Search results

Ecumenical cooperation among Christian traditions is “an indispensable path to evangelization,” according to the 2013 apostolic exhortation from Pope Francis titled Evangelii Gaudium, or “the joy of the gospel.” The latest issue of the journal International Review of Mission analyses the encyclical’s teaching in light of two other documents on mission agreed by the Commission on World Mission and Evangelism and the Lausanne Committee for World Evangelization.

Renowned for his friendly attitude and his inspiring speeches, nothing seems impossible for this man. He has faced a multitude of difficulties including severe illness and persecution. At age 62, he committed to rebuild the church in the only officially declared atheist state.

Nearly 60 participants gathered to reflect on the theme “Reclaim Evangelism!” at the North American 2015 Conference on Evangelism, held 29 October - 2 November in Nashville, Tennessee (U.S.). The conference was organized by the WCC and the NCCUSA, in consultation with the Canadian Council of Churches, and it was hosted by the Discipleship Ministries of the United Methodist Church.

In view of the changing global landscape of mission and evangelism, participants in a meeting organized by the WCC and the Council for World Mission explored the concept of evangelism and its life-affirming aspects in the city of Sydney, where the event was held from 5 to 13 September.

Interview with the WCC general secretary, who is currently in Brasilia, about violence committed in the name of religion, human rights and climate justice in Brazil.

How do the many contemporary issues and challenges about gender relate to the newest conceptions of mission? Does mission as currently conceived help women, for example, or speak adequately to such widespread phenomena as gender-related violence? Is there a “gender imperative” for mission?

The WCC has reinstated the title of director for the WCC staff member Rev. Dr Jooseop Keum, who will continue to head the WCC’s Commission on World Mission and Evangelism.

Authentic discipleship in mission and evangelism, hospitality, justice and inclusiveness emerged as significant topics in a recent meeting of members of the WCC Commission on World Mission and Evangelism. These topics will influence the theme of the World Mission Conference which is planned to be held in 2018.

In the light of current global realities, representatives of the World Evangelical Alliance and the WCC met from 20 to 21 January to explore and discuss possible areas of future cooperation.

A consultation in Pietermaritzburg, South Africa has discussed creative ways of using the WCC statement in mission education and curriculum. The WCC statement, titled “Together towards life: Mission and evangelism in changing landscapes”, seeks a renewed understanding and practice of mission and evangelism.

Members of the WCC's Ecumenical Disability Advocates Network met in the Netherlands to develop a new statement with the working title "Gift of Being: Called to be a Church of All and for All". The new document is founded on the premise that persons with disabilities experience marginalization both in societies and in the church communities themselves.

Evangelism in new contexts was the focus of a meeting last week in Atlanta, Georgia, United States, involving the WCC and the North American councils of churches. The meeting’s primary objective was to set the agenda for a larger consultation on evangelism in North America, slated before the end of 2015.

At the Central Committee meeting of the WCC, leadership of the Council’s consultative bodies was announced. These bodies will steer through the work of the WCC in accomplishing the call from its 10th Assembly to engage in a “pilgrimage of justice and peace”. The WCC assembly was held in the Republic of Korea in 2013.

A wealth of substantive engagements with and responses to contemporary trends in the theology and practice of mission and evangelism are featured in the newest issue of International Review of Mission.

Today the WCC10th Assembly featured a mission plenary. The plenary session presented an action-oriented reflection based on the new WCC mission statement: Together Towards Life: Mission and Evangelism in Changing Landscapes. The plenary sought to highlight the common challenges and opportunities for mission in the current global context.

A new WCC document on mission and evangelism was presented and discussed at a recent European ecumenical study course in Josefstal, Germany.

“The urgency of life today” drives Christian engagement in mission, say ten contributors to a new issue of the International Review of Mission, which links the new paradigm of mission to the theme of the upcoming WCC assembly.

Sunday, 25 March was a day full of moving and thought provoking experiences for the participants of a pre-assembly event of the World Council of Churches (WCC) Commission on World Mission and Evangelism, who spent half a day with a community living at a garbage dumpsite on the outskirts of Manila, Philippines.

On 24 March 2012, the World Council of Churches (WCC) Commission on World Mission and Evangelism pre-assembly event invoked renewed thinking and commitment on evangelism, disassociated from the forces of oppression, and grounded in humility and respect for all.

Transformative spiritualities and mission is a significant point of discussion at the pre-assembly event of the WCC Commission on World Mission and Evangelism (CWME) which is currently under way in Manila. Transformative spiritualities are also one of the constituent themes of the CWME statement on mission and evangelism that will be presented to the WCC 10th Assembly in Busan, Korea in 2013. Dr Rico Palaca Ponce, academic director of the Institute of Spirituality in Asia based in Quezon City, the Philippines, gave an interview on the topic on 23 March.