WCC Delegation call on Asia to take up Global Ecumenical Movement

Rev Samuel Kobia, the general secretary of the World Council of Churches (WCC) has given recognition to the dynamic growth of Christianity in Korea and across Asia. Kobia made a number of comments as a WCC delegation completed a series of meetings with Korean churches prior to the meeting of the Council’s executive committee which will take place in Seoul, Korea from 24th to 27th August 2004.

Kobia appealed to the Asian churches to take upon themselves a new responsibility towards the global ecumenical movement. He also warned them against a “superficial Christianity” which does not respond to the spiritual hunger of the people in the modern world.

Emphasis was given to the fundamental shift which has occurred, as Christianity has seen its centre move since the emergence of the ecumenical movement to the “global south”, including Asia.

Kobia said that the main concern that should be avoided nowadays in Asian churches was not offering a rooted and authentic spiritual dimension. So he called for a renewal of the ecumenical spirituality which "rejoices in the continuity of things of the spirit with action for justice and peace".

Running alongside Kobia’s address, Catholicos Aram I, the WCC moderator, and members of the executive committee addressed an ecumenical forum on the “new vision and challenges to ecumenism in the 21st century” on the 23rd August. That forum gathered over 200 church and ecumenical leaders all throughout Seoul and Korea.

The WCC moderator invited warmly the opportunity for the churches to critically assess the direction that the ecumenical movement was taking, and he said that ecumenism was a “gift of the Holy Spirit”.

He pointed out that although ecumenism may have vital institutional forms, it was primarily a movement that must be rooted in the concrete local situation of the churches.

Finally the WCC moderator laid down a challenge to the Asian churches as he told them to discover the “Asian-ness” of their Christianity, and to offer their contribution to the worldwide Church.

The WCC delegation’s three-day visit began on the 18th August when they were welcomed to Korea by the NCCK President, Rev Kim Soon-Kwon and the NCCK general secretary, Rev Paik Do-Woong.

During the three-day visit, Kobia met with leaders of the WCC churches: the Presbyterian Church of Korea, the Orthodox Church of Korea (Ecumenical Patriarchate), the Anglican Church, the Presbyterian Church of the Republic of Korea, and the Korean Methodist Church.

During these visits the Korean church leaders reiterated their invitation to host the future WCC’s 9th Assembly in 2006. However, the central committee have chosen to accept the invitation from Porto Alegre in Brazil.

The WCC general secretary also met with Rev Yonggi Cho of the Yoido Full Gospel Church, which has an estimated 800,000 members; this makes it probably the largest Christian congregation in the world. Rev Yonggi Cho, who is currently president of the World Assemblies of God, emphasised the importance of continued dialogue between the churches which have diverse traditions and cultures.

A gathering of church representatives from countries across the region coincided with the WCC delegation’s visit. The gathering was also organised by the WCC, and senior representatives from China, Hong Kong, Japan, Taiwan and Korea discussed issues of common concern. This turned out to be a truly historical gathering as it was the very first time that representatives from both China and Taiwan have met together at an ecumenical gathering.