The Latin American Council of Churches is an organization composed of Christian churches and movements which was set up in order to promote the unity of the Christians of the continent. CLAI, as it is commonly known, was founded in 1982, in Huampaní, Peru. The idea of creating a regional ecumenical body and what should be its shape took form at a large meeting of Protestant churches four years earlier, in 1978, at Oaxtepec, Mexico. The emphasis was on a council that would not run programmes and projects on behalf of its members but accompany the churches and provide space for participation and solidarity. It was also decided that the new council would not deal with project funding. From the beginning a decentralized model was adopted with secretariats in five sub-regions, in order to be closer to the churches in their daily life and context. The churches and movements which compose CLAI confess Jesus Christ as Lord and Saviour according to the holy scriptures and seek to fulfil their common calling and mission in unity, to the glory of God.
CLAI is a consultative and coordinating body that has no authority over its members in matters of doctrine, governance, practice or worship. The main objectives of CLAI are to promote the unity of the people of God, to encourage and support its members in their task of announcing the gospel, and to promote the theological and pastoral reflection and dialogue on the Christian mission and witness in the continent. Over a quarter of a century, the churches and groups that form CLAI have journeyed together in obedience to the gospel, with the intention to restore, in ways that are visible, and through concrete acts of witness and service, the unity that has been given to them in Jesus Christ. Highlights of the common journey have been the assemblies:
Huampaní (Peru)
1982
Jesus Christ, a calling committed to the kingdom
Indaiatuba (Brazil)
1988
Church: towards hope in solidarity
Concepción (Chile)
1995
Being born anew for a living hope
Barranquilla (Colombia)
2001
Free to build peace
Buenos Aires (Argentina)
2007
The Grace of God Justifies Us, the Spirit Makes Us Free
In the context of Latin America in the 1980s and 1990s, the churches and CLAI were very much inspired and motivated by the theme of hope and the building of a just and participatory society. CLAI has also focused on promoting peace in some of the conflict areas in the region, e.g. in Colombia and Guatemala. The changes that came with the end of the cold war have prompted CLAI to reorganize and strengthen its institutional viability, to bring the organization closer to the member churches, and to widen its approach to churches that hitherto did not participate in the established ecumenical movement, in particular the Pentecostals.
In order to achieve its objectives, CLAI maintains several programmes dealing with the issues of women and gender justice, youth, health, faith, economy and society, global environmental citizenship, liturgy, and communications. The five sub-regional secretariats are Andino (Bolivia, Chile, Ecuador, Peru); Brazil; Caribbean and Greater Colombia (Colombia, Cuba, Dominican Republic, Puerto Rico, Venezuela); Central America (Costa Rica, El Salvador, Guatemala, Honduras, Mexico, Nicaragua); and River Plate (Argentina, Paraguay, Uruguay). In recent years, CLAI has given much attention to the Pentecostal churches in Latin America (several of which are among its member churches) and to the involvement of Evangelicals and Pentecostals in the society and in politics. Exchanges have been organized between Pentecostal churches and other churches from different countries, e.g. between Brazil and Chile. Another priority of CLAI has been the dialogue with confessional families present in the continent, and with its partner churches and organizations in North America and Europe. CLAI has 139 member churches and organizations in 19 countries, representing some two million Christians. The head office of the organization is in Quito, Ecuador.
Periodicals: Nuevo Siglo (monthly, in Spanish and Portuguese);
LAEN (3 x per year, in English),
Signos (quarterly, in Spanish, focusing on faith and culture)
| Member Of: |
|
| Associate Member Of: |
|
Members:
(Within the WCC membership) |
Churches:
|
| Other Members: |
Anglican Diocese of Argentina
Anglican Diocese of North Argentina
Association The Church of God (Argentina)
Christian Biblical Church of Argentina
Christian Church Disciples of Christ (Argentina)
Congregational Evangelical Church (Argentina)
Evangelical Church of the River Plate (Argentina)
Evangelical Methodist Church of Argentina
Evangelical Pentecostal Church Argentina
Reformed Church in Argentina
United Evangelical Church (Argentina)
United Evangelical Lutheran Church (Argentina)
Bolivian Evangelical Lutheran Church
Evangelical Methodist Church in Bolivia
German-speaking Lutheran Church (Bolivia)
Pentecostal Methodist Church of Bolivia
Christian Reformed Church of Brazil
Episcopal Anglican Church of Brazil
Evangelical Arab Church (Brazil)
Evangelical Church of Lutheran Confession in Brazil
Evangelical Congregational Church of Brazil
Independent Presbyterian Church of Brazil
Methodist Church in Brazil
United Presbyterian Church of Brazil
Brethren Communion Church (Chile)
Brethren in Christ Church (Chile)
Evangelical Lutheran Church in Chile
Evangelical Presbyterian Church (Chile)
Free Pentecostal Missions Church (Chile)
Methodist Church of Chile
Missionary Pentecostal Church (Chile)
National Wesleyan Mission of Chile
Pentecost Church Eben-Ezer (Chile)
Pentecostal Church of Chile
Pentecostal Mission Church(Chile)
Temple Church La Hermosa (Chile)
Union Christian Mission Corporation (Chile)
Evangelical Lutheran Church of Colombia
Presbyterian Church of Colombia, Presbytery of the Coast
Episcopal Church of Costa Rica
Evangelical Methodist Church (Costa Rica)
Evangelical Presbyterian Church of Costa Rica
Pentecostal Church Faith and Holiness (Costa Rica)
Christian Pentecostal Church (Cuba)
Christian Reformed Church of Cuba
Church of God (Cuba)
Church of the Friends (Quakers)
Church of the Nazarene (Cuba)
Episcopal Church (Cuba)
Evangelical Church Los Pinos Nuevos (Cuba)
Global Mission Church (Cuba)
Methodist Church of Cuba
Presbyterian-Reformed Church in Cuba
Salvation Army (Cuba)
Episcopal Church (Anglican) Dominican Republic
Evangelical Church Dominican Republic
Evangelical Temples Church (Dom. Rep.)
Free Methodist Church (Dom. Rep.)
Association of Evangelical Indigenous People of the Province of Ibambura (Ecuador)
Episcopal Church of Ecuador
Evangelical Indigenous Church of Tolontag (Ecuador)
Evangelical Lutheran Church (Ecuador)
United Evangelical Methodist Church of Ecuador
Baptist Association of El Salvador
Emmanuel Baptist Church (El Salvador)
Episcopal Church of El Salvador
First Baptist Church (El Salvador)
Salvadorian Lutheran Synod (El Salvador)
Conference of Evangelical Churches of Guatemala
Episcopal Church of Guatemala
Primitive National Evangelical Methodist Church of Guatemala
Christian Reformed Church of Honduras
Episcopal Church of Honduras
Evangelical Lutheran Church (Honduras)
Evangelical Mennonite Church of Honduras
German-speaking Lutheran Church (Mexico)
Methodist Church of Mexico
Baptist Convention of Nicaragua
Church of the Nazarene of Nicaragua
Convention of Churches of the Great Commission (Nicaragua)
Lutheran Church of Nicaragua Faith and Hope
Moravian Church in Nicaragua
National Convention of Christian Mission Churches (Nicaragua)
Episcopal Church Diocese of Panama
Evangelical Methodist Church of Panama
Lutheran Church (Panama)
Methodist Church in the Caribbean and the Americas (Panama)
Christian Church Disciples of Christ (Paraguay)
Baptist Churches of Puerto Rico
Church of the Brethren (Puerto Rico)
Episcopal Church of Puerto Rico
Methodist Church of Puerto Rico
Presbyterian Synod Boriquen in Puerto Rico
United Evangelical Church (Puerto Rico)
German-speaking Evangelical Lutheran Church (Peru)
Methodist Church of Peru
Episcopal Anglican Church in Venezuela (Episcopal Church USA)
Evangelical Lutheran Church of Venezuela
Evangelical Pentecostal Union of Venezuela
Presbyterian Church of Venezuela
Anglican Church of Uruguay
Evangelical Pentecostal Church Naciente (Uruguay)
Evangelical Waldensian Church of the River Plate (Uruguay)
Methodist Church of Uruguay |
Associate
Members:
(Within the WCC membership) |
|
| Other Associate
Members: |
Latin American Evangelical Commission for Christian Education CELADEC (Argentina)
Latin American Evangelical Centre for Pastoral Studies CELEP (Venezuela)
Latin American Biblical University (Costa Rica) Latin American Evangelical Social Action ASEL (Cuba) U
niversal Federation of Student Christian Movements FUMEC (Argentina)
ALFALIT (El Salvador)
Fraternal members (churches):
Independent Presbyterian Church in Bolivia
Universal Apostolic Mission Church (Chile)
Wesleyan Methodist Church of Costa Rica
Evangelical Lutheran Church of Peru
Fraternal members (councils of churches):
National Council of Christian Churches in Brazil
Council of Churches of Cuba
Fraternal members (organizations):
Ecumenical Christian Centre of Cordova (Argentina)
Ecumenical Movement for Human Rights MEDH (Argentina)
Higher Evangelical Institute of Theological Studies ISEDET (Argentina)
United Council for Christian Education (Argentina)
United Missions Board (Argentina)
Association of Evangelical Theological Seminaries (Brazil)
Ecumenical Centre of Pastoral Experiences CEBEP (Brazil)
Ecumenical Centre of Service to Popular Evangelization CESEP (Brazil)
Ecumenical Coordination of Services CESE (Brazil)
Evangelical Missionary Group (Brazil)
Koinonia - Ecumenical Presence and Service (Brazil)
Methodist University (Brazil) World Day of Prayer (Brazil Chapter)
Study Commission of the History of the Church in Latin America (Colombia)
Ecumenical Centre “CEMURI†(Chile)
Peace and Development Service SEPADE (Chile)
Social Assistance Foundation of the Christian Churches (Chile)
Ecumenical Research Department DEI (Costa Rica)
Evangelical Theological Seminary (Cuba)
Christian Development Commission (Honduras)
Evangelical Council for Social Advancement and Renewal CEPRES (Nicaragua)
Inter-Church Centre for Theological and Social Studies CIEETS (Nicaragua)
Emergency Relief Committee of the Churches CIPADE (Paraguay)
National Ecumenical Movement of Puerto Rico Evangelical Seminary of Puerto Rico Christian Centre of Advancement and Services (Peru)
Ecumenical Action (Venezuela)
Open Training Programme (Venezuela)
Ecumenical Service for Human Dignity SEDHU (Uruguay) |
