Asian Ecumenical Institute (AEI) – 2024 will jointly be facilitated by CCA and WCC

Programme Review and Programme Direction

Two key deliberative sessions during the 15th CCA General Assembly are the Programme Review and Programme Direction sessions.

The Programme Review and Programme Direction sessions will both be conducted in three groups relating to the CCA’s programme areas, namely, (i) General Secretariat (GS), (ii) Mission in Unity and Contextual Theology (MU) and Ecumenical Leadership Formation and Spirituality (EF); and (iii) Building Peace and Moving Beyond Conflicts (BP) and Prophetic Diakonia (PD).

Assembly participants will have the option to join one of three groups for both the Programme Review and Programme Direction sessions. For the sake of coherence, the assigned group will remain the same for both sessions.

General Secretariat

The General Secretariat oversees the coordination of programmatic, administrative, and financial activities of the organization. The GS comprises various departments such as church and ecumenical relations, relations with ecumenical partners, finance, administration, and communications, which provide crucial support and services for the implementation of programs and contribute to the overall functioning of the CCA.

Programmes: Relations with member churches and councils, ecumenical partners; advocacy at the United Nations; ecumenical responses to emerging issues in solidarity; income development and finance; and communications.

Mission in Unity and Contextual Theology (MU) and Ecumenical Leadership Formation and Spirituality (EF)

Under the MU programme area, the CCA accompanies Asian churches to strengthen their mission and witness in multi-religious contexts, revitalise and nurture church unity and the Asian ecumenical movement, and develop contextual theological foundations.

Programmes: Asian Movement for Christian Unity (AMCU); Congress of Asian Theologians (CATS); Asian women doing theology in the context of wider ecumenism; contextualisation of theology in Asia and ecumenical theological education.

The EF programme area focuses on nurturing and developing ecumenical leaders in Asia. The programme aims to enhance spiritual formation and theological understanding, enabling people to actively engage in ecumenical dialogue and collaboration.

Programmes: Ecumenical Enablers’ Training in Asia (EETA); Asian Ecumenical Institute (AEI); Youth and Women Leadership Development; Ecumenical Spirituality and Nurturing of Contextual Liturgical Traditions; Asia Sunday

Building Peace and Moving Beyond Conflicts (BP) and Prophetic Diakonia and Advocacy (PD)

The BP programme area is dedicated to promoting peace, justice, and reconciliation in Asia’s diverse contexts. Through training, advocacy, and dialogue, the programme addresses the root causes of conflicts, empowers communities, and fosters sustainable peacebuilding initiatives.

Programmes: Pastoral Solidarity Visits; Churches in Action for Moving Beyond Conflict and Resolution; Young Ambassadors of Peace in Asia (YAPA); Ecumenical Women’s Action Against Violence (EWAAV); Eco-Justice for Sustainable Peace in the Oikos.

The PD programme area focuses on promoting justice, human rights, and social transformation in Asia. Through advocacy, capacity-building, and raising awareness, the programme addresses systemic injustice, empowers marginalised communities, and advocates for prophetic actions and meaningful change.

Programmes: Human Rights advocacy; Migration, Statelessness, and Trafficking in Persons; Asian Ecumenical Disability Advocacy Network; Asian Advocacy Network on the Dignity and Rights of Children (AANDRoC); Ecumenical Solidarity Accompaniment and Diakonia in Asia (ESADA); Health and Healing; Good Governance; Action Together to Combat HIV and AIDS in Asia (ATCHAA).

No preference updated.

23 May 2024

AEI-2022 students

Chiang Mai, Thailand. The Christian Conference of Asia (CCA), in collaboration with the programme for Ecumenical Formation of the World Council of Churches (WCC), will organise the Asian Ecumenical Institute (AEI)- 2024, from 21 July to 17 August 2024 at the CCA headquarters in Payap University, Chiang Mai, Thailand. 

The AEI, a month-long ecumenical formation training course organized annually by the CCA, focuses on ecumenical formation and leadership development of prospective Asian ecumenical and church leaders. 

The AEI-2024 will focus on the theme Creation Care and Eco-Justice: Our Faith and ‘Withness’. The interactive study sessions will provide the participants a wider ecumenical perspective based on biblical and theological undergirding in Asian contexts, focusing on the role of the churches and ecumenical movements in creation care and affirming their commitment and strengthened bond of ‘withness’ in God’s transformative work in creation. The theme for this year’s course is anchored in the theme of the 15th General Assembly of CCA “God, In Your Spirit, Renew and Restore Your Creation.”

In addition to various sessions focusing on the main theme, the Asian Ecumenical Institute will facilitate a series of lectures and study classes aimed at helping participants deepen their understanding of the ethos and values of ecumenism and the ecumenical movement. The course is designed to offer in-depth analyses and insights relevant to ecumenism and ecumenical contexts including biblical, theological, geopolitical, and interfaith perspectives. 

Admissions to AEI–2024 will be limited to 24 students between the ages of 25 and 35 who are recommended and endorsed by a CCA’s member church/council or ecumenical organisation/institution. Selections will be made based on an assessment of the candidate’s commitment to church and the ecumenical movement in their local contexts, gender and confessional balances, national and sub-regional representation, and the ability to communicate in English.

For more details and Background Information about AEI as well as the Application Form, please click here.

All applications will be accepted online via Google Form: AEI–2024 Application Form

Completed applications for the AEI 2024 should be submitted to CCA no later than 15 June 2024.