World Council of Churches

Ecumenical scholars and researchers from throughout Europe gathered in the Netherlands around the theme “Churches in the Midst of Polarization.”

A webinar on 16 September, “Care of the Elderly: Challenges and Opportunities in an Ageing World,” will be hosted by the World Council of Churches (WCC), Hong Kong Sheng Kung Hui (Anglican) St James’ Settlement on Elderly Care, and St John's Medical College, Bengaluru.

A human rights dialogue hosted by the World Council of Churches (WCC) and Lutheran World Federation, featuring Tanzanian faith-based actors, highlighted the concerns of Tanzanian churches and communities. Tanzania has been through three Universal Periodic Reviews. In 2026, an interfaith coalition offered formal input for the fourth Universal Periodic Review. 

World Council of Churches (WCC) general secretary Rev. Prof. Dr Jerry Pillay expressed profound sorrow over the catastrophic flash flood that struck the Nepal-Tibet border region on 26 August. 

The Joint Working Group between the World Council of Churches (WCC) and the Roman Catholic Church will convene 1-3 September at the Ecumenical Institute at Bossey. 

The 23rd Academic Consultation of Societas Oecumenica, under the theme “Churches in the Midst of Polarisation,” included a paper by Dr Masiiwa Gunda, WCC programme executive and Ecumenical Institute at Bossey adjunct professor.

World Council of Churches (WCC) programme director for Life, Justice, and Peace Rev. Dr Kenneth Mtata spoke during an international consultation at the University of Münster, "Theological Anthropology in/between Contexts.” 

An ecumenical service in Abuja, Nigeria, on 26 August at All Saints Anglican Church drew church leaders from across the nation. World Council of Churches (WCC) general secretary Rev. Prof. Dr Jerry Pillay addressed those gathered, speaking on justice, peace, and unity, and the importance of Christian witness in Nigeria. 

The World Association for Christian Communication (WACC), in collaboration with the World Council of Churches (WCC), the Association of Protestant Churches and Missions in Germany, and Brot für die Welt, has released video recordings of speeches from the symposium Our Common Future: Advocating for Digital Rights and AI Accountability, held in Berlin in mid-April 2026.

Global military spending reached 2.887 trillion US dollars in 2025, the highest level ever recorded and the 11th consecutive year of growth, according to the Stockholm International Peace Research Institute. As militarized economies deepen conflict and ecological harm worldwide, faith leaders, theologians, and practitioners from Panama, Argentina, South Africa, the Republic of Korea, and beyond will gather in Panama City from 26–28 August for the NIFEA Consultation on Economy of Peace, part of the churches' campaign for a New International Financial and Economic Architecture (NIFEA), to ask how churches can help reshape economic systems toward justice and peace.

In 2025, the Amity Printing Press and Amity Foundation, based in China, produced special Nicaea Creed commemorative Bibles, in honor of the 1700th anniversary of the Ecumenical Council of Nicaea. The foundation also celebrated its 40th anniversary of dedicating itself to supporting vulnerable communities, advancing education and health, promoting sustainable development, and fostering interfaith and intercultural dialogue. Below, Amity Printing Press and Amity Foundation reflect on their ongoing work and latest innovative technology to make the Bible available and accessible to even more people. 

Churches have been telling stories that address inequality not only on big stages and at global negotiation tables. Investing in formation and a joint ecumenical approach has been one tactic to strengthen local communities and connect them to the spaces where their voices can influence policy decisions. In Panama City, from 17-25 August, that tactic took the shape of nine days, 21 church leaders, and a keynote that opened with a question.

A new comic, “Eli and the Little Saints,” produced by the St Thomas Indian Orthodox (Malankara) Church in Germany, is bringing to life ancient Orthodox traditions with colorful illustrations and a fictional priest, Fr Eli.

The World Council of Churches (WCC) and Canadian Council of Churches will host a webinar panel discussion, entitled “Counting the Ecological Cost of AI - Data Centres, Water, Energy, and Critical Mineral Extraction,” on 17 September at 10 am (GMT-4:00) Eastern Time (US and Canada). 

A team from Cuba has joined an international editing team to begin drafting the Week of Prayer for Christian Unity materials for 2028. The resources are being prepared jointly with Catholic and Protestant Christians from Cuba, including the staff and students of the Seminario Evangélico de Teología in Matanzas City. 

The World Council of Churches (WCC) will join the global Christian family in opening the 2026 Season of Creation, the ecumenical world's month of prayer and action for creation. Communities on every continent have already lived through record heat, wildfires, and flooding in 2026, many of them home to WCC member churches. 

The city of Florianópolis in South Brazil is hosting, from 26-30 August, the 35th General Council of the Evangelical Church of Lutheran Confession in Brazil (IECLB), the highest decision-making body of the church. In a greeting, World Council of Churches (WCC) general secretary Rev. Prof. Dr Jerry Pillay extended prayers to the leadership and participants.

Mongolia is hosting the UN Convention to Combat Desertification for the first time, with nearly 77 percent of its land already degraded. Its theme is "Restoring Land, Restoring Hope." A World Council of Churches (WCC) delegation is in Ulaanbaatar for the 17th session of the Conference of the Parties (COP17).

World Council of Churches (WCC) central committee moderator Bishop Prof. Dr Heinrich Bedford-Strohm will offer the keynote address at a public theology conference to be convene in Korea on 28 September 2026.

World Council of Churches (WCC) general secretary Rev. Prof. Dr Jerry Pillay extended greetings to the Synod of the Waldensian and Methodist Churches, meeting in Torre Pellice, Italy, 22-26 August.