Asia’s ecclesial and ecumenical leaders explore possibilities of introducing consensus decision-making

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).

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04 May 2023

Rev. Tara Tautari (Methodist Church of New Zealand) and Rev. Terence Corkin (Uniting Church in Australia) share models, practices, and opportunities of consensus decision-making for the ecumenical movement in Asia at the ACELC

Jakarta, Indonesia: At the Asian Church and Ecumenical Leaders’ Conference (ACELC), organised by the Christian Conference of Asia (CCA), over one hundred Asian church and ecumenical leaders discussed the possibilities and challenges of introducing consensus decision-making as a procedural methodology in CCA’s governing bodies as well as in Asian churches and ecumenical councils.

Two sessions on the third day of the ACELC dealt with the chosen topics, which were ‘Consensus Decision-Making: Models and Practices’ and ‘Consensus Decision-Making: Prospects and Challenges for Implementation’ and introduced the value of consensus decision-making processes.

Rev. Terence Corkin of the Uniting Church in Australia who facilitated the session on the models and practices of consensus decision-making said, “Consensus describes the process and the outcome. It is more than a business process and reflects a way of being, a way of community. Through this method, we make decisions and deeply explore the nuances of issues at hand.”

“Consensus decision-making is a culture-changing practice in the life of those churches who take it seriously. Communities that use and are committed to the values of consensus turn from competitors to collaborators, from debaters to listeners. It is a method that assumes we will make certain commitments with each other and behave in ways that reflect discernment,” shared the Australian minister, who is also an expert in mediation practice. 

Rev. Corkin shared the stages of progressive development and documentation for building consensus and the supportive practices to enhance the process of consensus decision-making.

Rev. Asir Ebenezer from the National Council of Churches in India raised the challenge of the nomenclature of ‘conflict’ vs. ‘consensus’, which had negative and positive value connotations. Consensus in some contexts, said Rev. Ebenezer, when projected as the norm, absorbs dissenting voices into the majority.

Rev. Dr Mery Kolimon from the Protestant Evangelical Church in Timor asked how the voices of women, youth, and other vulnerable groups could be represented in the decision-making process.

The session was moderated by Bishop Dhiloraj Canagasabey from the Church of Ceylon.

The ‘Consensus Decision-Making: Prospects and Challenges for Implementation’ session was conducted by Rev. Tara Tautari, the General Secretary of the Methodist Church in Aotearoa New Zealand.

The session spurred lively and engaging discussions on three key questions—what are the primary challenges for implementing consensus decision-making; what are the primary opportunities that consensus decision-making offers; and what might church leaders need to give up to make consensus decision-making work.

Responses from the floor included comments on the following: the space for multiple perspectives, ensuring that the voices of minorities are heard, ensuring that indigenous decision-making practices are respected, the need for translation and interpretation services, being open to receiving criticism, and being prepared both mentally and spiritually so as to not lose the prophetic voice amidst the gathering.

Dr Mathews George Chunakara, the General Secretary of the CCA stated that the aim of introducing the consensus decision-making model in CCA was to initiate the process to be implemented first in CCA, and subsequently in CCA member churches and national ecumenical councils.

Ms Minnie Anne M. Calub from the National Council of Churches in the Philippines moderated the second session. 

The two sessions were organised at the headquarters of the Persekutuan Gereja-gereja di Indonesia, (PGI) or, as translated into English, the Communion of Churches in Indonesia, which is the national council of churches, comprising 96 member churches across Indonesia.

The week-long high-level summit is also discussing strategies and models of good governance and integrity leadership in Asian churches.

More photos can be found here.