The Council for World Mission (CWM) General Secretaries’ Conference opened on 20 November in the United Kingdom under the theme “Embodying Hope, Revisioning Mission,” gathering general secretaries from 36 member churches to reflect, reconnect, and reimagine the shape of mission in a rapidly changing world.
Held every two years, the conference serves as a space for general secretaries to celebrate shared missional journeys, nurture global networks, and encourage one another through dialogue on opportunities and challenges facing the church today.
Rooted in Jubilee: A call to disruption, restoration, and renewal
In his opening address, Rev. Dr Jooseop Keum, CWM general secretary, emphasised the significance of the meeting. The gathering, he said, is a moment to “collectively reflect and discern the plans and activities to celebrate the Jubilee meaningfully.”
Keum highlighted the biblical grounding of Jubilee, noting, “In Leviticus 25, God commands the people of Israel to practice a rhythm of justice and renewal: the land is to rest; debts are to be cancelled; and slaves are to be set free.”
Keum described Jubilee as “God’s radical disruption of systems that perpetuate inequality,” calling it a divine vision marked by redistribution, restoration, and renewal.
“It insists that the earth belongs to God, not to human empires; that no person is destined to be permanently excluded; that creation itself is to be cherished, not exploited,” he said.
The theme “Embodying Hope, Revisioning Mission,” he added, challenges the churches to confront today’s realities with courage and faith, rooting themselves in the promise of Jubilee and imagining new ways of being a church that is “hope-filled, prophetic, and transformative in God’s ongoing mission of life.”
Keynote address: Hope as a communal, courageous resistance
The keynote address was delivered by Rev. Philip Vinod Peacock, recently elected general secretary of the World Communion of Reformed Churches. Speaking on the conference theme, Peacock drew attention to the global crises that define the present era — from ecological collapse to widening inequality and the persistent dominance of empire.
“We stand at a moment when the world’s wounds are exposed,” he said. “Hope… cannot be the imagination of the dominant or the optimism of the powerful. It is the persistent, communal courage to believe that God’s future pushes into the present.”
“To embody hope,” he continued, “is to stand where Christ stands—among the wounded, the excluded, the resilient. Our mission is to be a living contradiction to empire and a living sign of God’s coming reign.”
Welcoming new member churches
This year’s conference also marked a moment of celebration as CWM welcomed four newly joined member churches and their general secretaries:
- Presbyterian Church of Vanuatu (PCV)
- Cook Islands Christian Church (CICC)
- Presbyterian Church of Mauritius (EPIM)
- Presbyterian Church of Trinidad and Tobago (PCTT)
The gathering shared the stories of these new member churches and held Holy Communion with their general secretaries.
“We give thanks to God for their inclusion in the global CWM family,” Keum said, noting that these churches—each with historic ties to the London Missionary Society—bring “rich traditions, renewed energy, and fresh missional insights that will surely strengthen and inspire our shared witness.”
Looking ahead: Jubilee 2027 and future mission initiatives
Running until 23 November, the conference will engage participants in in-depth discussions on several major initiatives shaping CWM’s future direction, including CWM Jubilee 2027, Mission Support Programme V (MSP-V), and The Onesimus Project (TOP).
