Pacific Conference of Churches

The Pacific Conference of Churches is a fellowship of churches which confess the Lord Jesus Christ as God and Saviour according to the scriptures and therefore seek to fulfill their common calling to the glory of the one God, Father, Son, and Holy Spirit.

The roots of the Pacific Conference of Churches (PCC) go back to the first consultation of the Pacific Churches, which took place in 1961, at Malua, Western Samoa. The PCC as such was founded in 1966, at its first assembly, on the Loyalty Island of Lifou, New Caledonia. The Conference grew rapidly as new churches joined, in particular the Roman Catholic Bishops’ Conferences of the Pacific, in 1976 and 1991. In 1976 the membership was opened also to national councils of churches. The basic principles of the PCC are an ecumenical spirit welcoming all humankind regardless of religion, belief or ideology; the promotion of justice, peace and the integrity of creation; the respect of equality between men and women; the recognition of the cultures of population groups; equal sharing of resources; sharing of responsibilities; consistency between word and action. Ecumenism in the Pacific refers not only to the unity of the churches but also of the people of the Pacific islands and the communal life of their communities.

The programmatic activities of the PCC began after its second assembly, in 1971, in five areas: Christian education; Christian communication; family life; faith and action; church and society. The PCC has promoted the role and status of women and has devoted much attention to economic development rooted in the realities of village life. It has taken a lead in dealing with political problems in the region, and has spoken out against nuclear testing. In the 1980s, a drastic reduction of programmes and restructuring of the organization became necessary, because of the increasing dependence on external funding and other problems.

In a vast island region like the Pacific (the “liquid continent” as some have called it), the assemblies of the PCC have been especially important occasions for the churches to deliberate and celebrate together:

Davuilevu (Fiji)                         1971     God’s Purpose for His People
Port Moresby (PNG)                1976     God’s Mission in the Changing Pacific Society
Nuku’alofa (Tonga)                 1981     Confessing Jesus Christ in the Pacific
Western Samoa                      1986     Challenges of the Eighties and the Mission of the Church
Vanuatu                                     1991     Proclaiming a Living Hope – Born into a Living Hope
Tahiti (French Polynesia)       1997     Reaffirming God, the Hope of Fenua
Raratonga (Cook Islands)      2002     Holy Spirit, Weave us Together in Your Peace
Pago Pago, American Samoa   2007   Atua, Empower Us to be Liberating Communities

The themes of the early assemblies reveal the will of the Pacific churches to discern and understand their common calling as instruments of God’s mission. The answer lies in the affirmation of hope, of Fenua (the land, a fundamental notion in the Pacific cultures), of peace and of the power to liberate. 

Among the current programmes of the PCC, a high priority is given to capacity building, i.e. the formation of the persons who are, or will be, in charge of the work of the churches and the councils of churches. This includes management skills as well as vision, and the ability to give leadership. Another high priority area is the empowerment of young people to assume responsibilities in the church and the society. The PCC has listed three more programme concerns as having medium term priority: partnership in mission, the prophetice voice and role of the churches, and women and development. Promoting ecumenical co-operation is a long term goal of the organisation. The last assembly commissioned a group to do a feasibility study of the proposal to bring together the PCC, the Pacific Theological College and the South Pacific Association of Theological Schools into one Pacific Ecumenical Council.

The PCC has 26 member churches and nine member councils of churches in 17 island states and territories. The offices are in Suva, Fiji.