Sixty-nine participants from all 12 Council for World Mission (CWM) member churches in the Pacific gathered in Auckland, Aotearoa New Zealand, from 14-16 September for the CWM Pacific Regional Assembly.
United by a call to “Revision Mission” amid the challenges facing Pacific communities and inspired by the image of “One Vaka” — one canoe — the assembly affirmed that, despite being separated by vast distances and shaped by different contexts, Pacific churches remain deeply interconnected in God’s mission and are called to journey together.
Keynotes highlight Pacific realities
Across three keynote addresses, Rev. Dr Matagi Jessop Vilitama of Ekalesia Kerisiano Niue challenged delegates to confront what he described as a regional “polycrisis,” encompassing climate change, geopolitical competition, militarisation, unfinished decolonisation, deep-sea mining, nuclear testing legacies, and economic dependence.
Reflecting on Jubilee and life-flourishing communities, Vilitama drew on the Pacific image of the umu, or earth oven, as a place where hierarchy gives way to honest conversation as people gather as equals. This image resonated with the wider assembly’s call for “a bigger table, where everyone has a place, every voice matters, and no one is left at the margins.”
Vilitama also challenged inherited understandings of mission, noting that mission no longer flows simply from the Global North to the Global South. Pacific churches and diaspora congregations are increasingly recognising themselves as active agents of God’s mission rather than passive recipients.
In light of these realities, Vilitama asked, “Do we have the courage in our calling to speak reason, and justice, and truth to power?”
Youth and women speak out
Youth and women’s panels brought vital perspectives. Young people were affirmed as the church of today, whose voices must help shape present leadership and decision-making.
Discussions during the women’s panel highlighted continuing barriers facing women in ministry and leadership, as well as the need for stronger mentoring and greater opportunities to lead.
Throughout the assembly, climate justice remained an urgent concern. Delegates spoke of rising sea levels, coastal erosion, nuclear contamination, deep-sea mining, and seabed destruction not as distant threats, but as lived realities affecting Pacific communities, livelihoods, and ecosystems.
These concerns were reflected in a Pacific Regional Assembly Statement drafted by participants.
The statement calls for mission rooted in justice, participation, and Pacific identity, addressing climate change, nuclear testing legacies, gender-based violence, migration and family separation, youth participation and economic opportunities, women’s leadership and ordination, and the preservation of Pacific cultures and languages.
It also called for stronger Pacific representation within CWM, responsive governance and leadership, solidarity with churches facing political and geopolitical pressures, and a vision of Jubilee marked by honest reckoning and a fairer distribution of resources.
Rev. Saungaki Rasmussen of the Cook Islands Christian Church reflected that, despite their different cultures and contexts, delegates “belong to one household of God.”
“Our diversity is not something that separates us,” Rasmussen said. “It is a gift that enriches our common journey and strengthens our witness and mission together.”
As the assembly concluded by returning to the image of the Vaka of Life, participants renewed their call for Pacific churches and the wider CWM family to paddle together — honouring Pacific voices, protecting creation, empowering women and young people, confronting injustice, and widening the table so that all may participate faithfully in God’s life-flourishing mission.
