June 25, 2010
By Chris Meehan

The World Communion of Reformed Churches began to wrap up its 10-day meeting on Friday by addressing and adopting a number of priorities on which the new organization will focus.

Debate occurred on the floor of Van Noord Arena in Grand Rapids, Michigan, over a number of those priorities, especially how to best deal with the Accra Confession, a faith-based critique of the free-market economic system in an age of globalization.

WCRC delegates accepted the recommendation that the new body continue to use the Accra Confession as a teaching tool on how Christians can view the economy and that it be considered as an important document to help guide WCRC as it addresses issues related to the world economy. In addition, after long debate, the delegates decided to ask the WCRC's executive committee to seek out ways to bring other voices and organizations into the discussion involving the confession.

But debate and disagreement was by no means the theme of the Uniting General Council, from which WCRC was born on June 18. In fact, the UGC began with high hopes, smiles and enthusiasm as more than 300 delegates from around the world agreed to create the new ecumenical body.

Much pomp and ceremony, including a multi-faceted Sunday worship service, accompanied the merger of the World Alliance of Reformed Churches and the Reformed Ecumenical Council into the WCRC, which represents more than 80 million Reformed Christians worldwide.

Symbolic gestures of unification, friendship and identification with Native Americans in the United States and aboriginal people in Canada took place, making it clear that a focus of WCRC will be on people who have often been marginalized and ignored in their native lands.

An emphasis was also placed on youth and including them in the life of WCRC, especially since the youth are the hope of the future for the ecumenical body.

While there was some debate over how to best balance the new executive committee of WCRC with women, men and younger persons, the event unfolded smoothly on the campus of Calvin College in Grand Rapids, Michigan.

Delegates for the most part resolved that issue and the election of officers and members of the executive committee came off without much problem. Jerry Pillay, general secretary of the Uniting Presbyterian Church in Southern Africa, was elected as the first president of WCRC.

"We have started a new chapter in the history of Reformed and Presbyterian churches ... We will be engaging the world in the name of Jesus Christ," he said.

That engagement, in human terms, means debating issues and reaching a consensus on matters. His priority, he said, will be to keep the churches in the new body together. "Issues of disunity and struggle continue to be present in the world," he said.

Looking ahead, he said the WCRC will have challenges raising funds to be able to pay for all of its programmes as well as the priorities adopted at the meeting which ends on Saturday. In addition, he sees the continuing clash over what takes precedence – worship, prayer and Bible study or efforts to help create social justice.

He said he sees the two as the same. The Bible requires Christians to be involved in social justice issues. "Each of us has present before us a multiplicity of pictures in which we see God," said Pillay. But in the end, this multiplicity emerges as one – the triune God.

"I hope we will be able to journey together joyfully and that the Spirit will direct us to where God wants us to go. We must discern together what God wants of us."

The Uniting General Council 2010 in Grand Rapids, United States (June 18-28) marks the merger of the World Alliance of Reformed Churches and the Reformed Ecumenical Council to form the World Communion of Reformed Churches.

Uniting General Council 2010