Representatives of the Council for World Mission’s (CWM) member churches in Europe, together with ecumenical partners, gathered in Utrecht, Netherlands, from 28 June to 2 July for the first of six CWM Regional Assemblies.
Hosted at the headquarters of the Protestant Church in the Netherlands (PKN), the assembly was held under the theme “Revisioning Mission.” Through Bible studies, worship, keynote addresses, and immersion visits, delegates reflected on how the church is called to bear prophetic witness in today’s rapidly changing world. The gathering also provided space for strategic discernment on how CWM member churches can renew their participation in God’s mission.
CWM Mission Secretary for Discipleship and Dialogue Rev. Dr Graham McGeoch said the Regional Assemblies strengthen the global CWM partnership by encouraging wider participation among member churches while addressing regional missiological priorities.
He noted that the gatherings also provide opportunities to celebrate the gifts and ministries of member churches as they respond faithfully to the challenges facing their respective contexts.
Welcoming delegates, PKN General Secretary Rev. Dr Kees van Ekris reflected on the church’s calling in a changing world.
“The old has passed, and we are exploring the new that has not yet come,” van Ekris said.
Moving with God’s Spirit
Delivering the opening keynote address, Rev. Dr Kuzipa Nalwamba, WCC programme director for Unity, Mission, and Ecumenical Formation, described Christian mission as a calling not merely to send but to discern where God is already at work.
“As we listened, learned, and discerned together, we were reminded that mission begins with joining the Spirit’s work already unfolding in the world,” Nalwamba said.
She also reflected on the longstanding partnership between CWM and the WCC and their shared commitment to revisioning mission in response to contemporary realities.
A call to eco-justice
A key session of the assembly focused on eco-justice, inviting delegates to reflect on the church’s missional responsibility in responding to the climate crisis.
Participants shared stories of ecological injustice, reflected on the grief, lament, and hope these experiences evoke, and renewed their commitment to faithful action in caring for God’s creation.
Confronting the legacies of slavery
The second keynote address was delivered by Prof. Kathleen Ferrier, a member of the CWM Programme Reference Group and a representative of the PKN.
Ferrier reflected on the Netherlands’ historical involvement in slavery and challenged churches to confront this legacy honestly.
She urged churches to move beyond symbolic remembrance towards a missional response rooted in reparative justice, reconciliation, and transformation.
“Apologies are not the end; they are a comma, not a full stop,” Ferrier said.
Remembering Keti Koti
Building on the themes raised in Ferrier’s keynote, delegates participated in the National Keti Koti Commemoration at Oosterpark in Amsterdam as an act of remembrance, truth-telling, and solidarity.
Meaning “broken chains” in Sranan Tongo, Keti Koti is observed annually on 1 July to commemorate the abolition of slavery by the Netherlands in 1863.
Addressing the national commemoration, Dutch Prime Minister Rob Jetten called for continued dialogue and action against racism and discrimination.
The commemoration strengthened delegates’ resolve to confront injustice and embody Christ’s hope through their ministries.
Connecting with young people
A second immersion visit took delegates to Op Adem, a Christian meditation centre operated by the PKN that accompanies young people experiencing loneliness and isolation.
Delegates also visited Buurtcafé Bonk, a community café that provides young people with a welcoming, creative, and inclusive space to gather.
As a recent expression of the PKN’s neighbourhood ministry in Utrecht, the café serves as a bridge between the church and the wider community, connecting people with relationships, support, and opportunities for deeper engagement.
As the five-day Regional Assembly concluded, delegates were reminded of the importance of continued reflection on the enduring legacies of colonialism and slavery.
The gathering not only invited participants to redefine Christian mission but also reaffirmed the calling of CWM’s European member churches to respond faithfully and prophetically to the signs of the times as they journey towards Jubilee 2027 and Assembly 2028.
