November 27, 2003
By Dave Wanless

Yaounde, Cameroon - The 8th Assembly of the All Africa Conference of Churches, meeting here Nov. 22-27, approved a plan to restructure and reorganize the AACC "so that the continental ecumenical organization may respond appropriately to the challenges it is facing in this century."

Furthermore, the delegates from the AACC's 169 national member denominations mandated a strategic planning process for the organization to assume responsibility for its future and for the quality of its services.

They endorsed a two-year transitional restructuring period during which the quality of services, communication and governance is to be attended to. A 'Transitional Task Force Committee' with representatives from each of the AACC's five subregions will be named to assist.

The specifics are spelled out in a "Concept Paper" that was introduced to the Assembly on Tuesday by Dr. Agnes Abuom from Ghana, the World Council of Churches' Vice President for Africa. The paper is the result of a wide-ranging process of reflection and consultation concerning the tasks facing the AACC at the start of the 21st Century and ways in which to address them.

After a brief outline of the history of the ecumenical movement and current social and political realities in Africa, the paper states that its purpose is to address the need to reconfigure the ecumenical structures to face the challenges of the day.

It acknowledges that there are major changes in the landscape of our ecumenical partners, who are themselves restructuring and downsizing. It identifies priority program areas such as Conflict Resolution, Peace Building, Economic Justice and Poverty Reduction.

Among the strengths of the AACC that the paper notes are its functional governance system and basic infrastructure, as well as its qualified personnel. The AACC is the largest Protestant network in Africa, with 169 national church bodies comprising 120 million members in 39 countries, along with 27 national ecumenical councils, in its membership.

Among the weakness identified are the lack of attention to the theological basis of its existence, the relevance to grassroots membership and the slowness of its decision making process.

The paper goes on to suggest that the AACC is under threat from competing NGO's in its traditional areas of operation, scarce internal resources and over-reliance on foreign donors.

Great opportunities, however, present themselves to the organization. These include the challenges to help define Africa's humane contribution to the globalization process, advocacy for just north/south relations, the removal of the debt burden (along with programs for poverty reduction) and the struggle to contain and reduce HIV/AIDS.

The Concept Paper goes on to suggest areas that need to be addressed if the AACC is to confront the identified weaknesses and threats and maximize its strengths and opportunities. Among them are the organizational structure, financial and human resource management systems, and the effectiveness of its programs.

The paper outlines preconditions for change, suggests strategies to plan the way forward, and steps to be taken by the General Secretary, General Committee and the General Secretary.

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