The 212th General Assembly (2000) requested the General Assembly Committee on Ecumenical Relations (GACER) “to design a process for review of councils and other ecumenical alliances to which the Presbyterian Church (U.S.A.) belongs” (Minutes, 2000, Part I, p. 108). The previous report of the “World Alliance of Reformed Churches/Caribbean and North American Area Council of the World Alliance of Reformed Churches (WARC/CANAAC)” was received by the 214th General Assembly (2002). This review of the “World Alliance of Reformed Churches/Caribbean and North American Area Council of the World Alliance of Reformed Churches (WARC/CANAAC)” is presented to the 219th General Assembly (2010). The team that conducted and edited this review included: Jerrod Lowry, Raleigh, N.C. (chair); Ruy O. Costa, Boston, Mass.; Catrelia Steele Hunter, Cleveland, N.C.; Jeanne Choy Tate, San Francisco, Calif.; Eileen W. Lindner, New York, N.Y. Staffing was provided by Carlos Malavé.

1.   Memorial for the Reverend Dr. Lewis S. Mudge

A Dedication Honoring the Legacy of Those Who Kindle the Call to Ecumenism

In gratitude to God, the General Assembly Committee on Ecumenical Relations dedicates this report to our brother and friend, the Reverend Dr. Lewis S. Mudge, who returned to the Lord on September 11, 2009. A tireless servant of Christian unity, Lew S. Mudge defined ecumenism for a generation. As teacher and colleague he inspired others to the quest for a greater expression of unity and served with distinction as staff to the World Alliance of Reformed Churches from 1957 until 1962, and as a faithful participant thereafter. His example, his faith, and his devotion to the church and its mission inspires us still.

And there shall be one fold and one shepherd. That is, that all the children of God may be gathered and united into one body; as we acknowledge that there is one holy universal church, and there must be one body with one head. There is one God, says Paul, one faith, one baptism. Therefore we ought to be one, as we are called into one hope (Eph. 4:5).

“Each time we read the word ‘one,’ let us be reminded that it is used emphatically. Christ cannot be divided. Faith cannot be rent. There are not various baptisms but one, which is common to all. God cannot be torn into different parts. It cannot but be our duty to cherish holy unity, which is bound by so many ties. Faith and baptism, and God the Father and Christ, ought to unite us, so as almost to become one human being” (John Calvin’s Commentary on Ephesians 4:5).

2.   WARC/CANAAC and the Reformed Quest for Unity

“As an expression of the one holy catholic and apostolic church, the Presbyterian Church (U.S.A.) has never been able to live in comfortable detachment from other churches. Instead, we search for diverse patterns of the visible unity of Christ’s church, seeking concord in essential things: faith, sacraments, mission, and ministry. Such forms of communion are both signs of the church’s unity and means by which the church’s unity is achieved. … The Presbyterian Church (U.S.A.), in gratitude for God’s grace and mercy, commits itself to faithful use of God’s gifts in the search for fuller expression of the visible unity to which we are called” (Minutes, 2000, Part I, p. 107, The Ecumenical Vision Statement of the Presbyterian Church (U.S.A.)). Among the ways by which the Presbyterian Church (U.S.A.) seeks to express Christian unity are membership in councils of churches such as the World Alliance of Reformed Churches (WARC).

The World Alliance of Reformed Churches (WARC), soon to become the World Communion of Reformed Churches (WCRC), is a unique expression of ecumenism that seeks both to foster visible unity in Christ and deepen the fellowship among the churches that are heir to the theological legacy of Calvin, Knox, Hus, and other reformers who have shaped this particular strain of Christian thought and life. The extended family of the Reformed tradition as expressed through WARC is comprised of some 75 million Christians in 214 churches in 107 countries.

The WARC is committed to bringing churches together, seeking theological clarity that unites churches for social action and has taken great initiative to stand and interject a voice of faith in the face of injustice. The WARC has spoken: concerning religious freedom for minorities, for those enslaved by others, for racial equality, for equality in the eras of Nazism and apartheid, for women’s rights in church and society, for a voice for young people when they are silenced, for the human rights of oppressed persons, and for justice in sharing and managing the resources of the earth in an age of neoliberal economic globalization.

Furthermore, WARC does not address social issues as tourists on the precipice of injustice. Between general councils, WARC implements its seven core callings through its five regions: Africa (ARCA), the Caribbean and North America (CANAAC), Europe, Latin America (AIPRAL), and Northeast Asia (NEAAC). In these regions, the policies, priorities, and directives of the general council are contextualized to live out a regional expression of WARC directives. In turn, delegates within each region gather to study the Bible, to reflect theologically on WARC preparatory materials, and to provide input to the next general council.

The CANAAC is the regional expression of WARC in the Caribbean, U.S.A., and Canada. The CANAAC is comprised of twenty member churches; however, the formation of the World Communion of Reformed Churches (WCRC) will add the Christian Reformed Church of the Dominican Republic to CANAAC, creating a presence in the Dominican Republic.

What is more, CANAAC calls the PC(USA) into a global witness of mutual partnership and cross-cultural dialogue. It provides the PC(USA) with a living laboratory for building relationships of trust and integrity between northern and southern neighbors. One participant recalled a time when racial issues divided two churches of different ethnicities in the same country: “CANAAC was a place of common ground. We quickly moved those groups toward healing.” The CANAAC offers an unparalleled opportunity to engage in study where perspectives of the one-third and the two-thirds world interact. In the words of another participant: “At CANAAC we discovered an ‘uninvited’ unity among those present. Our pains and struggles were too similar to distinguish us from each other; and our joys and achievements were too similar to separate us.”

Moreover, CANAAC presents PC(USA) with innovative models for connecting theology with praxis, including an exploration of the ways that position and privilege influence interpretation and theological perspective. The CANAAC has developed a contextual model to ensure that its Bible study and theological reflection express the full diversity of the Caribbean-North American region. The host country for each CANAAC assembly becomes a resource for theological reflection on socioeconomic and political issues as delegates learn about the host country’s culture, history, and ways of being church. Delegates also worship in local congregations to explore how Reformed worship takes on cultural forms as well as how it is interpreted by young people of the region.Thus,CANAAC provides opportunities to enrich Reformed worship traditions by expressing culture creatively in musical, visual, and liturgical forms to honor the fullness of God in diverse congregations and communities.

Both WARC and CANAAC are faithful attempts by its member churches to proceed with intentionality to “maintain the unity of the Spirit through the bond of peace” (Eph. 4:1–6). The WARC/CANAAC are essential vessels for encouraging, nurturing, and maintaining Christian unity as no one communion/denomination can be the Body of Christ unto themselves. Instead, it is our unity and the collaboration of the many that transforms a cacophony into a resounding chorus of praise to God who places us on this earth to live as families despite the many boundaries and barriers that might divide us. It is this enduring sense of our own longing to reclaim the unity demonstrated in our baptism that continues to provide the purpose for PC(USA) participation. In a new age and as the institutional transition to the WCRC unfolds, new patterns of participation and service to a broken world will emerge and once again lay claim to Reformed Christians.

The question of why the PC(USA) participates in WARC and CANAAC properly precedes the question of how the church participates. In an era in which interfaith relationship and ecumenism across the many Christian traditions require time and attention from the church, the question can be fairly asked, “what is the priority in the life of the church for an ecumenical expression confined to the Reformed tradition?” The response to this question turns on our understanding of the PC(USA) as an expression of the Reformed tradition and as a faithful vehicle for God’s engagement in the life of that tradition.

Throughout the history of WARC, the PC(USA) has been disproportionately represented among the leaders and staff of the alliance reflecting the high priority the fellowship of the Reformed family has held within the ecumenical commitments of the PC(USA). Such an investment by the church has provided dividends of experience and insight that have enriched the life of individuals and the church as a whole. Only through the gathering of Reformed Christians are we able to learn of our tradition’s capacity to bring the Good News of Jesus Christ in cultural, economic, ethnic, and linguistic contexts quite unlike our own. It has been the encounter with the valiant faithfulness of Reformed Christians in contexts of repression, poverty, and suffering that has enabled us to know who we might become and how we might more fully witness to the risen Christ.

The WARC has enabled the Reformed churches to engage together in bilateral ecumenical dialogues with diverse Christian traditions, has provided a unique laboratory for Reformed theological inquiry, and has offered a venue in which our relationships with Reformed global mission partners can find common life and witness. Here in WARC and CANAAC the longing of Jesus’ pastoral prayer “that they might be one that the world might believe” is given concrete and tangible expression. And through the words of the Declaration of Debrecen, WARC gave voice to the tangible and Reformed call to Christian unity: “We are not our own. With Christians for the Reformed faith through the centuries, and with the whole people of God, we join our voices to proclaim Soli Deo Gloria! We are called to be built into a new community in the Spirit of God.”

The Reformed theological enterprise has been particularly enriched by the work of WARC and CANAAC. Shared statements such as that of Accra and the rediscovery and exploration of historic Reformed confessions such as Belhar have deepened the understanding of the tradition’s specific approach to faithfulness and its requirements in the twenty-first century. Gatherings of younger theologians in rich diversity of gender, race, ethnicity, and sociopolitical context have been productive of fresh leadings of the Spirit and hold promise of hastening the way toward healing deep human rifts of race and clan. In particular, calls to humbly acknowledge and address economic injustice and ecological degradation have brought an invigorated vitality to a new generation of Reformed Christians. The PC(USA) has been fully present in each of these aspects of ecumenical sharing and continues to learn, teach, and be challenged by these encounters.

4.   The Birth of WCRC and Its Implications

In the year 2010, the Uniting General Council for the World Alliance of Reformed Churches (WARC) will convene in Grand Rapids, Michigan, and is expected to merge with the Reformed Ecumenical Council (REC) to form the World Communion of Reformed Churches (WCRC). Members of the two uniting groups trace their roots back to the 16th century Reformation. Founded in 1875, Geneva-based WARC has 75 million members in 214 churches in 107 countries while the Michigan-headquartered REC was founded in 1946 and has 12 million members belonging to 41 churches in 25 countries.

A joint WARC/REC executive committee has drafted a constitution and proposed a new structure for WCRC, along with a plan to eliminate the budget deficit by 2011. A 2008 deficit, due primarily to a drastic fall in the exchange rate, is expected to extend into 2009 and carry forward into the new organization, leaving WCRC little core provision for its beginning. The issue is not one of over-expenditure. In fact, expenditure of the organization has decreased each year. The reality is that income does not keep up with expenditure despite the fact that WARC has taken pride in its lean and modest lifestyle.

The new global grouping of WCRC will represent 80 million Reformed Christians worldwide. Though twenty-seven of the REC member churches also belong to WARC, there is symbolic value in healing divisions between these two major branches of the world Reformed community. In a world filled with fragmentation, the union offers a more global witness as a faithful response to Christ’s call to unity.

The union has also created an opportunity for WARC to rethink its identity as a “communion” rather than an “alliance” of churches. To move from being an alliance to being a true communion of churches is consonant with the biblical image of the Church as the Body of Christ, where all are organically connected to one another under the leadership of Jesus Christ, who is the head of the Church. Use of the word “communion” also implies that member denominations of the new organization will accept the ordination of each others’ clergy and respect the rites of each tradition.

While the union of WARC and REC has its share of positives there are certainly some impending concerns that this review committee also acknowledges. Several of those concerns will be shared in the next section of this document (4. Sustainability of Our Ecumenical Hopes) as issues that must be addressed to assure the sustainability of WCRC. However, it is essential that we mention here the presence of WARC members and staff who express some apprehension because REC has historically been less ecumenically inclined and less active on justice issues—such as women’s ordination and apartheid—the prophetic voice of WARC may be diluted. Nevertheless, both WARC and, more recently, REC are to be commended on the integrity of their separate decisions to continue the status of “suspended member” with the Netherdutch Church of Africa, a minority denomination of the Dutch Reformed Church in South Africa, until that church expresses its conviction that the theological defense of apartheid constitutes heresy. The WARC’s general secretary, Setri Nyomi, responds to such justice concerns with the following comments:

This radical unity does not give us room to ignore injustice of any kind. In such a relationship one part of the body cannot be content because it has in abundance while another part is languishing in suffering and want. We belong together. … If our unity is integral to who we are, we cannot help but sharpen our resolve to speak and act against anything that breaks the bond of peace—including all forms of injustice.

The WCRC/CANAAC presents the PC(USA) with an unparalleled opportunity to view itself through a global lens, to discover what it means to function as partners in global mission and to develop cross-cultural resources to aide us in fulfilling the mission to which Christ calls us in our own increasingly diverse nation. We conclude that it is essential that the witness and resources of this partnership with WCRC/CANAAC more fully inform our own mission and witness as the Presbyterian church in the United States of America and permeate the culture of PC(USA).

5.   Sustainability of Our Ecumenical Hopes

An essential component in identifying WARC sustainability would be review of both the governance and financial viability of the organization. The WARC is governed by general councils that establish policies and programs, consider matters brought by member churches, and give oversight to the life of the organization. These general councils assemble consistently with adequate representation from a significant number of member churches. And since 1989, the bylaws have been strengthened to assert that delegations will be as representative as possible of the diversity within member churches: women, men, youth, ordained, and lay people.

The general council is also responsible for the election of officers (president, three vice-presidents, and moderators of departments) and an executive committee consisting of the officers, twenty-five other members, and the executive staff as corresponding members. The executive committee meets annually between general councils to carry out the program decided by the general council, elect executive staff members, supervise finances, and act whenever necessary in the name of the alliance.

The review committee would like to raise particular awareness that often WARC serves as the only opportunity for wider-church participation for many of the smaller churches. In light of this knowledge, WARC has been careful to ensure that these small member churches are able to be full participants in governing sessions. Many of these small member churches are in countries of the global south where the Reformed presence is a minority. For these special considerations, WARC has been willing to subsidize delegates’ travel.          

Furthermore, the review committee finds that WARC finances are well-managed, and the accounts are audited annually. A very large amount of programs and service is delivered from a very modest budget. The WARC serves more than 200 Reformed churches around the world, with more than 75,000,000 members, with an executive staff of five persons and a support staff of seven persons. The WARC has always enjoyed a very professional and dedicated team of staff. Due to recent deficits, however, WARC now functions with minimum staff who are faced with major challenges of overwork. Together with the proposed smaller executive committee, staff will need to stretch to ensure that the expanded membership feels adequately heard and represented. Though financial challenges remain, it would not be wise to further reduce the number of staff.

Shifts in international currency exchange rates complicate WARC’s finances. Total expenditures in 2008 were about US$1,889,566.47. In 2009, the expenditure budgeted was approximately US$2,365,571.34. The PC(USA) provided approximately US$232,731 for the 2008–09 budget year and the same US$232,731 for the 2009–10 budget year.

In 2008, administrative costs ran about 16.5 percent of the budget. Salaries and related costs amounted to approximately 78.5 percent, while programming and the executive committee took the remaining 5 percent. (See Appendix C for details.)

The review committee recognizes that giving patterns to WARC have demonstrated a decline in the number of churches contributing financially to the ecumenical organization. As WCRC begins to shape its approach to financial stewardship within this very difficult economic climate, especially among developing nations, emphasis upon participation in financial support rather than the amount of that support should take precedence.

Consider the charts in Appendix C for a reflection of the finances reported in the 2008 audit. That chart reveals the financial data of member churches that supported WARC from 2004 to 2008.

The review committee is concerned with member denominations’ financial support. Appendix B shows a decline in the number of member churches that supported WARC from 2004 to 2008. As WCRC begins to shape its approach to financial stewardship in these times of economic challenges, emphasis should be placed on member denominations’ participation in financial support as a demonstration of commitment to WCRC, regardless of the amount each member church is able to contribute.

6.   Interpretation and Visibilityof WCRC/CANAAC

The PC(USA) has played a vital role in WARC over the years and is in full support of the WCRC goal of giving witness to the unity of the body of Christ through the union of WARC and Reformed Ecumenical Council (REC). In the review process, several issues came to the forefront as areas in particular need of support and encouragement in WCRC’s future. Our best ecumenical hopes will find fulfillment as PC(USA) delegates to WCRC and CANAAC bear in mind the following priorities:

a.         For the World Communion of Reformed Churches (WCRC)

In these times of economic and ecological crises, covenanting for justice in the economy and the earth is more crucial than ever. The new global economy exacerbates the growing gap worldwide between the rich and the poor while taking a heavy toll on the earth. The WARC vision calls Reformed churches to respond to the injustice of massive poverty and environmental degradation as a witness to the fullness of life God intends for all creation. A key WARC focus has been the dissemination of the Accra Confession so churches can use it to affect their local contexts. Through study of the biblical and Reformed perspective on economic life and justice, as well the study of how economic processes work locally and globally, the Accra Confession creates space for a healthy debate and for hearing the voices and concerns of women and men, young and old, people from the Global South and the Global North. The hope is that member churches will act as agents of transformation in a manner that goes far beyond the church by:

•     Developing strategies and establishing priorities that apply the Accra Confession and Covenanting for Justice in the Economy to address economic and environmental injustices in today’s global economy and lend support to the development of alternative life-giving models.

•     Creating more unified approaches to partnership in mission that recognize the need for new forms that unite divisions in the global church and are relevant to contemporary times.

•     Continuing to build theological consensus faithful to the Reformed ethos and the Word of God to ground social justice.

•     Supporting the development of contextualized models for Reformed Theology and Bible study that use local and global contexts as a resource to address issues of economic and environmental justice.

Covenanting for justice in the economy and the earth is only possible through the renewing winds of the in-breaking of the Holy Spirit. However, churches planted during the period of colonial mission are still using nineteenth century European and North American models of worship rather than models that reflect their own cultures and times. Around the world, many WARC churches feel overshadowed by the free style of worship offered by Pentecostal, charismatic, and evangelical churches.

 Worship that emphasizes head over heart, mind over body, grows increasingly stale in the diversity of today’s world. A church that is always reforming needs the diverse gifts, including cultural gifts, of all the people who make up our churches. Profoundly affected by worship experiences in Ghana, WARC was led to acknowledge that “using drums is not a sin; clapping and dance are not disrespectful … [and] also we affirm the role of silence and meditation, of chanting.” It is the hope of this review committee that WCRC will continue to do the following:

•     Acknowledge that spiritual renewal and renewal of worship are urgent priorities if Reformed churches are to grow, to reach out to new generations, and to have the power to engage in the prophetic witness to which Christ calls us. Develop a theology of worship and spiritual renewal that enriches Reformed worship traditions through musical, visual, and liturgical forms to honor the fullness of God in culturally diverse congregations and communities.

•     Maintain the broadest possible participation and representation of cultural and regional diversity, gender representation, youth and young adults, even within the context of diminishing funds and a smaller WCRC executive committee.

•     Ensure that all members understand their responsibilities as they relate to making WCRC effective.

•     Build commitment to continuing the tradition of bilateral dialogue, historically associated with WARC, in the new WCRC. This is particularly important because REC has less history of bilateral involvement.

•     Address financial viability and the need for strategic fund-raising to bring in new resources to support the mission and work of WCRC/CANAAC. It is particularly important to ensure adequate staffing for this ongoing work.

b.         For Caribbean and North American Area Council (CANAAC)

The CANAAC has developed an innovative contextual model to ensure that its Bible study and theological reflection express the full diversity of the Caribbean-North American region. The host country for each CANAAC assembly becomes a resource for theological reflection on socioeconomic and political issues as delegates learn about the host country’s culture, history, and ways of being church. Delegates also worship in local congregations to explore how Reformed worship takes on cultural forms as well as how it is interpreted by young people of the region. It is the hope of this committee that CANAAC will consider ways to:

•     Sustain and enhance the theological focusthat has been the hallmark of Reformed gatherings. This is of particular concern since responsibilities previously lodged with a theology committee and a pool of trained theologians has been taken on by the steering committee. Some interviewees expressed concern that “CANAAC’s theological focus could become M.I.A.” or that dialogue could become “politically-laden and politically-driven.”

•     Develop structures for ongoing Bible study, reflection, and analysis among CANAAC delegates between assemblies and, recognizing that not all members have access to technology, develop ways for members to hear from and give input to the work of the steering committee.