The 2024 edition of the Ecumenical School on Governance, Economics, and Management (GEM School) officially opened in St Paul’s University, Limuru, Kenya on 19 August.
The 11-day programme aims to train church leaders and young persons on global economics and economic governance that is biblical and ecologically just. A key thrust of the lessons seeks to equip participants with tools to enable them to engage in advocacy for transformations in the global and local financial and economic architecture.
In all, 24 participants, specially selected from various Council for World Mission (CWM) member churches and ecumenical organisations to reflect church diversity and gender balance, will be offered a rigorously curated curriculum emphasising unique regional contexts, individual backgrounds, and socio-economic concerns.
GEM students will also explore the relationship between theology and economics, while developing a critical understanding of economics, markets, and international trade and finance.
As the GEM School opened, pointers were given on identifying cornerstones of financial and economic transformation and entry points for advocacy.
Students learned the basic elements of a New International Financial and Economic Architecture (NIFEA), a cooperative effort by CWM, Lutheran World Federation, World Communion of Reformed Churches, World Council of Churches, and World Methodist Council that advocates for an alternative just economic and financial architecture.
Rev. Daimon Mkandawire, CWM Mission Secretary for Ecology and Economy, said, “The GEM School is more than just an academic programme; it is a transformative journey that equips participants with tools to envision and build economies that serve life rather than exploit it.
“It challenges us to rethink governance, economics, and management through the lens of justice, dignity, and sustainability, empowering participants to be agents of change in their communities and beyond,” he added.
Deeply spiritual issues
GEM participant Rev. Chipasha Musaba, General Secretary of the United Church of Zambia (UCZ), is also a current board member for CWM.
Leading the morning devotion after the opening day, Musaba reminded the gathered students that economic justice is not merely an economic or political issue but a deeply spiritual one.
He also challenged them to reimagine contemporary global economic systems in light of God’s justice where advocacy must be given to policies and practices that protect the poor, ensure fair wages and prioritise the wellbeing of all creation.
“The scriptures remind us that God’s vision for the society is one where everyone has enough and no one is oppressed or marginalised,” exhorted Musaba.
Peppered throughout the programme were tracks that featured esteemed speakers and panelists who engaged the students on relevant, hot topic issues such as various ecological and feminist economic models and fostering a critical look into world markets, international trade, and finance.
The programme, while being taught with an eye on real-world issues, is grounded in spiritual roots, daily bible studies, and Christian ethics.
During the opening courses, studies explored biblical understandings of economics as well as shining a spotlight on the Zacchaeus Tax (ZacTax) Campaign, an ecumenical initiative that offered faith-rooted African perspectives on just taxation and reparations while sharing concrete proposals on advancing corporate and wealth taxation and social and ecological reparations.
To get the students to be further acquainted with the Kenyan socio-economic context and the work of hosting churches concerning economic justice and challenges surrounding land issues, an immersion programme that comprises of a visit to the National Council of Churches in Kenya is also in the works.
The vibrant opening service marking the start of the programme left a deeply positive impression on Lala Fanaingoniaina who worships at the Church of Jesus Christ in Madagascar (FJKM).
“I hope that this program will be a space for learning, reflection, and action as we strive to create a world where every person and the entire creation can flourish,” declared Fanaingoniaina.