WCC Central Committee Ends with Confidence towards Ninth Assembly

Tuesday 22 February was the last day of the meeting of the central committee of World Council of Churches (WCC). After seven days of a wide range of activities, plenary sessions and forum focus on exploring global issues related to the church, the Council has been strengthened with confidence in preparations for the upcoming ninth Assembly in Brazil.

A number of new proposals were made in a bid to reshape and streamline the activity of WCC so as to better equip the global Christian body for a "fast-changing" world context and new patterns of church life.

The central committee introduced the principle "to do less and to do it well" in order "to develop greater clarity and coherence in its unique role as a global fellowship of churches."

Earlier in the week, the WCC general secretary Rev. Dr Samuel Kobia invited churches to "move with confidence towards a redefined ecumenical engagement concomitant with the challenges and opportunities facing the church at the beginning of the 21st century."

It was celebrated that improved management in the WCC had stabilised the Council’s financial situation and a 2005 budget of almost 39 million Swiss francs was approved. Dr Kobia said that following the institutional renewal, "spirituality will occupy an even bigger place" in the future of ecumenism.

The committee has also considered new ways of relating to Catholic and Pentecostal churches, other ecumenical organisations and agencies, in order to strengthen collaboration and effectiveness.

As Dr Kobia requested, the committee approved plans to give a central place to youth at an assembly which will signal "a new phase in ecumenism".

Another major reform is the adoption of the new consensus model by the 158-member council body. It is expected to become the Council's future way of decision-making. The move promises to strengthen the participation and commitment of member churches, particularly Orthodox churches, which have felt alienated by earlier parliamentary-style procedures. This also implies changes in the WCC's constitution and rules.

The new methodology was first applied during an open "ecumenical conversation" on the controversial issue of human sexuality during the central committee meeting and proved to be successful.

With the theme "healing and reconciliation", the church body responded to situations of conflict and injustice worldwide. The WCC has issued a statement calling for a termination of the US-led military presence in Iraq and one on the "unconscionable and illegal detention" of prisoners without trial by the US government in Guantanamo Bay.

The WCC has highlighted the 10-year initiative, 'Decade to Overcome Violence' (DOV). Next year, the WCC will mark the mid-term of the DOV. The annual focus this year is on Asia and it will be on Latin America in 2006, and on Europe in 2007.

Currently the total WCC church membership is 347 after the admission of eight new members this year. Its total membership is expected to climb to 350 churches in 2006, with a combined membership of more than 550 million people.

The central committee meeting concluded today at 11:30am (GMT) in Geneva with reporting and an evaluation closing prayer. The ninth assembly of the WCC will take place in exactly a year in Brazil.