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I am pleased to offer a word of welcome at this historic moment, the gathering of the new Faith and Order Commission here in North Sulawesi in Indonesia. As far as I know, this is the first time our Commission is meeting in Indonesia. We are thankful for the opportunity to gather here, and immensely grateful for the hospitality the local church is offering to us.

1. There is no other space like Faith and Order. There are many spaces and places where one can discuss theology, but this one is very unique. And truly remarkable.

It is often said that “Bad news travels fast.” Indeed, it is hard not to be focused on the difficulties and harsh challenges we are facing in today’s world. In a digital village that we live in, where every piece of news is spread quickly, the worst news takes center stage. “We live in a time of profound crisis”, “The world is as disunited as ever”, “Society is polarized!” are just some of the everyday remarks describing the present condition. 

I am writing this report just after the celebration of Easter in the West, and I have both a sense of rejoicing that Christ is risen, defeating death and treading down evil, but also a pang of sorrow that we are not yet united in celebrating Easter together.

I remember hearing about “Faith and Order” for the first time. I was a freshman in theology reading Fr Georges Florovsky’s biography, and the phrase stuck in my mind.

The World Council of Churches (WCC) Faith and Order Commission held a meeting 12-19 June 2019, in Nanjing, China. Hosted by the China Christian Council, the commission met to discuss and make decisions about the results of the work of its three study groups on ecclesiology, moral discernment and the pilgrimage of justice and peace. The venue of the meeting raised awareness on important ecclesiological issues in the hosting country.

The World Council of Churches (WCC) Faith and Order Commission held a meeting 12-19 June 2019, in Nanjing, China. Hosted by the China Christian Council, the commission met to discuss and make decisions about the results of the work of its three study groups on ecclesiology, moral discernment and the pilgrimage of justice and peace. The venue of the meeting raised awareness on important ecclesiological issues in the hosting country.

What can we say together about the Church of the Triune God in order to grow in communion, to struggle together for justice and peace in the world, and to overcome together our past and present divisions? The Church: Towards a Common Vision a remarkable answer to this question. Produced by theologians from the widest range of Christian traditions and cultures, The Church addresses first the Church’s mission, unity, and its being in the Trinitarian life of God. It then addresses our growth in communion – in apostolic faith, sacramental life, and ministry – as churches called to live in and for the world.

One in the apostles’ teaching, fellowship, breaking of bread and prayer.

Acts 2 : 42 - 47 

Dr Minna Hietamäki addresses the main theme of the Faith and Order Plenary Commission meeting, Called to be the One Church, from the perspective of a younger Lutheran theologian from Finland.

In the spirit of the 2006 WCC Assembly's statement on ecclesiology, «Called to be the One Church», the 120 members of the Commission on Faith and Order, along with 37 guests, consultants and younger theologians gathered on the island of Crete in Greece, 7-13 October 2009.

Report of the WCC director of Faith and Order Canon Dr John Gibaut

Tanner discusses Faith and Order as a movement, as a Commission, as an agenda, as a method, and as a commitment to the future.

United Nations Advocacy Week 2008 speaker presentations: Migration, WCC UN reception address: Nicaraguan ambassador H.E. Maria Rubiales de Chamorro, UNAW closing high-level address: Assistant Secretary-General Dr Robert Or

This text (Faith and Order Paper no. 201) results from the study on Ethnic Identity, National Identity, and the Search for the Unity of the Church done by Faith and Order with the collaboration of the WCC's Justice, Peace and Creation team. It offers resources for churches in situations of tension or conflict, especially where ethnic and national tensions are major factors, and suggests how Christian unity can further the churches' witness for reconciliation and justice.

As part of the WCC's work on the Decade , this theological consultation, organized by WCC Faith and Order in Kigali, Rwanda (4-9 December 2004), was an attempt to discern what human dignity, rights of peoples and the integrity of creation mean for churches and the ecumenical movement as they attempt to counter the reality of massive abuse and destruction of life and its legitimization in the world today. It was also an attempt to do theology informed by the perspectives and experiences of the victims of violence.

A group of 20 theologians and peace activists from regions which have come to be known for violent conflict arising from the aggressive assertion of identities - Sri Lanka, Indonesia, Philippines, DR Congo, Nigeria, Middle East, Eastern Europe - participated in this consultation in June 2005. They attempted to identify the problems in, and prospects for, realizing mutuality and interdependence in contexts of diverse identities in an effort to challenge the churches to consider this as a contribution to the wider movement for peace during the Decade Overcome Violence.

This paper was prepared in response to the US DOV Committee's invitation to members of US churches to select one of the four themes of the Decade and to reflect on it.