As the World Council of Churches (WCC) 11th Assembly opened on 31 August in Karlsruhe, Germany, WCC acting general secretary Rev. Prof. Dr Ioan Sauca shared a report that touched upon the climate crisis, COVID-19, the war in Ukraine, and many other challenges in the world.

“In responding to the hardships of our times, we need one another, we depend on one another, and we can advance only if we walk together, not in separation,” he said. “Therefore, I would dare to say that if the WCC did not exist, we would have to invent or reinvent it today.”

Sauca’s report showed the breadth of the WCC’s work related to the Pilgrimage of Justice and Peace, the climate crisis, racial justice, the wounds caused by the war in Ukraine and other conflicts in the world, and advancing human rights in the Holy Land.
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World Council of Churches (WCC) moderator Dr Agnes Abuom called on assembly delegates to “let Christ’s love move us,” as she delivered her opening report at the WCC 11th Assembly on August 3st.

Abuom reflected on the challenges facing members since the last assembly eight years ago and shared her hopes for this assembly. “At its best, the assembly is a spiritual celebration of the power of God’s love to renew our minds and hearts so that we may become a countercultural force driven by solidarity with the most vulnerable people and God’s creation,” she said.

“Listen carefully to youth among us,” urged Abuom, noting that many young people are anxiously struggling as they voice their fears about justice, peace, and the future of the planet. “They are the generation that is experiencing the first catastrophes of climate crisis and the last generation that can take any action to stop global warming.”
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“Although many of you are asking us to expel the delegation of the Russian Church, we have decided that the World Council of Churches is a free space for dialogue, and we need to find a way for them to agree, not disagree.”

The above was stated at the inaugural press conference for the 11th session of the World Council of Churches held in Karlsruhe, Germany, by the General Secretary of WCC, Rev. Prof. Dr. Ioan Saucă.

As Saucă pointed out, the war between Russia and Ukraine is a “shadow” over the conference.
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For the first time in more than 50 years, the Assembly of the World Council of Churches is convening in Europe again. It is therefore both an honour and a delight for me as Federal President to extend a warm welcome, also on behalf of our country, to all of you who have travelled from all corners of the globe to come to Germany.

This is the first time that the World Council of Churches is meeting in Germany. We are most grateful that you have accepted the invitation to come here and hope that we will be good hosts. This event is intended to be a celebration of faith, of interaction, of exchange. It is rare for us to host guests who are so different but who are nonetheless connected by a deep sense of unity. A very warm welcome to you all!
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An opening press conference for the World Council of Churches (WCC) 11th Assembly was held on 31 August as the assembly began in Karlsruhe, Germany. Hundreds of media representatives were present both in person and online to listen to and interact with a panel comprised of WCC leadership and local hosts.

Among the panellists for the press conference were Dr Agnes Abuom,  moderator of the WCC  central committee; H.E. Metropolitan Prof. Dr Nifon of Targoviste, vice moderator of the WCC central committee; Bishop Mary Ann Swenson, vice  moderator of the WCC central committee, WCC acting general secretary Rev. Prof. Dr Ioan Sauca; Bishop Petra Bosse-Huber, Evangelical Church in Germany, moderator of the local host committee; Bishop Prof. Dr Heike Springhart, Protestant Church in Baden, moderator of the local host committee; and Dr Frank Mentrup, mayor of Karlsruhe.
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During the World Council of Churches (WCC) Indigenous People’s Pre-Assembly, Prof. Anne Pattel-Gray shared the reflections below.

What spoke to you during this pre-assembly?

Prof. Pattel-Gray: The importance of recognising Indigenous people speaks to the integrity of the WCC to ensure a continuing platform for the voices of First Nations People—to not only be heard but to also participate, and to have the opportunity to share our theological views and social-political struggles with each other.
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At the World Council of Churches 11th Assembly in Karlsruhe Germany, Jackcilia Salathiel Ebere will be carrying the voices of women from South Sudan who are crying for peace and justice.

Ebere is the national women coordinator at the South Sudan Council of Churches, an ecumenical grouping of seven member churches and associate churches, including the Roman Catholic, Episcopal (Anglican) and Presbyterian churches.

Ebere, a human rights lawyer, stresses in an interview that women are the victims in the country’s civil war, interethnic violence, and widespread insecurity.
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As participants in the First Assembly of the World Council of Churches (WCC) gathered at Amsterdam during August 1948, the Netherlands bore witness to the violence of the Second World War. The port of Rotterdam was rising from near destruction. Many other cities, towns and villages across Europe were struggling to recover. To the east, Germany and Austria were divided into zones of occupation administered by the Allied Powers. Two months earlier, tensions between the Soviet Union and the Western occupiers of the former German capital led to the start of the Berlin Airlift. Since 1945, publications had been increasing their use of the term “Cold War”.
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At the invitation of the churches in Germany, Alsace–Lorraine, and Switzerland, the World Council of Churches (WCC) will hold its 11th General Assembly in Karlsruhe, Germany, from August 31 to September 8, 2022. Usually held every eight years, this assembly comes after a year’s delay because of the COVID pandemic which has taken many lives and highlighted the profound inequalities that exist in contemporary society. Bringing together more than 4000 participants from all over the world, a WCC Assembly is a special event in the lives of its 350 member churches, ecumenical partners, and other churches. With a membership including most of the world’s Orthodox churches, scores of Anglican, Baptist, Lutheran, Methodist, and Reformed churches as well as many charismatic, independent, united, and uniting churches, a WCC Assembly is the most diverse Christian gathering of its size in the world. It is a unique opportunity for the churches to deepen their commitment to visible unity and common witness.
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With the World Council of Churches (WCC) 11th Assembly less than four months away, anticipation for the historic gathering of faith and fellowship is growing. The foundation for the assembly—including the business aspects, spiritual life, or open dialogue—is the theme “Christ’s love moves the world to reconciliation and unity.” The assembly is also rooted in common faith as a gathering of the fellowship of churches that confess the Lord Jesus Christ as God and Saviour. All of this will occur amid today’s stark global realities: wars and conflicts, COVID-19, the climate emergency, racism, authoritarian politics, digitization, militarization. As the world cries for hope, the WCC 11th Assembly promises to bring a multi-faith approach.
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In a world crying out for justice and peace, the theme of the 2022 assembly of the World Council of Churches (WCC), “Christ’s love moves the world to reconciliation and unity,” speaks of hope for a future in which resources are shared, inequalities are addressed and all can enjoy dignity, according to a new publication reflecting on the assembly theme.

The result of the work of an international group drawn from different regions and confessional traditions, the text is intended as a resource for churches and Christians worldwide in advance of the WCC’s 11th Assembly, to take place in Karlsruhe, Germany, from 31 August to 8 September 2022.

The assembly, according to the text, is an opportunity to find inspiration in the love of God, the Holy Trinity; a love that has been revealed in Christ; and that, through the power of the Holy Spirit, is moving in and through all humankind and all creation.
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The World Council of Churches (WCC) Central Committee has decided upon the theme for its 11th Assembly, to be held in Karlsruhe, Germany in 2021. “Christ’s love moves the world to reconciliation and unity” will be the theme used in development of programmes and other preparations. The WCC Assembly Planning Committee is currently meeting in Cyprus to develop central building blocks for the assembly. “The theme will help to focus on the ecumenical movement as a movement of love, seeking to follow Christ and witness to Christ’s love – expressed in the search for justice and peace, and unity based on that,” commented WCC general secretary Rev. Dr Olav Fykse Tveit and added “The one human family needs love and needs to love to face our future together.”
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The past few days I have been in almost non-stop committee meetings. The Public Issues Committee drafts statements for the assembly to discuss and adopt. These statements then direct the programmatic priorities of the WCC for the next 7-8 years.

Negotiating linguistic, cultural, and theological differences in order to say something in common about the many urgent issues which confront our churches at this time has been both challenging and fascinating. The committees are a microcosm of the whole assembly. It is inspiring to witness (and participate in) the deep listening to one another that allows for fruitful dialogue and collective action.

Tomorrow we take the draft statements to the whole assembly, where nearly 800 delegates will prayerfully try to reach consensus on pressing (and sometimes controversial) issues. We will need the prayers of all our sisters and brothers in Christ to accompany us through this important and difficult work.

May the God of life truly lead us to justice and peace.
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Today the message that came through most strongly for me is the importance of listening to the voices of those on the margins. Jesus lived his life and exercised his ministry among those on the margins of society. It is those who are excluded, oppressed, ignored and persecuted in society who are best able to see and name injustices and the structures that sustain them. So our theology must have at its centre the experiences and perspective of those who are marginalized. This is a real challenge for those of us who come from a place of privilege… who are used to having our voice and our perspective listened to. We must relinquish our place at the centre and make room for those who have been silenced to be heard and given priority. This both excites and frightens me… I’m not always very good at shutting up and letting others have the spotlight. But as Christians we must be willing to go where Jesus went, love whom he loved, and risk what he risked. May God grant us the courage and the humility to do so.
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The 10th Assembly of the World Council of Churches (WCC) opened on Wednesday, 30 October in Busan, Republic of Korea under the theme “God of life, lead us to justice and peace.”

The opening service of common prayer on the first day of the assembly honoured diverse faith traditions from around the world. The gathering prayer included deeply moving litanies of lamentations, cries and hopes from the churches in Africa, Asia, the Caribbean, Europe, Latin America, the Middle East, North America and the Pacific.

The first plenary session of the assembly welcomed delegates and participants to Busan. The mayor of Busan, Hur Nam Sik, moderator of the Korean Host Committee of the WCC assembly the Rev. Dr Kim Sam Whan and the WCC general secretary Rev. Dr Olav Fykse Tveit welcomed all the assembly participants.

Tveit expressed thanks to the Korean churches, the city of Busan and the government for their gracious hospitality and welcome. Tveit addressed participants of the assembly which includes some 3000 participants representing 345 member churches of the WCC, including youth, WCC staff members, stewards, co-opted staff, interpreters and more than 1,000 Korean church members and day visitors. All these participants represent more than 100 countries.
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The 10th Assembly of the World Council of Churches (WCC) begins at the end of October and promises to be one of the most diverse gathering of Christians in the world.

The assembly will be an opportunity for renewing the worldwide ecumenical movement – infusing it with honesty, humility and hope, according to the WCC general secretary.

As to why this is the case, Rev. Dr Olav Fykse Tveit, WCC general secretary, and a Lutheran pastor from the Church of Norway says, it is “through humility, honesty and hope that we can live together as humanity and a Church in a world, where justice and peace are fundamental initiatives and not merely words.”

The theme of the WCC assembly is a prayer “God of life, lead us to justice and peace”.

The assembly will take place from 30 October to 8 November in Busan, Republic of Korea.

It will bring around 3,000 participants from Asia, Pacific, Africa, Europe, Middle East, North America and Latin America, including a large number of young people and several thousand Korean Christians.
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An upcoming World Council of Churches (WCC) consultation in Bangkok will attempt a distinctive mode of inter-religious dialogue.

In collaboration with the Christian Conference of Asia and organized by the WCC unit on Inter-religious Dialogue and Cooperation an “interface” of 25 Buddhists and Christians will take place 27 to 31 May in Bangkok, Thailand, and center on themes of life, justice and peace, central elements in the WCC 10th Assembly theme.

“Today’s multi-religious environment does not just provide Christians with the ‘context for’ engaging in the pursuit of life, justice and peace; rather it opens the possibility of ‘collaboration with’ people from other faiths who are already engaged in such pursuits,” said Peniel Rajkumar, programme executive in the WCC’s inter-religious dialogue unit.
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On our ecumenical journey we have come to understand more about God’s call to the Church to serve the unity of all creation. The vocation of the Church is to be: foretaste of new creation; prophetic sign to the whole world of the life God intends for all; and servant spreading the good news of God’s Kingdom of justice, peace and love.
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Au cours de notre cheminement œcuménique, nous sommes parvenus à mieux comprendre l’appel lancé par Dieu à l’Église à servir l’unité de l’ensemble de la création. La vocation de l’Église est d’être: un avant-goût de la nouvelle création, un signe prophétique, pour le monde entier, de la vie nouvelle que Dieu veut pour toutes et tous, ainsi qu’un serviteur propageant la Bonne Nouvelle du Royaume de justice, de paix et d’amour de Dieu.
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The World Council of Churches ended its once every seven years assembly held in Brazil with calls to reach out to Roman Catholic, Pentecostal and Evangelical churches that do not belong to the Geneva-based grouping.
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1. We, the delegates to the Ninth Assembly of the World Council of Churches, give thanks to the Triune God, Father; Son and Holy Spirit, who has brought our churches into living contact and dialogue. By God’s grace we have been enabled to remain together, even when this has not been easy. Considerable efforts have been made to overcome divisions. We are “a fellowship of churches which confess the Lord Jesus Christ as God and Saviour according to the scriptures, and therefore seek to fulfil their common calling to the glory of the one God, Father, Son, and Holy Spirit”.3 We reaffirm that “the primary purpose of the fellowship of churches in the World Council of Churches is to call one another to visible unity in one faith and in one eucharistic fellowship expressed in worship and in common life in Christ, through witness and service to the world, and to advance towards that unity in order that the world may believe”.4 Our continuing divisions are real wounds to the body of Christ, and God’s mission in the world suffers.

2. Churches in the fellowship of the WCC remain committed to one another on the way towards full visible unity. This commitment is a gift from our gracious Lord. Unity is both a divine gift and calling. Our churches have affirmed that the unity for which we pray, hope, and work is “a koinonia given and expressed in the common confession of the apostolic faith; a common sacramental life entered by the one baptism and celebrated together in one eucharistic fellowship; a common life in which members and ministries are mutually recognised and reconciled; and a common mission witnessing to the gospel of God’s grace to all people and serving the whole of creation”.5 Such koinonia is to be expressed in each place, and through a conciliar relationship of churches in different places. We have much work ahead of us as together we seek to understand the meaning of unity and catholicity, and the significance of baptism.
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WCC assemblies have adopted texts offering a vision, or identifying the qualities, of “the unity we seek”. This assembly in Porto Alegre, Brazil, is invited to consider and adopt the present invitation to the churches.
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The 9th Assembly of the World Council of Churches will meet in Porto Alegre, Brazil, 14 – 23 February 2006, addressing the theme “God, in your grace, transform the world.” The assembly will be a time of encounter, prayer, celebration and deliberation for thousands of Christian women and men from around the world. The World
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The purpose of God according to Holy Scripture is to gather the whole of creation under the Lordship of Jesus Christ in whom, by the power of the Holy Spirit, all are brought into communion with God (Eph. 1). The Church is the foretaste of this communion with God and with one another. The grace of our Lord Jesus Christ, the love of God and the communion of the Holy Spirit enable the one Church to live as sign of the reign of God and servant of the reconciliation with God, promised and provided for the whole creation. The purpose of the Church is to unite people with Christ in the power of the Spirit, to manifest communion in prayer and action and thus to point to the fullness of communion with God, humanity and the whole creation in the glory of the kingdom.
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