WARC Continues Mission Rejuvenation with New Gender & Youth Agendas

A new ambitious agenda for justice and youth work for the next two years was discussed by Reformed Church leaders on Oct. 13th, 2005. The World Alliance of Reformed Churches (WARC) continues its journey to rejuvenate its mission with the new agenda looking to utilise the refreshed structure and set of priorities which were agreed upon and adopted earlier in the week.

|PIC1|The Executive Committee of the WARC has also set a 2.4 million CHF budget for the year 2006, and has expressed its regret that a joint gathering in 2010 could not be agreed upon with the Lutheran World Federation (LWF).

The 40-member Executive Committee has been meeting this week and will conclude the gathering tomorrow, Saturday Oct. 15th in Evian France.

The WARC leaders have also used their time together to develop an historic study into women’s participation in the Church. In addition, the body will also look to accompany ordained women that require support, and also influence more male clergy members to join gender awareness programmes.

It was also reiterated that the world body would continue its passionate work on gender as well as tackle HIV/AIDS across the world.

Leila Saleeby of Lebanon, who is the moderator of the gender justice network stated, “We recognise that the issues relating to gender justice can be developed only in a genuine partnership of men and women.”

She continued by saying that a broad range of programmes being sponsored by WARC’s youth network have taken into consideration “the fact that church leadership in many member churches excludes young people from full participation in many aspects of church life, especially in decision-making areas.”

In the introduction to the report, Marcelle Orange-Mafi from New Zealand said, “We implore the executive committee to take urgent steps in addressing this disparity.”

The committee was unanimous in deciding that the body had to encourage WARC’s member churches to include young people in church structures and decision-making mechanisms.

|TOP|In response to this urgent task, WARC has agreed to establish an internship and youth exchange programme to relight the knowledge and identity of what being a member of a Reformed Church means.

The Accra Confession, a statement on neo-liberal economic globalisation, which was brought out at WARC’s 24th General Council in 2004, will also be explained in more detail to member churches to allow them to grasp a clearer understanding of what it means.

Although a joint gathering with the LWF could not be agreed upon, WARC has also stated that it will work with the LWF on a number of workshops on water and will unite to publish liturgical materials that reflect a critical gender perspective on the Accra Confession.

Susan Davies of the United States shared that it was vital for the Reformed churches of the world to offer theological input on justice issues, and it was agreed by the committee to increase efforts to share theological perspectives on justice with the wider ecumenical movement.

WARC President Clifton Kirkpatrick, told how he felt a “deep sense of disappointment” that WARC would not unite with the Lutherans for a 2010 gathering was also asked by the executive to express this disappointment in a letter to the Lutherans.

The World Alliance of Reformed Churches is a fellowship of 75 million Reformed Christians in 218 countries in 107 churches. The Executive Committee will conclude Oct. 15th, 2005.