"The WCC will only continue to function as a privileged instrument of the wider ecumenical movement if ... openness to change is shown, and concrete steps for greater clarity of roles and improved cooperation between different actors in the ecumenical movement are taken," Kobia said.
Amid that changing landscape, Kobia - who is undergoing evaluation by the Executive Committee and Central Committee this week as his contract is up for renewal - said the WCC stood amid a number of tensions in its present and future.
It must deepen the fellowship of existing member churches while at the same time reaching out to broaden the ecumenical movement. Calls for the WCC to do more come as its governing bodies are urging it to focus more narrowly and make the most of its resources. At the same time, differing understandings of biblical truth are testing the bonds of Christian unity.
Through all of these cultural and ecclesiological shifts, Kobia said balance is required "between achievements of the past and the tasks of the future".
He named three recent developments illustrating the blessings and challenges of the road forward: the Global Christian Forum held last year in Kenya, the pending merger of ACT Development and ACT International into ACT Alliance, and the dialogue around expanding the involvement in and scope of the next WCC Assembly.
