World Council of Churches -
Central Committee News Release
Contact: + 41 22 791 6153 +41 79 507 6363
media@wcc-coe.org
For immediate release:
10 February 2005
-
pr-cc-05-01
WCC embarks on a major shift in its organizational culture and ethos
Reaching decisions by consensus, a major shift in the culture and ethos of the World Council of Churches (WCC), will be at the centre of the upcoming meeting of its Central Committee, which will take place 15-22 February in Geneva.
At this meeting, the last one of its mandate, the Central Committee members will try for the first time to reach decisions by consensus, for which they will test a new set of
consensus procedures
. They will also consider a number of changes in the WCC constitution and rules that are necessary to make consensus the established method of decision-making.
Main highlights on the Central Committee agenda are:
WCC
ninth
Assembly
-
Committee members will take decisions that will give its definitive shape to this major event, to be held in Porto Alegre, Brazil, in February 2006.
Pacific region
- The situation of the peoples of the region as well as the churches and ecumenical bodies' witness in its midst will be the subject of a plenary session.
Contemporary ethical challenges
- Committee members will share and discuss what the WCC has done to facilitate the churches' discussion on the issue of Human sexuality since the Harare assembly (1998).
Taking place under the overall thematic umbrella of
"Healing and Reconciliation"
, the meeting will discuss the reports of the Central Committee moderator Catholicos
Aram I
and WCC general secretary Rev. Dr
Samuel Kobia
.
Also on the agenda will be: review of the current debate about the search for a
new configuration
of the ecumenical movement; WCC relations with the
Roman Catholic Church
; and a major
evaluation of the programmatic work
of the Council to be presented to the next assembly.
In addition, the committee will deliberate on and possibly issue statements and minutes on the following
international issues
: loss of indigenous languages, Iraq, uprooted people, and the International Criminal Court.
The 150-member WCC central committee serves as the Council's chief governing body between its assemblies. Meeting every 12 to 18 months, it is responsible for carrying out policies adopted by the assembly, reviewing and supervising WCC programmes and adopting the Council's budget.
The agenda of the meeting is available at:
http://www.wcc-coe.org/wcc/press_corner/cc2005draftagenda.html
Additional information:
Juan Michel,+41 22 791 6153 +41 79 507 6363
media@wcc-coe.org
The World Council of Churches promotes Christian unity in faith, witness and service for a just and peaceful world. An ecumenical fellowship of churches founded in 1948, today the WCC brings together 349 Protestant, Orthodox, Anglican and other churches representing more than 560 million Christians in over 110 countries, and works cooperatively with the Roman Catholic Church. The WCC general secretary is Rev. Dr Samuel Kobia, from the Methodist Church in Kenya. Headquarters: Geneva, Switzerland.
.
