wfn.org | World Council of Churches Moderator's report 29 August 1999

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World Council of Churches
Press Release

For Immediate Use
26 August 1999

Central Committee No. 01

CHRISTIAN CHURCHES MUST NOT BE MUSEUMS
BUT SEEK *CONSTANT INTERACTION WITH THE WORLD,*
MODERATOR TELLS WCC CENTRAL COMMITTEE
The Moderator of the World Council of Churches (WCC) Central Committee has 
challenged WCC member churches to work together as a dynamic fellowship to 
counter some of the tendencies of the 20th century which has become human- 
rather than God-centered.

*The church is not a museum, destined to remain immutable and untouchable,* 
said His Holiness Aram I, Catholicos of Cilicia, in his report on the 
opening day of the Central Committee, Wednesday, 26 August. *The church is 
not a self-centered and self-sufficient reality... The church must search 
constantly for more relevant modes of being church.*

The 158-member governing body of the WCC, elected last December by 
delegates to the WCC*s Eighth Assembly in Harare, Zimbabwe, is meeting at 
the Ecumenical Centre in Geneva, Switzerland, 26 August through 3 September.
Aram I, who is serving his second seven-year term as the Committee*s 
moderator, noted in a wide-ranging report that *western liberal values* are 
in part responsible for the rise of religious fundamentalism and 
destructive ethnocentrism. He called upon the ecumenical movement to resume 
its role of providing a setting *for a meaningful and creative dialogue 
between cultures and traditions.*

His Holiness offered words of caution to those who believe things are going 
*smoothly* between Orthodox churches and other WCC member churches, and 
warned that optimism that the Council*s financial crisis will soon be over 
*is premature.*

More fellowship, less programmes

Reflecting on the *clear message* sounded by Harare delegates, Aram I said 
the WCC must spend less time looking inward. *It should focus less on 
programmes and more on fellowship-building,* he said.
Although it should not neglect its *institutional obligations,* the Council 
should develop a *relational style* with its member churches, he said. But 
member churches must also work on enhancing their relationships with the 
Council and with one another.

*The question is not what the Council can do for the churches, but also 
what the churches can do for the Council and what the churches through the 
Council can do for each other,* he declared. *The Council should reflect 
what the churches are and do on the local level; and the churches should 
manifest the perspectives and expectations of the global fellowship in 
their own context.*
He reminded the Central Committee that the WCC is a fellowship of churches. 
*The primary purpose of the Council is not establishing programmes... (but) 
to call the churches to *visible unity in one faith and in one eucharistic 
fellowship.**

Legacy of the 20th century

As the churches move to enhance their fellowship and witness in the next 
century, they must contend with some of the left-over problems of the 20th 
century, Aram suggested.
He expressed concern that humankind has become too human-centered and not 
enough God-centered. Individualism and aggressive consumerism *have almost 
made the human being the center of the world,* he said. *The rights of the 
individual have primacy over spiritual and ethical values, particularly in 
Western societies.... But the more humanity dominates the creation, the 
more it accelerates the process of the earth*s destruction and human 
self-annihilation.* The churches have an important task to call humanity 
back to its accountability to God, he said.

The Moderator also warned of the dangers of *ethno-nationalistic 
ideological movements* that erupt in violent conflicts such as that between 
Yugoslavia and Kosovo. *The church sometimes finds itself caught between 
the imperatives of the Gospel and its ethnic ties and obligations,* he 
said. *The ecumenical movement must engage the churches, on the local, 
regional and global levels, in a comprehensive and critical discussion on 
ethnicity and its implications on the role of churches in society.*
Journey of hope

As the Central Committee prepares to govern the WCC for the next six years, 
Aram I said, the many challenges should be faced in a spirit of hope.

Some challenges that faced the former Central Committee remain, he said, 
including relationships with Orthodox members and budget problems.

*Many think that everything went smoothly with the Orthodox in Harare, and 
that the *Orthodox concerns* will soon be met,* he said. *We must not 
pretend things are in order and moving smoothly.* Up to now little progress 
has been made in setting up the process for a *Special Commission* called 
for by delegates in Harare to discuss Orthodox concerns about their 
membership in the Council, he noted.

Even so, the Moderator expressed optimism. *We are fragile indeed. We must 
be ready for the unexpected, for the good surprises of the Holy Spirit as 
well as for the bad surprises of the *powers and principalities* of the 
world. But, empowered by the Spirit and sustained by the common vision, we 
are firmly committed to continue our journey of hope.* *

Contact: Karin Achtelstetter, Media relations Officer
Tel: (+41.22) 791.61.53 Mobile: (+41) 79.284.52.12
**********
The World Council of Churches is a fellowship of 336 churches, in more than 
100 countries in all continents from virtually all Christian traditions. 
The Roman Catholic Church is not a member church but works cooperatively 
with the WCC. The highest governing body is the Assembly, which meets 
approximately every seven years. The WCC was formally inaugurated in 1948 
in Amsterdam, Netherlands. Its staff is headed by general secretary Konrad 
Raiser from the Evangelical Church in Germany.

World Council of Churches
Media Relations Office
Tel: (41.22) 791.61.53 / 791.64.21
Fax: (41.22) 798.13.46
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