World Mission and Evangelism Consultation set for Rome

A preliminary consultation for the Conference on World Mission and Evangelism (CWME) organised by the World Council of Churches (WCC) will be held from 19th-25th January in Rome, Italy.

At the request of the WCC Central Committee, the event so-called "Young Missiologists’ Consultation" (YMC) will invite around 30 young people from various spiritual, denominational and cultural backgrounds.

The WCC Mission and Ecumenical Formation Team considers the consultation vital in the preparatory process for the CWME, which themed at "Come, Holy Spirit, Heal and Reconcile!"

According to the WCC, apart from raising the issue of the importance of being brought to the mission conference and working on the conference preparatory papers, the primary objective of the consultation is to explore new insights on the relationship between pneumatology and missiology.

Young theologians are able to take the opportunity to reflect on pneumatology, in particular on the way a renewed emphasis on the Holy Spirit can shape mission theory and practice.

In addition, the consultation hopes to identify a network of young missiologists working in the area of healing and reconciliation as well as resource persons for the CWME Youth Pre-Conference and Stewards Programme.

CWME is in fact a major annual forum held by the WCC. Around 500 people, including young people, women and men involved in frontiers of Christian witness, church and mission leaders, theologians and missiologists, gather to exchange their experiences and ponder together on the priorities in mission and the future of Christian witness.

CWME 2005 is going to take place in Athens, Greece from 9th-16th May at the invitation of the Church of Greece. It will be the first WCC world mission conference to be held in an Orthodox context.