World Council of Churches

The World Council of Churches (WCC) Commission on Young People in the Ecumenical Movement (YPEM) convened in Manila, Philippines, marking the start of its first in-person meeting since its formation. The gathering, scheduled from 13-19 November, unites young ecumenical leaders from around the globe with a mission to amplify youth voices, address pressing global and local challenges, and establish intentional, actionable strategies for youth-led faith initiatives.

The World Council of Churches (WCC) Reference Group for Interreligious Dialogue and Cooperation will convene in person at the Ecumenical Centre in Geneva from 1-3 December. 

World Council of Churches (WCC) general secretary Rev. Prof. Dr Jerry Pillay and WCC moderator Bishop Dr Heinrich Bedford-Strohm extended congratulations to Bishop Kirsten Fehrs, who has been elected chair of the Council of the Evangelical Church in Germany (EKD).

Church and Peace— the European ecumenical peace church network of communities, training centres, peace organisations, and peace service agencies—is calling on parliamentarians to rethink security, and work for a paradigm shift toward peace. Rev. Antje Heider-Rottwilm, chair of Church and Peace, offered an update on how the call is being received, and her hopes for the future.

The World Council of Churches (WCC) will debut a new publication, Living Planet Monitor, during a webinar on 28 November from 15:00 to 16:30.

The leaders of regional ecumenical organizations met online 13 November to consult and collaborate with each other and with the World Council of Churches (WCC).

At COP29, religious leaders are emphasizing the need to care for the creation that God made, and to safeguard the most vulnerable who have contributed the least to climate change—yet face its worst impacts.

During the busy environment of COP29, Wara Iris, a young Indigenous leader from Bolivia’s Aymara community, shared her reflections on the vital role of Indigenous people in the climate justice movement. Speaking from a perspective shaped deeply by her heritage and faith, she discussed the commitment that drives her advocacy and the powerful hope that sustains her work.

The World Council of Churches (WCC) Faith and Order Commission, in collaboration with the Study Centre for Eastern Churches at the Ecumenical Institute in Fribourg, is offering a colloquium entitled “The Council of Nicaea as an Ecumenical Guide for Christian Unity,” on 18 November.

The Middle East Council of Churches (MECC), in partnership with Télé Lumière - Noursat, launched a new media production center. The new center, called "Manbar Al Kalima,” or “The Platform of the Word,” is equipped with the latest technology and modern tools—and they will be used to foster the wellbeing of humankind.

World Council of Churches general secretary Rev. Prof. Dr Jerry Pillay, upon hearing about the resignation of Archbishop of Canterbury Justin Welby, in light of the long-maintained conspiracy of silence about the abuses of children by John Smyth, recognized that the decision to resign is difficult for him, his family, the Church of England and the Anglican Communion. 

World Council of Churches general secretary Rev. Prof. Dr Jerry Pillay shared a message with the “Tax the super rich” campaign, being organized by Oxfam and Patriotic Millionaires, and running during the G20 conference in Brazil 12-19 November.

At the COP29 side event, “Beyond numbers: A Dialogue on the New Collective Quantified Goal from Faith and Ethical Perspectives,” hosted by the Interfaith Liaison Committee, which the World Council of Churches (WCC) co-chairs, faith leaders and advocates called for a climate finance model rooted in justice and accountability. Speakers emphasized that effective climate finance must go beyond numbers to directly support the adaptation and resilience of communities facing the harshest climate impacts.

As World Council of Churches (WCC) staff participated in the ACT Alliance General Assembly in Indonesia, they collaborated to help send a message of both urgency and hope across the world. As with many other assemblies across the world, the ecumenical family came together to support the gathering, joining hands to support logistics, communications, and governance. 

An upcoming “Advocacy Training for Church Workers” will show religious leaders, lay leaders, educators, seminary students, and interested individuals how to effectively integrate advocacy into preaching, liturgy, and Bible studies. 

The World Evangelical Alliance, in collaboration with the World Council of Churches (WCC), Christian Solidarity International, and a coalition of global organizations, has issued a joint statement urging international attention on Azerbaijan's actions in Nagorno-Karabakh as COP29 begins in Baku. 

World Council of Churches general secretary Rev. Prof. Dr Jerry Pillay offered a joyful congratulations to the new moderator of the ACT Alliance Governing Board, Nicolás Rosenthal. 

As COP29 opened today in Baku, Azerbaijan, the World Council of Churches (WCC) held an online ecumenical service where Rev. Charissa Suli, president of the Uniting Church in Australia, delivered a sermon urging decisive action for climate justice. Drawing from scripture and the wisdom of Indigenous communities, Suli called on global leaders to move beyond incremental changes toward profound transformation in their approach to climate stewardship.

The theological legacy and ecumenical vision of the Orthodox theologian Elder Metropolitan John Zizioulas of Pergamon, who died in 2023 aged 92, has been remembered at a conference in Istanbul organized under the patronage of the Ecumenical Patriarch, Bartholomew I.