CCA urges churches to integrate mental health support into humanitarian response on World Mental Health Day 2025

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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10 October 2025

Chiang Mai, Thailand: On World Mental Health Day 2025, the Christian Conference of Asia (CCA) called for the integration of mental health and psychosocial support into churches’ diakonal ministries and humanitarian response efforts.

The theme of this year’s World Mental Health Day, “Mental Health in Humanitarian Emergencies,” underscores the urgent need to prioritise mental health in contexts of crisis.

In a statement released on 10 October 2025, CCA General Secretary Dr Mathews George Chunakara stressed that care for all who face upheaval and crisis due to mental health challenges is a vital act of solidarity and recognition of human dignity.

“Amid crises, whether caused by personal struggles, natural disasters, conflicts, or public health emergencies, mental health support is not optional but essential for survival, recovery, and the restoration of human dignity,” stated Dr Chunakara.

Highlighting the vulnerability of the region, the CCA General Secretary observed that Asia and the Pacific is the world’s most disaster-prone region, where climate-related events displace one person every two seconds, affecting approximately 142 million people annually. He noted that “the scale of disruption continues to grow, deepening psychological distress and social vulnerability. Ethnic and religious conflicts across the region further exacerbate displacement, insecurity, and trauma for millions of people.”

Dr Chunakara emphasised the moral and pastoral responsibility of the Church and faith-based organisations in responding to these challenges. “Churches can serve as sanctuaries of hope, offering spiritual and emotional care alongside other forms of aid. Mental health must be recognised as integral to our Christian mission of health and healing, justice, and the preservation of human dignity,” he said.

As people continue to live under highly vulnerable conditions, CCA called on churches, governments, humanitarian agencies, and faith communities to integrate mental health and psychosocial support into all stages of humanitarian response.

The full text of the CCA General Secretary's statement can be found here: