Ecumenical, Evangelical Heads Affirm 'Common Call'

The Rev. Dr Geoff Tunnicliffe (left), international director of the World Evangelical Alliance, and World Council of Church General Secretary the Rev. Dr Olav Fykse Tveit meet in Geneva, March 2010. (Photo: WCC)

The heads of the World Council of Churches (WCC) and the World Evangelical Alliance (WEA) affirmed the "common call" of Christians to pursue unity during a meeting last week at the Ecumenical Centre in Geneva where the WCC is headquartered.

The meeting between the Rev. Olav Tveit, WCC general secretary, and the Rev. Geoff Tunnicliffee, Intl. Director of the WEA was the first between the two since Tveit took up his current position in January, although two previously met at the 2007 Global Christian Forum in Limuru, Kenya.

During the conference, Tveit and Tunnicliffe discussed areas of common interest and collaboration, such as mission and evangelism and the code of conduct on conversion, which also involves the Roman Catholic Church.

They also affirmed their organization's support 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.

"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 WCC represents 560 million Orthodox, Anglican, Baptist, Lutheran, Methodist, Reformed, United and independent Christians around the globe. The WEA represents 420 million evangelicals worldwide in seven regional alliances.

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