The Council for World Mission (CWM), in an historic milestone on 17 June, approved four new member churches for induction into the global partnership: Presbyterian Church of Mauritius (EPIM) in Africa, Presbyterian Church of Trinidad and Tobago (PCTT) in the Caribbean, and Presbyterian Church of Vanuatu (PCV) and Cook Islands Christian Church (CICC) in the Pacific.
The decision was made on the second day of the CWM Annual Member’s Meeting (AMM), which is convening in Songdo, South Korea, from 16-18 June.
Currently, CWM is made up of 32 member churches.
Three regional Membership Taskforce groups explored the viability of the four candidate churches based on their significant historical ties with CWM, congregational makeup, ministerial alignment, and other operational aspects.
Earlier this year, the Membership Taskforce groups travelled to the regions in which the churches are based to meet and dialogue with their leadership. Reports from the meetings were drafted and presented to the CWM Board before being received by the member delegates of the AMM.
Membership Taskforce group representatives Rev. Kudzani Ndebele, Trevor Llewellyn Benn, and Mina Tupu Saifoloi presented their reports for the African, Caribbean, and Pacific regions respectively during the AMM.
After receiving and approving the reports, AMM delegates voted for each churches’ entry into CWM.
CWM warmly welcomes our new members!
About the CWM new member churches
Presbyterian Church of Mauritius (EPIM)
EPIM’s origins lie in the missionary work of Rev. Jean Le Brun, a missionary from the London Missionary Society (LMS), who began his ministry in 1814.
In 1979, EPIM became autonomous through a parliamentary act, thereby forming a synodical structure and cementing the church as a firm character in the broader story amongst CWM’s founding missionary societies.
Presbyterian Church of Trinidad and Tobago (PCTT)
Historically linked to the LMS and tracing its roots to the pioneering missiological work on the island in the 19th century, the PCTT today is shaped by its commitment to education and other contextualised ministries in social justice and ecumenical cooperation – building relationships with other faith-based communities.
With the country’s social landscape deeply shaped by its colonial history, marked by slavery and indentured labour, PCTT has positioned itself as a church with a prophetic voice, lending its influence on social, political, and economic issues; advocating for the marginalised; and working towards a just and equitable society.
Cook Islands Christian Church in the Pacific (CICC)
The CICC was established in 1821 when the LMS was engaged in missional work in the islands. Decolonisation in the Pacific during the 1960s saw CICC forming new relationships with regional Christian bodies such as the Pacific Conference of Churches. CICC is also a founding member of the Pacific Theological College.
CICC is currently the largest religious body in the Cook Islands comprising 24 branches in the Cook Islands, 25 in New Zealand, and 30 in Australia.
Presbyterian Church of Vanuatu (PCV)
Established in 1948 (as the Presbyterian Church of the New Hebrides), PCV is a vibrant church with a reformed/Presbyterian background, largely founded through the work of Pacific Islander LMS missionaries led by John Williams.
PCV is currently focusing on decentralising its leadership, conducting a national review, and establishing a national development plan. The church also operates schools, vocational training centres, and a ministry training centre, while being closely involved in evangelism, mission training, and outward mission work.
