CCA workshop facilitators remind pastoral ministry candidates to be leaders with integrity and guardians of good governance

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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08 September 2025

Colombo, Sri Lanka: The South Asia Regional Workshop on “Good Governance, Integrity Leadership, and Stewardship in Parish Ministry”, organised by the Christian Conference of Asia (CCA), underscored the importance of integrating good governance practices into pastoral ministry. Facilitators offered theological insights to equip prospective ministers of various churches to serve as leaders with integrity and as guardians of stewardship within their future ministries.

The four-day workshop, held from 30 August to 3 September 2025 at the Ecumenical Institute for Study and Dialogue (EISD) in Colombo, brought together 22 final-year theological students from seminaries and theological colleges in South Asia. The workshop provided a platform for engaging discussions, interactive learning, and peer networking among young theological minds preparing for pastoral and ecclesial leadership.

Among the workshop facilitators, Rev. S. J. Kathiresapillai of the Methodist Church in Sri Lanka, in a biblical theological reflection, urged participants “not to yield to the powers of this world, for we serve the most powerful divine God; as His stewards, we are called to shepherd His flock during our time of service on Earth.”

Rev. Fr. Andrew Devadasan of the Church of Ceylon, in his session on Integrity in Church Finance: Accountability and Transparency, underscored the vital connection between spiritual leadership and the financial responsibilities entrusted to a parish priest or presbyter.

Rev. Nadarajah Arulnathan, Principal of the Theological College of Lanka, facilitated two sessions: Pastoral Leadership and Conflict Resolution in Church Administration and Strategic Planning and Managing Church Resources with Integrity. He emphasised that “pastoral leadership must always be exercised with wisdom, patience, and accountability.”

He reminded the pastoral candidates that conflicts within congregations should not be seen as failures of pastors, but as opportunities to initiate and facilitate processes of reconciliation, healing, and renewed commitment to witness. On managing church resources, he stressed that doing so with integrity “is not simply an administrative matter, but part of our discipleship and obedience to God, and our faithful response to God’s trust.”

Rev. Malitha Andrady, a young Baptist theologian, reflected on Pastoral Shepherding and Witness in the Digital Space. He raised critical ethical and theological questions about the rise of Artificial Intelligence and robotic technologies, cautioning that while such developments may eventually transform ministry practices, they can never replace the spiritual and relational dimensions of human pastoral presence.

In a session on “Pastoral Ministry in the 21st Century: Challenges and Opportunities”, Rev. Ramesh Schaffter, a non-stipendiary minister of the Church of Ceylon, reflected on both the challenges and the unique opportunities available to today’s pastors, urging that they be addressed with creativity and faithfulness.

Drawing on his long years of leadership in the church and in ecumenical organisations, he highlighted the importance of wider ecumenical cooperation to ensure that the Church remains relevant to the lived realities of its communities.

Rev. Ebenezer Joseph emphasised that good governance in churches is not merely an internal administrative matter, but also a vital expression of the Church’s public witness and prophetic voice.

John Paul Devakumar, CCA’s Programme Staff and coordinator of the workshop, stated at the closing that participants’ responses indicated the sessions had provided them with new theological insights to serve as God’s stewards in church, society and the wider community.

The workshop concluded with a renewed commitment among participants to embody integrity, accountability, and faithful stewardship in their future ministries.