News
The Central Committee of the World Council of Churches (WCC), a chief governing body of the Council, has appointed new moderators of its Standing Committees. These moderators will facilitate the work of the WCC related to its programmes, policies, public issues addressed by the organization, governance, as well as communication and finances.
Leaders of the Standing Committees include Rev. Dr Sharon Watkins from the United States, who will serve as moderator of the Programme Committee. Currently the general minister and president of the Christian Church (Disciples of Christ) in the United States, Watkins has served in US President Obama's Advisory Council on Faith-Based and Neighbourhood Partnerships.
Bishop Dr Alex Gehaz Malasusa from Tanzania will be the moderator of the Policy Reference Committee. Coming from the Evangelical Lutheran Church in Tanzania, Malasusa is from the region of Rungwe, Mbeya. He has been among the youngest presiding bishops in his church.
Bishop Samuel Azariah from the Church of Pakistan will be the moderator of the Public Issues Committee. Azariah has a long-standing experience of working in settings where Christians are a minority. He has worked for a number of initiatives on inter-religious dialogue, as well as concerns of religious minorities and human rights in Pakistan.
Bishop Irinej of Australia and New Zealand from the Serbian Orthodox Church will moderate the Governance and Nominations Committee. The diocesan bishop of the Metropolitanate of Australia and New Zealand, Irinej has been greatly involved with international affairs, church relations and ecumenical dialogue.
Miriam Weibye, a member of the WCC Central Committee from the Church of Scotland, will moderate the Communications Committee. Coming from the Reformed tradition of Christianity, she has actively engaged with ecumenical programmes for youth in her home church.
Archbishop Dr Vicken Aykazian of the Armenian Apostolic Church of America (Mother See of Holy Etchmiadzin) in Washington, D.C. will serve as the moderator of the Finance Policy Committee. Awarded the Ellis Island Medal of Honour, Aykazian is known for his contributions to national and global initiatives for peace, reconciliation and unity among the churches.
Speaking on the role of Standing Committees of the Central Committee, the WCC general secretary Rev. Dr Olav Fykse Tveit said “the preliminary work done in Standing Committees is important for the policy-making - a responsibility of the Central Committee”.
“The leadership of the Standing Committees helps set the tone for the decision-making process at each meeting of the WCC Central Committee. In this sense, I welcome appointment of the moderators and trust that, together with their rapporteurs, members and advisors to their committees, they will facilitate, inform and strengthen the work of the Central Committee,” Tveit added.
The WCC Central Committee, with its 150 members from all global regions, is responsible for carrying out the policies adopted by the WCC 10th Assembly, as well as reviewing and supervising the WCC programmes and the budget of the Council. The WCC assembly was held in Republic of Korea, 2013.
The Central Committee held its full meeting 2-8 July in Geneva, Switzerland. They will meet again in June 2016 and approximately every two years for the next eight years.