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Partnership with ecumenical organizations

This project seeks to deepen partnership with regional ecumenical organizations (REOs), national councils of churches (NCCs), Christian world communions (CWCs), specialized ministries, and international ecumenical organizations.  

While almost all the WCC’s programmatic work is carried out in consultation with ecumenical partners, this project seeks to provide an overview and coordination of these relationships. One aim is to build trusting and fruitful relationships for the benefit of those involved and of the ecumenical movement as a whole. Another is to map the changing ecclesial landscape and programmatic work carried out within the movement on a regular basis. 

Giving direction to reflection on "Ecumenism in the 21st Century", furthering the work of the Global Christian Forum, and maintaining the WCC’s coordinating role in ACT Development are part of the work in this area, as is maintaining relations with the Roman Catholic Church and with Pentecostal churches. 

A Joint WCC-RCC Working Group and a Joint Consultative Group between WCC and Pentecostals meet regularly. In follow-up to a proposal made by the former, a global consultation of national councils of churches (in which Roman Catholic churches may be members) is scheduled for 2009 or 2010, in collaboration with the Pontifical Council on Promoting Christian Unity. 

As far as the REOs are concerned, this project targets greater complementarity of roles, programmes and public statements between them and the WCC. In the case of national councils and federations of churches, the WCC is particularly interested in the changing nature of national ecumenical contexts as expressed in their membership, and the existence of other “churches together” movements.

This report outlines the activities of the JWG during the years 1999-2005 and includes three completed study documents, as well as some themes pursued and issues addressed.
A 17-19 November 2005 meeting at the Ecumenical Institute of Bossey, Switzerland marked the 40th anniversary of the Joint Working Group at a transitional moment in the ecumenical movement. It reflected on the group's role and mandate and the ways in which it could continue to strengthen the relationship between the two bodies.
Excerpts from the Report to the Ninth Assembly (Brazil 2006)
The group, established in Harare at the Eighth Assembly of the WCC, had met previously in France and in Ecuador. The theme for the week was the “Unity of the Church” and it was rooted in daily bible studies based upon the New Testament book of Ephesians.
The following article is the entry on "Councils of churches: local, national, regional" from the revised edition of the Dictionary of the Ecumenical Movement published jointly by the World Council of Churches and the Wm. Eerdmans in 2002.