History of youth and the WCC

Three organizations founded in the last years of the 19th century nurtured many of the young ecumenical pioneers whose activities would result, in 1948, in the formation of the World Council of Churches (WCC). These organizations were: the World Alliance of Young Men's Christian Associations (1855), the World Young Women's Christian Association (1894) and the World Student Christian Federation (1895).

In the context of the emerging ecumenical movement, missionary, Life and Work, and Faith and Oorder gatherings along with, in 1939, the first World Conference of Christian Youth also provided stimulus and direction to the establishment of the WCC as the formalized expression of Christian witness and the quest for unity.

"We turn to the young of all countries. With keen appreciation we have heard of their aspirations and efforts for a better social order as expressed in the youth movements of many lands. We desire to enlist the ardour and energy of youth, the freshness and fullness of their life, in the service of the kingdom of God and humanity." First Life and Work Conference, Stockholm, 1925

Even prior to the WCC's formation, a provisional committee in 1946 established a WCC youth department. Its first task was to coordinate, together with the YMCA, the YWCA and the World Sunday School Association, a second World Conference of Christian Youth in Oslo in 1947 whose theme was "Jesus Christ is Lord".

147 churches, mostly from Europe and North America, gathered at the first WCC assembly in Amsterdam in 1948 around the theme "Man's disorder and God's design". In addition to the 351 delegates 100 youth delegates, including 48 young women, were present although they did not have voting rights.

At the first assembly, postwar reconstruction was seen as an ecumenical task, aimed at rebuilding "the whole life of the fellowship of churches". The WCC Youth department participated in this effort through ecumenical work camps. Up until the end of the 1950s, some 10,000 young people from over 60 countries participated in 387 camps in 47 countries.

Among the assembly youth delegates was a young man from Dominica who later became director of the WCC Youth office, general secretary of the WSCF and finally WCC general secretary (1972-84). Speaking on behalf of youth at the assembly, Philip Potter pointed to what would be the main thrust of the WCC Youth department over the following years:

"We cannot express too strongly how pained we are by the divisions of the churches. At every point in our discussions... we are brought up against the inability of the churches to be clear and authoritative... because of their disunity on the basic issue of the nature of the church... of the stumbling-blocks which mar our fellowship and drive men and women, and especially youth away from us...

...The evangelization of the young people of this generation cannot be attempted by the senior members of the churches without the young people, or vice versa. The times demand a forward movement of the whole church, knowing that the vanguard of the attack must be Christian youth who, at any rate, are in closest contact with other young people."

Only 350 delegates from 55 countries attended the third World Conference of Christian Youth in 1952 in Kottayam, South India. Its theme was "Jesus Christ the answer - God in Christ, reconciling the world unto himself".

The WCC Youth department was active in the process leading up to the formation of the World Fellowship of Orthodox Youth, SYNDESMOS, in 1953.

At the WCC's second assembly in Evanston, USA in 1954, the WCC Youth department received a new constitution and was located within the Division of Ecumenical Action. This strengthened its efforts to promote ecumenical education and to help churches to accept young people as active participants in their life and witness. The second assembly was reminded of the fact that many young people were leaving the church at an age when they should be taking up responsible membership.

The fourth World Conference of Christian Youth was held in Lausanne in 1960 around the theme "Christ, the light of the world". With 1800 delegates, it was the largest-to-date global gathering of Christian youth in the history of ecumenical youth initiatives. One speaker threw out a stirring challenge when he asked:

"Are there no revolutionaries here, people who do not want to improve or modify the structures and institutions of our Christian life, but who are ready to break out of these prisons? ...who want to avoid one of the major ecumenical sins - that of being "churchy"? Are you going to deal with the issues of unity in your local situation in an impatient and recklessly courageous way?"

It was perhaps this clarion call that led to the "critical" participation of youth in the WCC and the wider ecumenical youth movement throughout the 1960s.

160 young people met for a week prior to the third WCC assembly in New Delhi in 1961 to prepare their participation in this third assembly - as youth delegates, stewards and volunteers. The WCC general secretary W.A. Viser 't Hooft challenged them to "work and pray and sweat" for the cause of Christian unity at all levels, and Philip Potter warned that "We are in serious danger of driving young people to despair of the churches and, therefore, to flight from them". The work of the church "may perish for lack of younger men and women to take it up because they despair of anything really happening in it," he warned.

The theme of the WCC's fourth assembly in Uppsala, Sweden, in 1968 was "Behold, I make all things new", and Uppsala is still remembered as the WCC's most activist and politically oriented assembly, reflecting the world situation in that turbulent year.

Although only 5 percent of the delegates were young people, they were highly visible - in sit-ins, sit-downs, stand-ups, pickets, boycotts and vigils. Never had youth been so vocal in their critique of the ecumenical establishment. A position paper on "Youth in God's World" was presented to the assembly by the youth constituency and, at the closing worship, youth delegates demanded the integration of youth into all aspects of WCC work. They also carried placards bearing extracts from the assembly's own official decisions to make the point: "Practice what you preach!"

After Uppsala, the number of executive staff in the WCC's Youth department was reduced from seven to one. The result was that WCC youth work collapsed during this period. During the fifth assembly in Nairobi, Kenya, in 1975, a special workshop sought to remedy this situation and the fifth assembly gave a clear recommendation seeking both to integrate youth, and to focus on the youth constituency. At this assembly, 9 percent of the delegates were between 18 and 30 years old.

At the seventh assembly in Canberra, Australia, in 1991, delegates voting for the WCC Central Committee failed to follow a 1988 Central Committee resolution that the next Committee would include 20 percent youth representation. In protest, disappointed young people bearing a banner with the slogan "Ecumenical suicide" interrupted an assembly plenary. Finally, yielding to strong pressure, the assembly elected a youth adviser, Priyanka Mendis from Sri Lanka, as the WCC's first youth president.

An Ecumenical Global Gathering of Youth and Students (EGGYS) brought together 500 young people in Rio de Janeiro, Brazil, in 1993. Their excitement, participation and solidarity with each other were evidence of intimate involvement in the critical issues of our times - hunger and increasing poverty, environmental destruction, proselytism, HIV/AIDS, drug use and abuse, the relationships of gospel and culture, issues affecting young women - and their search for solutions.

As well as the gathering itself, the two-year process of interregional and inter-organizational cooperation that preceded EGGYS showed that young people wanted to be an integral part of the development of their society, church and community.

More than 400 young people, including 150 delegates and 180 stewards, attended the WCC's eighth assembly Pre-Assembly Youth Event (PAYE) in Harare, Zimbabwe, in 1998. PAYE presented a policy document on youth participation, and a call for change to the assembly:

"A new ecumenical paradign must seek new forms of power. We believe that this is the essence of the call to Jubilee. Such new forms of power extend to the whole oikoumene... We believe that debt relief is an imperative if we are to begin the new millennium with a fresh start for the world's poor. As young people, we believe that there are alternatives to the current global economic reality, and that debt cancellation is only the first step. A new global economic structure will require our creativity, but also our repentance and reconciliation. This will also require action both in terms of solidarity with the poor and lifestyle changes for the rich. We also recognize that rich and poor have much to give, receive and learn from one another."

Youth delegates were part of the eighth assembly's leadership. This was most apparent during the second phase of hearings on WCC work priorities as it moves into the 21st century, moderated by six young people. Kathy Bannister from the US was elected youth president, and 23 young people were elected to the Central Committee - a record number in the WCC's decision-making structures.