A meeting of the World Council of Churches (WCC) Commission on World Mission and Evangelism was held in Constantinople last week to further explore the place and profile of Transforming Discipleship in the life and work of Churches worldwide.
During the meeting, the team for the “Moving in the Spirit: Called to Transforming Discipleship” worked on a document that could better illustrate the form of discipleship in the light of the Arusha Call.
As part of the meeting, the commission visited Ecumenical Patriarch Bartholomew at the Phanar, who discussed with the members the process of drawing up a statement on Transforming Discipleship. Among the key aspects examined were the decentralization of discipleship, the pursuit of good news under colonial shadows, and the spirituality of the discipleship.
The commission also addressed, on a missionary point of view, the theme of the upcoming World Assembly “Christ’s love moves the world to reconciliation and unity.”
The draft statement will undergo revisions and elaboration in the coming months. The document will mainly be used – but not exclusively – as a springboard to the planning of various parts of the WCC 11th Assembly.