Asian Christian Churches Form New Organisation

Press, Volume XCV, Issue 28249, 10 April 1957, Page 11

Asian Christian Churches Form New Organisation

“The churches of Asia belonging to the World Council of Churches have now established an organisation through which they can not only meet every few years, but also carry out together certain united projects in the whole area.” said the Rev. Alan A. Brash, general secretary of the National Council of Churches. “It is the unanimous desire of the Asian churches that they should make it evident to non - Christians in the area that Christianity is not essentially the white man’s religion but belongs to all peoples,” he said. Mr Brash has just returned from the all-Asia Christian Conference which was held in Sumatra, from March 17 to 27. New Zealand was represented at the conference by the Rt. Rev. E. J. Rich (assistant Bishop to the Primate), who is president of the National Council of Churches, and Mr Brash. Expansion Plans “The Asian churches are planning to expand considerably their present programme of exchanging workers so that the Christian Church will be manifestly an international team in each country,” said Mr Brash. “The new organisation will also administer in. Asia all the concerns of the World Council of Churches, and particularly the Inter-Church Aid Programme through which the churches of the world help one another to the extent of about 50m. dollars worth of goods and money each year. This is in addition to the much greater sum that is expended in the missionary enterprise of the Western churches,” he said. By the unanimous decision of the Asian Church leaders, the churches of Australia and New Zealand were invited into full membership of the new organisation, said Mr Brash. Bishop Sobrepena, of the United Church of the Philippines, had said that the organisation had no desire to be regarded as a colour bloc, and still less as in any sense anti-European. They welcomed the churches of Australia and New Zealand into the new organisation because they lived within the Asian area and because they symbolised the European churches through which the Asians had learned their faith. Few Europeans

“The conference was held in Sumatra on the shores of one of the most glorious lakes in the world, Lake Toba. There was only a handful of Europeans present,” said Mr Brash. “These included Dr. A. Visser ’t Hooft, general secretary of the World Council of Churches, and Dr. Charles Ranson, general secretary of the . International Missionary Council, a few mission board executives from Britain and the United States, and the representatives from Australia and New Zealand.

The whole meeting was conducted by Asian Church leaders, and the entire proceeding revealed a wide but realistic vision of the task of evangelism still to be faced in Asia by the Christian churches, and a determination that the major initiative in the task should be taken by the Asian churches themselves.

“It will require a re-thinking of our New Zealand Church attitudes.” said Mr Brash, “if we are to enter fully into this new fellowship, in which we will be partners with the churches in Asian lands.”