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Brochure introducing the World Council of Churches, April 2023

This book is a must for academics, pastors, or mission practitioners interested in how Christianity expanded in the 20th century through mission work, how this has transformed into World (or Global) Christianity, and what mission looks like in the 2020s and beyond.

The first part answers two questions through nine regional reports. These reports came from an international study process led by the Commission on World Mission and Evangelism of the World Council of Churches for the centenary of the commission’s predecessor, the International Missionary Council, focussing on two questions: What is the understanding of Christians in the Global South mission in today’s world in crisis, and what will it be in the years to come? What hope can the good news of Jesus Christ give to those who are most vulnerable and often wounded through conditions that threaten their existence?

The second part of the book contains five studies of transnational mission networks. Transnational mission networks offer a huge potential for churches and mission actors in their work in a world that is facing many unexpected and overwhelming challenges. How can these networks foster mission, justice, reconciliation, and unity?

WCC supported this publication “by and for young scholars, activists, and development workers engaged in peacebuilding and the cultivation of social resilience.”

This booklet highlights the lessons learnt in a project, Strategic Engagement of Civil Society Networks and Faith Actors in the HIV Response in Four Countries,  implemented by the World Council of Churches (WCC), with the support of the Joint United Nations Program on HIV/AIDS (UNAIDS), from July to December 2022 

This initiative facilitated dialogue between civil society networks, faith actors, and key national HIV stakeholders in the Dominican Republic, India, Indonesia, and Jamaica.

Since its first publication, this dictionary has become an indispensable tool for all those who search for basic information and reliable orientation in the highly complex environment of contemporary ecumenism.

The writers and editors have carefully reviewed and updated the original entries and added a substantial number of new ones. Together they have produced a resource reflecting the richness and diversity of ecumenical thought and action, of events and persons.

 As a part of the reception process of the convergence document The Church: Towards a Common Vision (TCTCV), the ecclesiology study group of the WCC Commission on Faith and Order undertook a wide range of conversations on global Christianity and ecclesiology. This  included perspectives from various regions (especially Asia, Africa, and Latin America), denominational families (such as evangelical, Pentecostal, Charismatic, and independent churches), and forms of being church (such as ecclesial movements, new forms of monasticism, and online churches) which have not always been clearly or strongly represented in the discussions on the way to TCTCV. 

This first of two volumes offers a taste of the insights, contributions, lively dialogue, diverse perspectives, and mutual exchange of ecumenical gifts between the members of the commission and theologians from  around the world, which took place through a series of international consultations between 2015-22.

The fruit of this work is offered with the hope that it will contribute towards a clearer, global vision of the Church in the 21st century.

Are you worried about fake news and social media causing real-world problems? Are you concerned about online hate speech and trolling? Are you committed to ecological and social justice, but are not sure how this relates to anything digital

Do you, or does anyone you know use digital technologies to build community, work, and advocate for justice? If you said yes to any of these questions, this guide is for you.

Whether used for group discussion or individual learning, the guide explains some of the key justice dilemmas of our increasingly digital world, with fast facts, case studies, faith connections, discussion questions, and suggestions for further resources. 

The guide is a co-publication of the World Council of Churches and the World Association for Christian Communication [www.waccglobal.org]

This publication provides a practical overview of global ecumenism and reconciliation. The globally reconciling-conciliar Church is on the path - the via transformativa - toward unity through action and reflection, guided by the gospel visions of justice and peace. Fernando Enns analyzes what has been learned in recent decades on the ‘testing grounds’ of ecumenical theory and practice, then demonstrates how the new era of the WCC’s action-oriented programs produce ongoing, diverse ecclesial efforts toward social and spiritual transformation.

This guide is intended to introduce the reader to consensus decision-making in the World Council of Churches and to the procedures for implementing it in the conduct of meetings. Both the rule for the conduct of meetings (Rule XIX) and these guidelines are worded so as to apply to a meeting of the assembly of the Council, and they are to be used also in meetings of all its governing and consultative bodies. Finally, the flowchart of consensus procedures outlines the different steps involved in achieving consensus during the meetings.

Health and healing have always been important in the work of the World Council of Churches. and the WCC has previously used the Contextual Bible Study methodology to good effect in helping churches address various challenging issues.  In this publication, the focus is on a range of challenging health issues including women’s health, disability, mental health, and health inequality, among others.

Bible studies in this manual was produced by participants from churches around the world, through a series of online workshops, ensuring that various voices and experiences are represented, enriching the publication for a global audience.

This multilingual volume will guide the opening prayer of the 11th Assembly of the World Council of Churches on 31 August. In addition to the order of service it includes the text of the homily to be presented by John X Patriarch of Antioch and all the East and the youth testimony Ms Ann Jacob, United Methodist Church, USA.

In this volume, Olav Fykse Tveit sketches an ecumenical movement that reveals a horizon of hope and illumines many of our most pressing global challenges.

Rather than focusing inward, Tveit envisions an ecumenism that leverages the Christ-inspired unity of the global fellowship into transformative engagement with the world. He shows how the recent journey of the Christian fellowship reframes its diversity and differences through solidarity in witness and service.

Then, ranging across issues of economic and ecological justice, interreligious encounter and gender justice, just peace, racism, and xenophobia, he demonstrates the potential of Christians and Christian churches to engender authentic discipleship, reform and renew the churches, and pursue justice and peace for the whole human family.

This report, received by the WCC central committee in February 2022, is the accountability report of the central committee to the WCC 11th Assembly, describing and offering an assessment of the activities of the WCC, since the 10th Assembly, in Busan, Republic of Korea, in late 2013.

This illustrated version is a narrative of a fellowship of churches committed to moving together on a Pilgrimage of Justice and Peace, conveying something of the energy, excitement, ambition, and initiative that have marked the WCC’s journey since Busan. It aims to assist assembly delegates to understand the council’s journey in this period and help them actively participate in the assembly, and to share the ecumenical vision reflected in the WCC’s activities with member churches, partners, and the wider fellowship.

This report is available in English, Spanish, French, and German.

Representatives of the Eastern and Oriental Orthodox Churches gathered in May of 2022 in Paralimni, Cyprus, as part of their preparation for the World Council of Churches’ 11th Assembly in Karlsruhe, Germany. The preparation included reflection on the Assembly theme “Christ’s love moves the world to reconciliation and unity” and on the themes of the thematic plenaries as well as discussion on the participation of the Orthodox Churches in the fellowship of the WCC.

In addition to the theological contributions, this Orthodox resource book contains the official report reflecting the thoughtful deliberations, which occurred during the consultation. The Inter-Orthodox Pre-Assembly Consultation has proven to be an important exercise of coming together, praying together, and deliberating in times of turbulence and war affecting the Orthodox family and the entire world. Above all, a great spirit of fraternal love and communion prevailed among participants, who are looking forward to a common Orthodox witness during the Assembly in Karlsruhe, and beyond.

The Pilgrimage of Justice and Peace is intended to be an expression of international solidarity with people, particularly those in difficult circumstances.

This publication looks at work done directly within the context of the Pilgrimage of Justice and Peace in Europe, as well as justice and peace issues promoted by churches that complement the Pilgrimage of Justice and Peace agenda.

In the first section, the publication provides an overview of Pilgrimage of Justice and Peace events in Europe, offering reflections on some of the ways in which churches and ecumenical organizations were challenged and inspired and sharing stories and insights about the pilgrimage in Europe.

Section 2 does not necessarily represent official parts of the Pilgrimage of Justice and Peace but contains essays on issues of justice and peace in Europe from individuals working with churches and ecumenical partners across Europe, intended to stimulate debate, interest, and international comparison.

The Appendix includes additional resources, including statements from the WCC on the use of armed force to resolve disputes that could be resolved by dialogue.

With its sister volume, this book is a must for anyone, academic, pastor, or mission practitioner, interested in knowing how Christianity was considerably expanded in the 20th century, through churches’ mission and missionary work, and was transformed into World (or Global) Christianity.

The book is divided into two parts. The first part contains the introduction—background reading for the reports of the study process produced by the IMC Centenary Study process. The second part of the book includes 13 regional reports. Contributions from all over the world analyse and evaluate the impact—or the absence thereof—of the IMC and the CWME from 1921 until today.

What is so important in the International Missionary Council (IMC) and its historical successor, the World Council of Churches’ (WCC) Commission on World Mission and Evangelism, that they will have their own centennial volume?

By reading this book, the reader will gain a better understanding of how important and crucial they have been in the development of the ecumenical movement and of what today is often called World Christianity.

This volume aims to highlight how, in the course of the past century, structured efforts to foster unity in mission cooperation have shaped not only Christianity but even the world.

The WCC, the Protestant Church in Germany and the United Evangelical Mission, initiated a two-year process of ecumenical study and reflection on the relationship between human dignity and human rights from biblical, theological, and victims’ perspectives, culminating in a Conference on Christian Perspectives on Human Dignity and Humans Rights held in Wuppertal (Germany) and online from 9–12 April 2022.

This publication consists of papers received from theologians, people with different academic backgrounds, experts in ethics and human rights, and human rights defenders—together with the joint message of the conference participants.

Within the framework of the Pilgrimage of Justice and Peace, this publication is a reflection on the lived experiences of the pilgrimage from the perspective of the people and churches from Burundi, Democratic Republic of Congo, Nigeria, Korean Peninsula, Palestine and Israel, South Sudan, Syria, Ukraine and Colombia.

It consists of an overview of the peace-building process in each country since the 10th Assembly and practical steps churches can take together toward the 12th Assembly.

During the Pilgrimage of Justice and Peace, initiated in 2013 at the 10th Assembly of the World Council of Churches, the issue of racism has emerged as one of the pilgrimage’s four common themes. The chapters that make up this publication represent a selection of the papers presented at a series of webinars organized in late 2020 by the Theological Study Group of the Pilgrimage. Organized around three major themes—whiteness, including its relationship to slavery; racism; and hate speech—the contributions represent an invitation to the ecumenical fellowship to engage in self-critical examination of how practices, orders, configurations, methodologies, and structures of the church(es) have perpetuated the discrimination, xenophobia, and racism that counter unity in Christ.