Rev. Dr Samuel Kobia, WCC General Secretary gives Opening Remarks

Introduction

"First, I wish to extend my profound thanks – and those of the World Council of Churches – to the Church of Greece, as well as the churches of Greece, for their invitation to hold the first mission conference of the new millennium in Athens where the apostle Paul proclaimed the gospel boldly, while still showing respect for the culture of Athens and the traditions held precious by the Greeks.

I am also pleased to welcome all of you who have followed in the footsteps of Paul, coming to participate in this event. You come from many places and represent the rich diversity celebrated at Pentecost. Quite a number of you are well acquainted with World Council of Churches conferences and assemblies. I am delighted to see you here again amid the beautiful surroundings of Agios Andreas. On the other hand, this may be the first opportunity for others of you to join brothers and sisters from such a wide variety of backgrounds in a WCC event. I particularly want to welcome you! Your presence enriches our fellowship, and I am keen to learn how God is at work in your lives and communities.

On his second missionary voyage, the apostle Paul came to Athens from Thessalonica by way of Beroea, passing along the Aegean coastline where we gather today. The sails of the ship that bore him were filled with breezes like those we now feel, blowing over this same sea. May that knowledge inspire us as we continue the Christian journey, and may the ecumenical ship be propelled by winds of the Spirit.

Healing and Reconciliation in the Contemporary Context

Mission and evangelism have to do with calling and conversion. In our global context, I would like to suggest that we are being summoned to a threefold conversion in our thinking and attitudes.

First, we are being called to rethink our assumptions concerning the geography of mission. It is well known that the demographic centre of Christianity has been steadily shifting from the North to the South. In the middle of the first century, this centre was in or near Jerusalem; in the following centuries it shifted to Europe, where it long remained. But statisticians now locate Christianity’s centre of gravity near Timbuktu in the Sahara desert, and it continues to migrate southward. Africa has moved from the periphery of the church’s consciousness to its centre. Our vision must undergo a corresponding conversion, if we are to attend to what God is doing in the world today.

Second, we are called to recognise that this change in global dynamics is not merely geographical, but carries with it implications that are spiritual, moral, theological, missiological. Forms of expressing our faith that grew out of European culture are no longer normative; for example, Pentecostal and charismatic spirituality is now flourishing in both South and North. The life of Christian communities in the South is not necessarily defined by concepts that are the heritage of Europe’s eleventh-century Great Schism, nor of the sixteenth-century Reformation. Are we open to mission from directions we have not anticipated, borne by brothers and sisters who have received gifts of the Spirit that were never monopolised by European or North American intermediaries? We are all too aware that ministries from unexpected sources, though often providing healing, joy and comfort, may also create tensions and disunity among churches. It is my hope that this conference will encourage broad dialogue on Christian witness, joined by participants from diverse traditions.

Third, as we seek to overcome tensions between North and South, we must also be converted to a new sense of unity joining the East and West. Athens is one of the most honoured cities of eastern Christianity, and our conference has received the gift of a cross from the churches of Jerusalem as a sign of fellowship and solidarity. As we become aware of new manifestations of the Spirit in unaccustomed regions of the world, we must not allow ourselves to become detached from the truth, tradition and theology of historic communities that have faithfully served God for 2,000 years. The World Council of Churches has begun to deepen its fellowship through a dialogue concerning the meaning of Orthodox participation in the WCC, and we hope to continue this process of healing and reconciliation as we examine questions of mission in light of the renewal of our ecclesial relationships.

Healing, Reconciliation and Peace

The call to mission requires us to look beyond our own communities for the sake of the whole world. In the week ahead, we have the opportunity to ponder what healing and reconciliation mean within the context of the world surrounding us.

The secular world, like the church, is no stranger to division. Some world leaders seem adept at manipulating religious identities for narrow nationalistic and economic ends. I think of religiously fuelled racism, culture wars and the clash of civilizations. Politicians are not solely to blame – there are too many exponents of particular religions who intentionally discount people of different beliefs and encourage aggressive behaviour towards them. Such "identity politics" prepare the ground for sowing seeds of conflict, civil unrest and war.

We are meeting at the mid-point of the WCC’s Decade to Overcome Violence, an initiative by the churches and their ecumenical partners to teach the ways that make for peace. I encourage this mission conference, focusing on a theme of healing and reconciliation, to highlight peace and non-violence as gospel imperatives. In Christ, God is revealed as a healer who offers reconciliation and forgiveness as gifts of pure grace. We are called to discipleship in Christ’s way: "Love your neighbour as you love yourself." Unfortunately this remains a counter-cultural message, no matter where we find ourselves. Communities that are true to Christ are called to make clear that their identity provides ground for cooperation, dialogue and respect, for Jesus assured us that it is the peacemakers who are blessed. If humanity is to live more peacefully in a more just world, Christianity as well as other religions must announce their refusal to be used as pawns on a political chessboard.

So perhaps the time has come for confession, and repentance. This is a mission conference. "Mission" carries heavy historical baggage, having played a part in fostering division and conflict – between peoples, and even between families of churches. Let us acknowledge that there is often a risk of being disrespectful of others and their traditions when one is highly motivated to promote and defend a significant cause and message. There have been times when we Christians have been insensitive to others, and worse, both outside the churches and within them. For this we are truly sorry.

But even when Christians are performing at our best, the prophetic dimension of the gospel is likely to cause offence. We are called to be ambassadors of Christ, as Paul said, and sometimes an ambassador is required to convey an essential message despite its unpopularity. While this is true, it must never be forgotten that the message we bear is ultimately a message of love, not of condemnation.

Mission as Reconciliation and Healing

The theme of our conference is longer than most: "'Come Holy Spirit, Heal and Reconcile!' Called in Christ to be healing and reconciling communities." Some observers have seen it as two distinct themes, but once again the ecumenical movement discerns an underlying unity in diversity.

"Come Holy Spirit, Heal and Reconcile!" This is a prayer, representative of a spirituality founded on experience of God as healer and source of unity. In this prayer, we express our faith and urge the Holy Spirit to manifest the presence of the Triune God within the life of our conference, and in all our actions and interactions.

"Called in Christ to be healing and reconciling communities" is a modest exercise in ecclesiology. It invites us to begin defining the sort of church that our world needs: a church that bears witness to the gospel in word and deed; a church that is alive in worship and learning; a church that opens its doors to outsiders; a church engaged with those who suffer, and with those who struggle for justice and peace; a church that provides services to all who are in need; a church that is faithful.

In the World Council of Churches, we are also contemplating another theme, another prayer. Next February, the WCC’s Ninth Assembly will gather in Porto Alegre, Brazil to explore the theme, "God, in Your Grace, Transform the World!" This is an intercession that lies at the heart of our missiology. In one form or another, this has always been the theme, the prayer, of Christ’s church in mission: "God, in your grace, transform the world!" We know that it is possible for us to become what we are called to be – the One, Holy, Catholic and Apostolic Church – only through the grace of the Triune God. We trust that, through the power of God’s Word and Spirit, the Creation may be redeemed and made new. In healing us as persons created in God’s image, in reconciling us as communities, the Holy Spirit builds us up in love, transforming us into the body of Christ, in order that we may play the part that God has assigned us in the healing, the reconciliation, the transformation of all people, and of the whole Creation.

We have come to Athens, as did the apostle Paul, confident of the presence and guidance of the Spirit. And so we are bold to pray: "Come Holy Spirit, heal and reconcile! ... God, in your grace, transform the world!"

And may Almighty God, the Father, Son and Holy Spirit, remain with us, now and always. Amen."