Delegates at the largest ecumenical gathering in a decade elected a new decision-making body on Wednesday to lead the World Council of Churches (WCC) into the next decade.
At the WCC’s 9th Assembly, delegates elected the 150-person central committee, which serves as the main decision-making body of the Council between assemblies. The new committee, according to the WCC, counts 63 women (42 percent), 22 youth (15 percent), and six indigenous persons (4 percent). Of the committee, 97 members are ordained (65 percent).
Since last Tuesday, the WCC has been hosting its international assembly in Porto Alegre, Brazil. While the 348-church ecumenical body has held such gatherings in the past – with this year’s marking the Council’s ninth assembly – the shifting landscape of modern-day Christianity has formed a completely new terrain for the world’s largest Christian body.
