Dear sisters and brothers,

The Global Christian Forum was established 15 years ago. Why?

Because the global ecclesial landscape changed significantly during the second half of the 20th century. New ways of being church or new denominations emerged in different parts of the world, requiring new ways of pursuing the imperative of making visible our unity once given in Christ.  

It was in response to this challenge that since its 1998 Harare assembly the WCC, with the active participation of the Pontifical Council for Promoting Christian Unity, the World Evangelical Alliance and the Pentecostal World Fellowship, have created a new space of Christian unity – the Global Christian Forum - for Christian communities or denominations which do not intend or do not feel in a position to seek membership in the WCC.

We rejoice in the existence and in the witness of the Global Christian Forum to our common calling to bear witness together to the reconciliation and unity of all things in Jesus Christ, God and Saviour. The Global Christian Forum is an autonomous, self-governing movement, which works in complementarity with the WCC within the one ecumenical movement, in constant consultation with its 4 pillars mentioned above.

It is in this spirit that we rejoice in the signing of the memorandum of understanding that facilitates the cooperation between the two bodies – the WCC and the GCF – both called to work in synergy and complementarity. We pray that the Global Christian Forum will be blessed in its service to Christian unity.