of solidarity with young people, women, Indigenous Peoples and racially and ethnically oppressed people.^[10]

Focal issues have been globalization and the emergence of new social movements (in terms of people bonding together in the struggle for justice, peace, and the protection of creation).^[11]

Attention has been given to issues around:

• economy ^[12]
• environment ^[13]
• Indigenous Peoples ^[14]
• peace ^[15]
• people with disabilities ^[16]
• racism ^[17]
• women ^[18]
• youth ^[19]

Relations with the Roman Catholic Church

The largest Christian body, the Roman Catholic Church, is not a member of the WCC, but has worked closely with the Council for more than three decades and sends observers to all major WCC conferences as well as to its Central Committee meetings and the Assemblies (cf Joint Working Group).

The Pontifical Council for Promoting Christian Unity also nominates 12 members to the WCC's Faith and Order Commission as full members. While not a member of the WCC, the Roman Catholic Church is a member of some other ecumenical bodies at regional and national levels, for example, the National Council of Churches in Australia and the National Council of Christian Churches in Brazil (CONIC).

Special Commission on Orthodox Participation in the WCC

A Special Commission was set up by the eighth Harare Assembly in December 1998 to address Orthodox concerns about WCC membership and the Council's decision-making style, public statements, worship practices, and other issues.

The Special Commission on Orthodox Participation in the WCC represents the potential for fresh and creative high-level discussion about the structure and life of the Council, a discussion explicitly seen as continuing the foundations laid by the process and the policy document "Towards a Common Understanding and Vision of the World Council of Churches".

Other programmes

ACT Development (Action by Churches Together for Development) is currently a programme under the auspices of the WCC.

The WCC has not sought the organic union of different Christian denominations — it has however facilitated dialogue and supported local, national, and regional dialogue and cooperation.

Regional/national councils

Membership in a regional or national council does not mean that the particular group is also a member of the WCC.

• Africa – All Africa Conference of Churches ^[20]
• Asia (including Australia and New Zealand) – Christian Conference of Asia ^[21], Hong Kong
  • National Council of Churches in Australia
• Caribbean – Caribbean Conference of Churches
• Europe – Conference of European Churches ^[22], Geneva, Switzerland
• Latin America – Latin American Council of Churches ^[23]
• Middle East – Middle East Council of Churches ^[24]
• North America
  • Canadian Council of Churches
  • National Council of the Churches of Christ in the USA
• Pacific – Pacific Conference of Churches ^[25], Suva, Fiji

See also

Christian Denominations in English-speaking countries

Australia Australian Christian bodies Australian Interchurch Australian Evangelical Alliance  • site National Council of Churches Catholic & Anglican Anglican Church of Australia Roman Catholic Church Holiness & Pietist Christian and Missionary Alliance Christian Outreach Centre Church of the Nazarene Salvation Army Seventh-day Adventist Church Historical Protestantism Australian Friends Baptist Union of Australia Open Brethren Christian Reformed Churches of Australia Churches of Christ Fellowship of Congregational Churches Lutheran Church of Australia Presbyterian Church of Australia Uniting Church in Australia Wesleyan Methodist Church of Australia Orthodox Antiochian Orthodox of Australia & New Z. Greek Orthodox Archdiocese of Australia Serbian Orthodox of Australia & New Z. Non-Chalcedonic Coptic Orthodox Church in Australia Pentecostal & Related Australian Christian Churches (AOG) Christian City Church Intl. CRC Churches International Revival Centres International Vineyard Churches Australia Worldwide Church of God Canada Canadian Christian bodies Canadian Interchurch Canadian Council of Churches S. Conference of Orthodox Bishops in America North Am. Presbyterian & Reformed Council Anabaptist & Friends Canadian Mennonite Brethren Churches Canadian Yearly Meeting (Quakers) Mennonite Church Canada Baptist & Stone-Campbell Baptist Association of Regular Baptist Churches Baptist General Conference of Canada Canadian Baptist Ministries Canadian Convention of Southern Baptists Fellowship of Evgcl. Baptist Churches, Canada North American Baptist Conference Stone-Campbell Restoration Movement Christian Church (Disciples of Christ) Evangelical Christian Church in Canada Catholic & Anglican Anglican Church of Canada Anglican Church in North America Polish National Catholic Church Roman Catholic Church Holiness & Pietist Christian and Missionary Alliance, Canada Church of the Nazarene Evangelical Free Church of Canada Salvation Army Seventh-day Adventists, North America Wesleyan Church Lutheran Evangelical Lutheran Church in Canada Lutheran Church–Canada Wisconsin Evangelical Lutheran Synod Methodist British Methodist Episcopal Church Free Methodist Church in Canada United Church of Canada Orthodox Antiochian Orthodox Archdiocese, N.Am. Greek Orthodox Archdiocese of America Orthodox Church in America Russian Orthodox Church Outside Russia Ukrainian Orthodox Church of Canada Non-Chalcedonic Armenian Apostolic Diocese of Am. Coptic Orthodox Church in Canada Pentecostal Canadian Assemblies of God Church of God of Prophecy Intl. Foursquare Gospel, Canada Intl. Pentecostal Holiness Church Pentecostal Assemblies of Canada Pentecostal Church of God Oneness Pentecostal United Pentecostal Church Intl. Presbyterian & Reformed Canadian and American Reformed Churches Christian Reformed Church in North America L'Église réformée du Québec Presbyterian Church in Canada Presbyterian Church in America Reformed Church in America United Church of Canada Other Messianic Jewish Alliance of America Plymouth Brethren Vineyard Canada United Kingdom Christian denominations in the UK UK Interchurch Affinity (formerly British Evangelical Council) Churches Together in Britain & Ireland Evangelical Alliance, UK Fellowship of Independent Evangelical Churches Churches Together in England Action of Churches Together, Scotland (ACTS) Associating Evangelical Churches of Wales  • site Churches Together in Wales Evangelical Movement of Wales Anglican Church of England Free Church of England Church of Ireland Scottish Episcopal Church Church in Wales Baptist Association of Baptist Churches in Ireland Baptist Union of Great Britain Baptist Union of Scotland Baptist Union of Wales Grace Baptist Assembly Old Baptist Union Catholic Roman Catholicism England & Wales Ireland Scotland Old Catholicism British Old Catholic Church  • site Old Catholic Church in Europe Old Catholic Mariavite Church Old Catholic Church of Great Britain Holiness & Pietist Christian Outreach Centre Church of the Nazarene British Moravian Church Salvation Army Seventh-day Adventist Church Wesleyan Holiness Church Lutheran Evangelical Lutheran Church of England Lutheran Church in Great Britain Methodist & Wesleyan Free Methodist of the UK Methodist Church in Ireland Methodist Church of Great Britain Wesleyan Reform Union New Church Movement Vineyard Churches UK Ichthus Christian Fellowship Newfrontiers Pioneer Church  • site Orthodox Eastern Orthodox Church Greek Orthodox Archdiocese of G.B. Russian Orthodox Diocese, G.B. & Ire. Russian Tradition Vicariate, G.B. & Ire. Oriental Orthodox Church British Orthodox Church Celtic Orthodox Church Pentecostal Assemblies of God Church of God in Christ Elim Pentecostal Church Foursquare Gospel Church Worldwide Church of God Presbyterian & Reformed Asso. Presbyterian Churches, Scotland Church of Scotland Congregational Federation Evangelical Presbyterian Church Free Church of Scotland Free Church of Scotland (Continuing) Free Presbyterian Church of Scotland Free Presbyterian Church of Ulster Non-subscribing Presbyterian, Ireland Presbyterian Church in Ireland Presbyterian Church of Wales Reformed Presbyterian Church United Free Church of Scotland United Reformed Church Other Brethren in Christ Churches of Christ Fellowship of Ind. Evangelical Churches Latter-day Saints Quakers/ Britain Yearly Meeting Quakers/ Ireland Yearly Meeting United States United States Christian bodies United States Interchurch National Association of Evangelicals National Council of Churches Churches Uniting in Christ S. Conference of Orthodox Bishops in America North Am. Presbyterian & Reformed Council Anabaptist & Friends Brethren Church Church of the Brethren Evangelical Friends International Fellowship of Grace Brethren Churches Friends General Conference Friends United Meeting Mennonite Brethren Churches Mennonite Church USA Old Order Amish Mennonite Church Baptist & Stone-Campbell Baptist Alliance of Baptists American Baptist Association American Baptist Churches Baptist Bible Fellowship International Baptist General Conference Baptist Missionary Association of America Conservative Baptist Association of America General Association of Regular Baptist Churches National Association of Free Will Baptists National Primitive Baptist Convention North American Baptist Conference Southern Baptist Convention African-American Baptist National Baptist Convention of America National Baptist Convention, USA National Missionary Baptist Convention of America Progressive National Baptist Convention Stone-Campbell Restoration Movement Christian Church (Disciples of Christ) Christian Churches and Churches of Christ Churches of Christ International Churches of Christ Catholic & Anglican Anglican Church in North America Episcopal Church Old Roman Catholic Church Polish National Catholic Church Roman Catholic Church Holiness & Pietist Christian and Missionary Alliance Church of God (Anderson) Evangelical Covenant Church Evangelical Free Church of America Church of the Nazarene Salvation Army Seventh-day Adventist Church Wesleyan Church Lutheran Evangelical Lutheran Church in America Lutheran Church - Missouri Synod Wisconsin Evangelical Lutheran Synod Methodist African Methodist Episcopal Church African Methodist Episcopal Zion Church Christian Methodist Episcopal Church Free Methodist Church United Methodist Church Orthodox Antiochian Orthodox Christian Archdiocese Greek Orthodox Archdiocese of America Orthodox Church in America Russian Orthodox Church Outside Russia Serbian Orthodox Church Non-Chalcedonic Armenian Apostolic of Am. Armenian Apostolic Diocese of Am. Coptic Orthodox Church Pentecostal Assemblies of God Church of God (Cleveland, TN) Church of God in Christ Church of God of Prophecy Full Gospel Fellowship Intl. Church of the Foursquare Gospel Intl. Pentecostal Holiness Church Pentecostal Church of God Oneness Pentecostal Pentecostal Assemblies of the World United Pentecostal Church Intl. Presbyterian & Reformed Christian Reformed Church in North America Conservative Congregational Christian Conference Cumberland Presbyterian Church Evangelical Presbyterian Church Korean Presbyterian Church in America International Council of Community Churches National Asso. of Congregational Christian Churches Presbyterian Church (USA) Presbyterian Church in America Reformed Church in America United Church of Christ Other Church of Christ, Scientist Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints Community of Christ Grace Gospel Fellowship Independent Fundamental Churches of America Jehovah's Witnesses Messianic Jewish Alliance of America Plymouth Brethren Vineyard USA See also: Non-denominational Christianity International Associations Interdenominational Associations World Council of Churches World Evangelical Alliance Denominational Associations Friends World Committee for Consultation Mennonite World Conference Anglican Communion Baptist World Alliance World Convention of Churches of Christ Eastern Orthodox Church Confessional Evangelical Lutheran Conference International Lutheran Council Lutheran World Federation World Methodist Council Pentecostal World Conference International Conference of Reformed Churches Reformed Ecumenical Council World Communion of Reformed Churches World Reformed Fellowship Regional Associations Africa All Africa Conference of Churches (AACC) Association of Evangelicals of Africa (AEA) All Africa Baptist Fellowship Africa Lutheran Communion Asia Christian Conference of Asia (CCA) Evangelical Fellowship of Asia Asia Pacific Baptist Federation Asia Lutheran Communion Caribbean Caribbean Conference of Churches (CCC) Evangelical Association of the Caribbean Caribbean Baptist Fellowship Europe Conference of European Churches (CEC) European Evangelical Alliance European Baptist Federation Pentecostal European Fellowship Middle East Middle East Council of Churches (MECC) Latin America Latin American Council of Churches (CLAI) Latin American Evangelical Fellowship (FIDE) Union of Baptists in Latin America North America North American Baptist Fellowship Standing Conference of Orthodox Bishops in America North American Presbyterian and Reformed Council Pacific Pacific Conference of Churches (PCC) Evangelical Fellowship of the South Pacific (EFSP) Asia Pacific Baptist Federation

• John R. Mott
• Joseph Oldham
• Nathan Soderblom
• Charles Henry Brent
• Christian ecumenism
• World Summit of Religious Leaders

References

External links

• World Council of Churches

Bibliography

• W. A. Visser't Hooft, The Genesis of the World Council of Churches, in: A History of The Ecumenical Movement 1517-1948, R. Rose, S. Ch. Neill (ed.), London: SPCK 1967, second edition with revised bibliography, pp.697-724.