In exercising its mission, the church cannot be the church without giving witness (martyria) to God's will for the salvation and transformation of the world.
(The Nature and Purpose of the Church, chapter B29)
The witness of Christ – who sums up in his person the testimony borne by all prophets of the Old Testament and by all God's messengers – is the foundation of the church, which at Pentecost bears witness to the resurrection. The New Testament stories on how the early Christians lived their faith highlight essential dimensions of Christian witness: the apostolic-missionary commission, bringing the good news of God's love to the world, proclaiming in word and deed the coming kingdom of God which consists in "righteousness and peace and joy in the Holy Spirit" and witnessing before the powers of this world.
Read the article on "witness" from the Dictionary of the Ecumenical Movement
Through the WCC, churches speak with one voice against injustice, violence and destruction. They share ideas and experiences, and challenge each other on how to bear witness to Jesus Christ in all realms of life - personal, cultural and socio-economic.
In relation to the international political order, an instrument of Christian witness was established in 1946 by the WCC-in-formation and the International Missionary Council: the Commission of the Churches on International Affairs (CCIA). It was among the first non-governmental organizations to obtain consultative status with the Economic and Social Council of the United Nations.
Today, the CCIA continues to represent the WCC and its member churches in the UN system. A number of other WCC programme areas also contribute to Christian witness.
Some examples:
· Ecumenical perspectives on mission and unity
· The Decade to Overcome Violence
· Churches engaged for nuclear arms control
· Advocacy for indigenous peoples at UN forums
· Human rights to enhance human dignity
· Palestine Israel Ecumenical Forum
· Ecumenical Accompaniment Programme in Palestine and Israel
The 1948 founding assembly of the WCC said in a resolution on "the authority of the Council": "The Council desires to serve the churches which are its constituent members as an instrument whereby they may bear witness together to their common allegiance to Jesus Christ, and cooperate in matters requiring united action."
In 1950 the WCC Central Committee built on this resolution stating that "The member churches of the Council are willing to consult together in seeking to learn of the Lord Jesus Christ what witness he would have them to bear to the world in his name."
Indeed on many occasions the churches have used the platform provided by the WCC to discuss the different aspects of Christian witness and, acting together, to make the Christian voice heard in the world.
Some examples:
- Called to Witness, WCC 3rd Assembly, New Delhi, India, 1961
- The Decade to Overcome Violence (DOV), Churches Seeking Reconciliation and Peace, WCC Central Committee, Geneva, Switzerland, 1999.
- Towards common witness, Commission on Mission and Evangelism, 1997
- Interrogating and Redefining Power: A theological consultation, Commission on Faith and Order, 2004
- Ecclesiology and Ethics, Commission on Faith and Order, 1997
- Church and World: The Unity of the Church and the Renewal of Human Community, Faith and Order Paper No.151, 1990
- Christian Witness in a Multi-Religious World: Recommendations for Conduct, jointly published with the Pontifical Council for Interreligious Dialogue and the World Evangelical Alliance (WEA), 2011
- You Are the Light of the World: Statements on Mission by the WCC 1980-2005
