Blog post
This felt different from the start. The GEM School, part of the New International Financial and Economic Architecture process convened by the WCC with the World Communion of Reformed Churches, Lutheran World Federation, World Methodist Council, Council for World Mission, and United Society Partners in the Gospel, created something I hadn't experienced before: a space where 20 faith leaders could genuinely imagine what an economy that promotes life might look like.
Why this matters now
Today's global economic systems breed inequality, ecological destruction, and un-sustainability—so far from the biblical vision of justice we find in Micah 6:8 and Jesus's promise: "I came that they may have life, and have it abundantly" (John 10:10).
The GEM School created space for reflection, mutual learning, and advocacy across theology, economics, ecology, technology, and justice, bringing together diverse voices from churches, nongovernmental organizations, corporations, communities, and different sectors of change-making.
Two deep impressions
Enrichment of global ecumenism. Listening to perspectives shaped by different theologies and contexts didn't just broaden my understanding—it changed something deeper. There's power in hearing how a Lutheran from Germany and a Methodist from Ghana tackle the same economic challenge. It awakened what I can only call our "holy imaginations," opening up possibilities for advocacy, activism, and action that I hadn't seen before.
How close economics sits to daily life. This hit harder than I expected. From debt to taxation, from wages to digital inequality, our economies shape human dignity every single day. They determine whether creation flourishes or suffers. Faith cannot, and should not, stay silent about these realities.
Image
Photo:
Personal archive
Questions for reflection
These questions came to my mind as we engaged a process of holy imagination:
- How does the biblical vision of enough and abundance challenge our understandings of economy, ecology, wealth, and technology? (John 10:10, Exodus 16)
- Where do we, collectively and individually, see debt, tax injustice, or digital inequality shaping life around us? What is God calling us to do in response?
- What role should the church play in facing economic injustice, ecological crisis, and the Fourth Industrial Revolution? How can ecumenical and multicultural perspectives strengthen our witness?
A call to holy disturbance
The Reverse St Francis Prayer reminds us that we're called not to complacency but to holy disturbance. As John Wesley’s words inspire: may we do all the good we can, everywhere, to everyone, at every opportunity, toward an Economy of Life for all.
The weapon of education that Mandela spoke about? It's in our hands! The creativity inspired, ideas sparked, and projects launched by my fellow participants prove that when faith leaders gain economic literacy, they don't just understand the world differently, they are empowered to change it!
Image
Photo:
Personal archive
About the author :
Ilse Gainsford is a minister-in-training in the Methodist Church of Southern Africa. She is passionate about diversity, inclusion, flourishing, and ministries that affirm the inherent dignity and sacred worth of all. She is academically trained in the intersections of gender, religion, health, Christian leadership, practical theology, and youth ministry, and is always on the lookout to partner with organizations and ministries that seek to address issues that are life-denying toward their transformation into life-affirming spaces.
