History was made at a conference held outside Nairobi, Kenya Nov 6-9, 2007, according to people who were in the know. The 250 church leaders were present from more than 70 countries and dozens of churches and organisations ranging from African Instituted Churches and Pentecostals all the way through Protestant and Anglican to Roman Catholic and various groups of Orthodox. They represented some of the newest Christians in the world, some of the most remote and those stretching all the way back to near biblical lands who still use the language of Jesus Christ. Around 40 % were from Evangelical and Pentecostal groups, many from the global south. Organisers claimed it was the most diverse group of church leaders ever assembled.
This was truly a global gathering, building on a decade long process which has run several regional conferences where its innovate efforts at ‘transforming ecumenism’ (to quote the official book title, Global Christian Forum: Transforming Ecumenism edited by Richard Howell, published by Evangelical Fellowship of India, New Delhi, 2007 – see also http://www.globalchristianforum.net/) were honed. Veterans of the development as well as newcomers praised the method used for its effectiveness at building respect and trust, breaking down ignorance and prejudice, and recognising diversity.
The secret to this process is the focus on sharing by the participants of their personal journey with Jesus Christ—their initial faith, Christian development and in this case, especially their calling into ministry. Apart from the opening preliminaries, this sharing is the first thing that is done in the conference, before any other business or activity is conducted. In smaller conferences it can done in one group so that every one hears the stories of all the participants, each one taking up to ten minutes, but in the Kenya conference, for convenience, it was in groups of thirty. It is noticeable that people from very different backgrounds could easily relate to others who had similar elements to their story, and that similar faith and experience were easily recognised even though terminology or worship patterns (and of course language) were extremely varied. Each person’s story and faith was given the same attention, and typically, first name terms were used, whatever the person’s background or status. The deep fellowship thus created provided a radically effective basis for the discussion of the business of the conference which was mostly conducted in the same group setting. It also created fertile ground for informal personal networking and many serendipitous (providential?) surprises as people discovered vital aspects about each other, many of whom they would not be likely to see, much less get to know, in normal circumstances. It also paved the way for much better appreciation of the worship of other traditions which was conducted morning and evening by representatives of the confessions present, from Orthodox through to African.
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Transforming Ecumenism? The Global Christian Forum
History was made at a conference held outside Nairobi, Kenya Nov 6-9, 2007, according to people who were in the know. The 250 church leaders were present from more than 70 countries and dozens of churches and organisations ranging from African Instituted Churches and Pentecostals all the way through Protestant and Anglican to Roman Catholic and various groups of Orthodox. They represented some of the newest Christians in the world, some of the most remote and those stretching all the way back to near biblical lands who still use the language of Jesus Christ. Around 40 % were from Evangelical and Pentecostal groups, many from the global south. Organisers claimed it was the most diverse group of church leaders ever assembled.
By: David Parker
Executive Director World Evangelical Alliance Theological Commission
Executive Director World Evangelical Alliance Theological Commission
Posted: Monday, 26 November 2007, 11:18 (EST)
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This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten or redistributed.
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