The Global Christian Forum (GCF) is a platform for encounter, of which the World Evangelical Alliance, together with the World Council of Churches, the World Pentecostal Fellowship and the Vatican, is a constituting member. The 4 constituting members, together covering all of Christ’s body, are represented in the so-called Facilitation Group, something like the Executive Board of the International Committee, which would be a kind of Board. This committee also includes some representatives of other Christian Organizations.
Within this platform, none of the constituting participants are in the lead – it is “ecumenical” in the best sense.
GCF is a non-programmatic platform, bringing together Christians from all denominations all over the world in a global conference about every fifth year, to simply share how they are experiencing their way with God, or God’s way with them. It helps establish real fellowship without watering down personal or denominational convictions – a true unity in true diversity, with differences clearly remaining.
The last such global conference was in April 2024 in Accra, Ghana, and the 2029 conference may well take place in Europe.
Organizationally, GCF has a very slim administrative body, led by Rev. Dr. Casely Essamuah a Ghanese minister living mainly in Annapolis.
During three days of deliberations and reflective prayer, the committee also visited the Dicastery for the Promotion of Christian Unity (DPCU) for interaction with their leadership.
Then it was able to visit the Focolare Movement – focusing on practical discipleship and study of Scripture –, the papal Castle Gandolfo residence and museum with its magnificent formerly secret gardens, and the Community of Saint Egidius.
This latter community maintains on the Tiber island in Rome a museum dedicated to Christian martyrs. They also celebrate a yearly day of prayer for modern martyrs (in addition to the official Jubilee Year celebration, which takes place every 25 years). We were able on their request to establish a direct link between them and Open Doors, an evangelical organization that serves the persecuted church, as they desired access to more and broader information from the wider suffering body of Christ outside the mainline churches.
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