WCC NEWS: African women church leaders to gather at WCC for dynamic dialogue

An inaugural “Ecumenical Women Church Leaders Initiative Consultation” will kick off from 17-19 May as a dozen African women gather in Geneva and online to exchange experiences and critical reflections. 8 March 2018, Arusha, Tanzania: Women's witness, delivering a message from the women of the Conference of World Mission and Evangelism. From 8-13 March 2018, the World Council of Churches organizes the Conference on World Mission and Evangelism in Arusha, Tanzania. The conference is themed "Moving in the Spirit: Called to Transforming Discipleship", and is part of a long tradition of similar conferences, organized every decade. Photo: Albin Hillert/WCC 16 May 2022 Hosted by the World Council of Churches (WCC) in partnership with the Desmond Tutu Centre for Religion and Social Justice at the University of the Western Cape in South Africa, the consultation will offer capacity-enhancing training and contextual approaches to leadership. Participants—who are women named, elected, consecrated or enthroned to a position of ecclesiastic authority within the last three to five years—will engage in a collaborative setting to reflect on how leadership in ministry can help bring about justice on many levels. The women will reflect on the grave injustices resulting from intersectionalities of gender, disabilities, racism, climate justice, and intergenerational concerns. They will also be introduced to the WCC and its ecumenical partners, systems and structures. The three-day event will also provide space for networking, solidarity and support among clergywomen and regional laywomen in church leadership. The consultation is being piloted in the African context with an eye toward offering a similar opportunity in other regions. The series of consultations will result in critical reflections which will ultimately culminate in a series of publications that share the fruits of the exchanges. See more

The World Council of Churches promotes Christian unity in faith, witness and service for a just and peaceful world. An ecumenical fellowship of churches founded in 1948, today the WCC brings together 349 Protestant, Orthodox, Anglican and other churches representing more than 550 million Christians in over 120 countries, and works cooperatively with the Roman Catholic Church. The WCC acting general secretary is Rev. Prof. Dr Ioan Sauca, from the Orthodox Church in Romania. Media contact: +41 79 507 6363; www.oikoumene.org/press Our visiting address is: World Council of Churches 150 route de Ferney Geneve 2 1211 Switzerland