Available in:
placeholder image

The World Council of Churches (WCC) and the Global Christian Forum (GCF) will hold a seminar on Wednesday 11 September addressing how best to strengthen relationships between Christian councils and church forums in order to promote dialogue and cooperation in seeking broader Christian unity and common witness.

The GCF established in the late 1990s followed a call from the WCC 8th Assembly in Harare that stressed the need for a space to bring together churches and organizations not structurally a part of the WCC. The GCF now represents diverse churches and Christian organizations, promoting encounters among churches and traditions, which have not been in conversation with each other previously.

The seminar will feature discussions on how to deepen understanding of the roles of the WCC and GCF. The participants will strategize on how to support ecumenical networks following on the WCC-GCF memorandum of understanding aimed at the promotion of Christian unity.

The seminar will focus on the need for complementary roles within Christian councils and church forums working globally, regionally and nationally.

Date: Wednesday 11 September 2013, 15.00 – 17.00

Location: The Ecumenical Centre

150 Route de Ferney
Grand-Saconnex
(free parking available)

Download background information on the seminar

Speakers will include:

  • Rev. Dr Walter Altmann, moderator of the WCC Central Committee
  • Rev. Dr Sarah Rowland Jones, GCF committee member
  • Rev. Dr Olav Fykse Tveit, WCC general secretary, presenting on “Conciliar ecumenism and the role of councils in rapidly changing ecclesial landscapes”
  • Rev. Dr Richard Howell, member of the GCF committee, discussing “Forums as an open space for new developments in world Christianity”
  • Rev. Wesley Granberg-Michaelson, member of the GCF committee, also addressing “Forums as an open space for new developments in world Christianity”

The seminar will be conducted in English.

Media contact:

Naveen Qayyum, phone +41795076363 or email: nqa[at]wcc-coe.org

The Global Christian Forum website