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Pope Francis was presented two publications of the World Council of Churches on 24 February, at the close of a papal audience in the Vatican attended by members of the WCC’s Commission on World Mission and Evangelism (CWME).

A World Mission Conference, hosted by the Evangelical Lutheran Church in Tanzania, is being planned for 2018, reported the executive group of the World Council of Church’s Commission on World Mission and Evangelism.

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.

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.

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.

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.

Gathering a diverse representation from migrant communities in Geneva, affirming expressions of solidarity and promoting social justice for “people on the move”, a public event marked Jeûne genevois (Geneva’s traditional Thursday observation of fasting and prayer). The annual civic holiday was celebrated on 11 September at the Ecumenical Centre, Geneva, Switzerland.

Members of Orthodox, Protestant, Roman Catholic, Pentecostal and Evangelical churches in Europe, Asia and Africa met recently to explore fresh approaches to Christian witness in contemporary Europe resulting in the proposal for an ecumenical handbook for teaching evangelism.

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 leading ecumenist of the late 20th century, Rev. Dr Emilio Castro is remembered by the WCC for “his unfaltering efforts in bringing together Christian faith and spirituality with radical commitment in the struggles for justice.”

In a consultation held in Switzerland, delegates of the Pontifical Council for Promoting Christian Unity (PCPCU) pointed out “inspirations” as well as “challenges” in the new mission statement issued by the World Council of Churches (WCC) last year.

An international group representing diverse mission organizations recently got together in India to develop tools that can ensure effective implementation of the new mission statement issued last year by the World Council of Churches (WCC).

“It is impossible to speak exclusively for the unity of the church and be indifferent about the unity of humankind,” said Dr Petros Vassiliadis, at an academic gathering held in his honour in Thessaloniki, Greece.

Through engaging speakers and discussions, participants at a recent consultation on mission and evangelism explored ways, in which theological education and training programmes on evangelism can relate Christian witness to the changing landscape of Europe.

In a world where understanding of Christian mission is changing rapidly, Bishop Geevarghese Mor Coorilos, moderator of the World Council of Churches (WCC) Commission on World Mission and Evangelism (CWME) explains what new visions the WCC mission statement will bring to the churches.