VALLEY FORGE, PA (ABNS 3/10/10)—In a recent press release, the World Council of Churches reported that there was a March 3 meeting between Rev. Dr. Olav Fykse Tveit, general secretary of the World Council of Churches (WCC), and Rev. Dr Geoff Tunnicliffe, international director of the World Evangelical Alliance (WEA), at the Ecumenical Center in Geneva, Switzerland, to discuss common concerns around Christian unity.
"American Baptists have historically held our identity as both evangelical and ecumenical as a precious gift of God," said General Secretary Roy Medley. "It gladdens our hearts to see the work of the Spirit in the greater cooperation between the WCC and WEA."
Tunnicliffe and Tveit met for the first time in 2007 at the Global Christian Forum in Limuru, Kenya. The meeting in Geneva was their first encounter since Tveit began his tenure as WCC general secretary in January.
They discussed areas of common interest and collaboration such as mission and evangelism and the ongoing work on a code of conduct on conversion, which also involves the Roman Catholic Church.
"We affirmed that all Christians have a common call to be one, and that we want to be sensitive to one another's concerns," Tveit said of the meeting.
Tunnicliffe said: "This important meeting was helpful in building bridges of understanding in regards to evangelism, religious liberty and caring for the vulnerable. We look forward to ongoing conversations with the WCC."
The two leaders also affirmed the continued support of the WCC and WEA for the Global Christian Forum as a platform providing opportunities for encounters and dialogue between Orthodox, Catholic, Anglican, Protestant, Evangelical, Pentecostal and the African Instituted Churches.
Towards a code of conduct on conversion
Commission on World Mission and Evangelism
Website of the Global Christian Forum
Website of the World Evangelical Alliance
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 560 million Christians in over 110 countries, and works cooperatively with the Roman Catholic Church. The WCC general secretary is Rev. Dr Olav Fykse Tveit, from the [Lutheran] Church of Norway. Headquarters: Geneva, Switzerland.
American Baptist Churches is one of the most diverse Christian denominations today, with 5,500 local congregations comprised of 1.3 million members, across the United States and Puerto Rico, all engaged in God’s mission around the world.