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The curriculum will give—especially to new staff in specialized ministries—the opportunity to get to know the ecumenical movement and its organizational expressions. The programme will also provide possibilities for ecumenical encounter with the WCC and other ecumenical organizations, including ACT Alliance.
The seminar will be structured around information and knowledge on the history of the ecumenical movement, and the different participants within the movement. Participants will learn about the role of the WCC in ensuring the coherence of the ecumenical movement.
After receiving an introduction to the Ecumenical Centre, participants will meet with staff from ecumenical organizations, and share a common spiritual life in daily worship. They will also share a prayer with students from the Ecumenical Institute at Bossey.
“As the name suggests, the Ecumenical Formation Seminar is not principally about imparting information, but rather about forming current and emerging leaders in specialized ministries and some humanitarian, development, or disaster response organizations that are faith-based but not technically specialized ministries,” said Rev. Nathan Day Wilson, WCC liaison to specialized ministries. “So while we will cover lots of material, including history, theology, key global structures and more, the success of the seminar will be measured by how far participants are on their way to embodying and promoting God's call for wholeness amidst the world's fragmentation—regardless of their job titles!”
Clemence Mathiaud, membership income coordinator, IMD/PMER, said: “For some participants, the Ecumenical Formation Seminar will be their first experience of living, praying and working together in the unique ecumenical setting that is Bossey. Since relationships are the essence of the ecumenical movement, we structured the time together to build fellowship.”
