wfn.org | WCC NEWS: Samuel Kobia's term as WCC general secretary extended

["WCC Media" <Media@wcc-coe.org>]

World Council of Churches - News Release

Contact: +41 22 791 6153 +41 79 507 6363 media@wcc-coe.org
For immediate release - 25/9/08 20:35:21

SAMUEL KOBIA'S TERM AS WCC GENERAL SECRETARY EXTENDED

The executive committee of the World Council of Churches (WCC)
meeting 23-26 September in Luebeck, Germany announced their
decision to extend the contract of Rev. Dr Samuel Kobia, the
current WCC general secretary, through the time when a new
general secretary takes office.

A new WCC general secretary is to be elected at the Council’s
central committee meeting to be held in Geneva, Switzerland from
26 August to 2 September 2009. At the February 2008 central
committee meeting a search committee was formed after Kobia
announced he would not seek a second term as general secretary.

“By accepting this, Rev. Kobia will bring continuity to the
office while we go through the transition process of finding a
new general secretary,” said Rev. Dr Walter Altmann, the
moderator of the WCC central committee.

During this week’s executive committee meeting the search
committee reported on responses they received from member
churches on the current job description of the general secretary
and conversations held with WCC staff on the role of a new
general secretary. Applications for the general secretary will be
accepted as soon as a revised job description is released in
October.

Additional information on the WCC executive committe meeting:
http://www.oikoumene.org/en/news/news-management/eng/a/article/1722/wcc-executive-committee-t-2.html

Additional information: 

Juan Michel  +41 22 791 6153 +41 79 507 6363 media@wcc-coe.org

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 Samuel Kobia, from
the Methodist Church in Kenya. Headquarters: Geneva, Switzerland.