The Council for World Mission (CWM) marked the 49th anniversary of its inauguration in 1977 with a combined Communion service at St Mungo’s United Church in Sandton, South Africa, on 19 July.
The service brought together church leaders, theologians, and congregation members from the United Congregational Church of Southern Africa (UCCSA) and the Uniting Presbyterian Church in Southern Africa (UPCSA), alongside global participants who joined online.
This year’s CWM Sunday carried added significance as it coincided with Nelson Mandela International Day, creating a meaningful connection between Mandela’s lifelong commitment to justice and human dignity and CWM’s calling to life-affirming and justice-centred mission.
Mission cannot continue as usual
In his greeting, CWM General Secretary Rev. Dr Jooseop Keum called the global fellowship to embrace a renewed vision of mission rooted in mutuality, equality, and shared responsibility.
Introducing the 2026 CWM Sunday theme, “Revisioning Mission,” Keum described CWM’s forthcoming Jubilee as more than a milestone celebration. Rather, he said, it is an invitation to discern God’s calling afresh and to set aside agendas shaped by worldly priorities.
“Mission is not about institutional survival or numerical growth. It is about participating in God’s work of justice, reconciliation, healing, and liberation,” Keum said.
He also emphasised the urgency of revisioning mission in a world increasingly marked by economic inequality, ecological devastation, xenophobia, and religious nationalism.
Calling the church to a radical re-examination of its vocation, Keum envisioned a global church that reaches across oceans, languages, and cultures, moving beyond inherited assumptions to listen attentively to the cries of the world and discern where God’s Spirit is bringing life amid despair.
Mission belongs to God
Preaching on the parable of the wheat and the weeds in Matthew 13:24–30, Rev. Prof. Teddy Chalwe Sakupapa of the UPCSA cautioned against approaches to mission that assume the role of final judge.
Reflecting on Jesus’ warning that uprooting the weeds may also destroy the wheat, Sakupapa drew parallels with moments in church history when communities were uprooted “in the name of saving them.”
Instead, he urged the church to exercise restraint and place its confidence in God’s final justice.
“Mission belongs to God,” Sakupapa declared. “It does not originate from the church, but the church is called to participate in it.”
Emphasising that there is one Lord over one harvest, he argued that Christian mission must remain deeply ecumenical, even as it pursues the work of decolonisation.
“A decolonial mission refuses to confuse the gospel with empire,” Sakupapa said.
He identified three essential characteristics of a church committed to revisioning mission: listening attentively to voices from the margins, relinquishing life-denying forms of power, and accompanying wounded communities with compassion and hope.
“The future belongs to God,” Sakupapa concluded. “Our calling is not to control it, but to tend the life through which it is already taking root.”
Standing in solidarity with Manipur
Intercessory prayers for displaced communities in Manipur, India, were led by CWM Mission Secretary for the General Secretariat Rev. Dileep Kandula and CWM Mission Secretary for Education and Empowerment Rev. Dr Amelia Koh-Butler.
The communities have endured violent ethnic conflict since 2023, and the intercession reflected CWM’s continuing solidarity with the Presbyterian Church of India (PCI) as it works with regional partners to provide humanitarian assistance, pastoral care, and ongoing support.
Many families and communities have lost their homes, churches, livelihoods, and access to essential resources, including food, water, and education.
Praying over the six regions of CWM
The combined service concluded with the lighting of six candles, each representing one of the regions within CWM’s global partnership.
Through prayers and blessings, members of the CWM community renewed their shared commitment to revisioning mission, embracing transformative discipleship, and proclaiming God’s life-giving hope to a world groaning for justice, reconciliation, and renewal.
