REPORT ON THE 2^nd GLOBAL CHRISTIAN FORUM
Dr. Isak Burger
Vice Chairman
Pentecostal World Fellowship

The 2^nd Global Christian Forum took place from 3-7 October in Manado, Indonesia. It was attended by 287 church-leaders and/or representatives from 65 countries and from all the main streams of modern Christian faith: Anglican, Charismatic, Evangelical, Roman Catholic, Orthodox, Pentecostal, Protestant, Roman Catholic and contemplative communities.

The context and guiding purpose of these meetings was set by the first meeting in 2007 in Limuru, Kenya: “To create an open space wherein representatives from a broad range of Christian churches and inter-church organizations, which confess the triune God and Jesus Christ as perfect in his divinity and humanity, can gather to foster mutual respect, to explore and address together common challenges.”

There is little doubt that this conference, as the first, may well qualify to be acclaimed as the most diverse Christian assembly in history. The theme of the conference in Manado was “Life together in Jesus Christ: Empowered by the Holy Spirit”.

There were regular times for prayer and worship – both in small groups as well as in churches from different traditions in the neighborhood.  During the plenary sessions some very informative and challenging presentations were given. It is strongly recommended that these papers be read on the GCF website (www.globalchristianforum.org). Some of the subjects were “Major trends and changes in World Christianity” by Dr. Sang-Bok David Kim, WEA Chairman, “Witness and Unity 21^st Century World Christianity” by Prof. Dana L Robert, “The History of Pentecostalism and its contributions to World Christianity” by Dr. Opoku Onyinah from Ghana, the very informative “Atlas of Global Christianity” by Mr. Peter Crossing and an inspired presentation by Michelle Moran, President of the International Catholic Charismatic Renewal Services, describing the development of the charismatic movement within the Roman Catholic Church.

Some of the most poignant moments of the four days was a representation of churches and communities that have experienced healing and reconciliation in Christ. These included the resurrection of the Autocephalous Orthodox Church in Albania; the Taizé Community; the reconciliation of Lutherans and Mennonites at international and local levels; and the extraordinary stories of the church in China.

The overall focus of the Global Christian Forum gathering in Indonesia was two-fold:

First, the GCF took serious notice of the enormous shifts in world Christianity. A century ago 66 percent of the world’s Christians lived in Europe, but today it accounts for only 26 percent of the world’s Christian population.

The “Global North” (defined as Europe and North America) contained over 80 percent of all Christians in 1910, falling to under 40 percent by 2010. In 1910 less than 2 percent of all Christian lived in Africa but by 2010 this had skyrocketed to 20 percent.Whilst the overall percentage of Christians globally had remained fairly constant over the last one hundred years there had been dramatic change in the centre of gravity of global Christianity. A century ago the statistical ‘centre of gravity’ for Christianity was near Madrid, Spain when most Christians were European, but “in 2010 the statistical centre had shifted well south of Timbuktu in Mali.

This 100-year shift is the most dramatic in Christian history,” Mr. Peter Crossing said.  One thing however has not changed and that is where the financial resources reside. “Finances are still firmly in the (global) North; sixty percent of Christians live in the South, but they have only 17 percent of Christian income,” Crossing said.

Secondly, the GCF recognized the upsurge of Pentecostal and charismatic movements which celebrate the person and work of the Holy Spirit. All through the presentations and discussions, a remarkable consciousness of the dynamic growth and influence of the Pentecostal movement was evident.

In the light of the above, the GCF asked the question: What is the Holy Spirit saying to the Church locally and globally? What is the Spirit’s direction as we seek to be good stewards of God’s creation? It was stated jointly that “we have heard the Spirit calling us not only to continue to foster respect for one another but now also to move forward together exploring and addressing common challenges”.

The participants concluded: “We experience the open space in the Global Christian Forum as a gift of God”. In a fragmented world and church, this unique expression of unity, embracing the breadth of World Christianity, is a source of inspiration and hope. We believe it is a helpful model for building authentic Christian relationships in every place. We know that God’s Spirit draws the body of Christ into unity for the sake of God’s mission in the world. So we commit ourselves to nurture the Global Christian Forum as the Spirit leads, as witness of God’s saving and transforming love.

It proofed to be of immense value that the Pentecostal World Fellowship had a “face” at the forum as Pentecostals indeed received its fair quota of exposure.

I had the privilege to speak a few minutes and convey the greetings of the Fellowship on behalf of its chairman, Dr. Prince Guneratnam. It was very well received.

Mention should also be made of the invaluable role that Dr. Mel Robeck has been playing over many years in the ecumenical field and on behalf of the Pentecostal Movement. He was often a lone voice but has stood firm and worthy for the Pentecostal truth. As member of the working committee of GCF, he is clearly held in high regard by all.

Lastly, it is my strong conviction that a representative of the PWF should attend future ecumenical events of this nature. Our presence and influence in the ecumenical sphere demand our attendance and input.

It was a privilege to represent the Pentecostal World Fellowship at this forum.

Isak Burger

The Spirit’s call to Christian unity is growing stronger and wider throughout the world. In January 2011 the PWF Chairman, Dr. Prince Guneratnam, represented the Pentecostal World Fellowship in the committee meeting of the Global Christian Forum held in Istanbul. A significant event was the visit to the Ecumenical Patriarchate of Constantinople which is the highest see and holiest centre of the Orthodox Christian Church. They had a meeting with the Patriarch Bartholomew, the spiritual leader to 300 million Greek Orthodox Christians throughout the world. The occasion presented an opportunity to build relations and to highlight issues of unity and religious liberty.

This spirit of inclusiveness should also be a principle factor in the coming Pentecostal World Conference in 2013 with the gathering of the Spirit-filled family from throughout the world. The Host Committee has begun the groundwork in organizing the conference. Rev. Ong Sek Leang, who is the Host Chairman and the General Superintendent of the Assemblies of God in Malaysia, has assembled an impressive team of leaders to work with him.

The newly elected Pentecostal World Fellowship (PWF) Executive Committee held their first meeting in Los Angeles, U.S., on January 12-14, 2011.  Present were Dr. Prince Guneratnam (Chairman), Dr. Isak S. Burger (Vice-Chairman), Dr. Matthew K. Thomas (Secretary), and Committee Members Rev. Ingolf Ellssel and Dr. Serafin Contreras. They were elected at the last Pentecostal World Conference held in Stockholm on August 24, 2010.

The consensus of the new team after the two and a half days of open discussion and deliberations was that they had laid the ground work needed for the future and growth. This was evident from the reports and proposals made:

• That the International Office based in Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia has qualified personnel assisting the Chairman in his duties and responsibilities and is equipped with the facilities needed to serve its 56 member organizations worldwide.
• That there is an urgent need to establish regional groupings (fellowship networks) for the future of PWF in achieving its objectives.
• That the Membership Application form should be posted on the PWF website for organizations interested to join our fellowship. [ Membership Application forms can now be accessed through http://pentecostalworldfellowship.org/about/contactus.htm#apply].

Invited to present a special report was the Chairman of the Pentecostal World Conference (PWC) 2013 Host Committee, Rev. Ong Sek Leang, who is also the General Superintendent of the Assemblies of God of Malaysia.  The executives were briefed on the membership of the PWC2013 Host Committee, the preliminary plans, budget estimates, venue, suggested conference themes and speakers.

[From left: Serafin, Ong, Isak, Prince, Matthew & Ingolf]

Another important item on the agenda was the report presented by Dr. John Carter (pic on the right), Chairman of the World Alliance for Pentecostal Theological Education (WAPTE).  In line with the PWF’s endeavour to promote the development of Pentecostal theological education and leadership training, WAPTE was appointed to serve as the Education Commission of the PWF.

The Executive Committee and Advisory Committee will be in conference in the U.S. in January 2012.  The Committees appreciate your prayers for God’s guidance as they prepare for and develop strategic plans to unite the global Spirit-filled family and advance the Pentecostal witness.