WCC INTERVIEW: Christian Aid CEO: “Only the broadest collaboration will achieve the change”

Patrick Watt is chief executive officer of Christian Aid. He reflected on Christian Aid’s strategy for 2026, as well as a recent visit to the World Council of Churches (WCC).  Visit of Patrick Watt, CEO for Christian Aid, to the WCC, on 09 December 2025. Photo: Grégoire de Fombelle/WCC 16 December 2025 In a world rife with both natural disasters and human-caused conflict, how do you see your leadership role changing as the response to growing needs changes?  Watt: Part of my leadership role involves helping the organisation to make principled but practical decisions about where and how we respond, since we cannot do everything everywhere with our finite resources. So we need to ask, is this a crisis where the need is urgent, do we have capacity alongside our partners, and are we able to mobilise funding - either from supporters or from institutional donors? And increasingly, we're asking, how do we get ahead of crises by strengthening our work on disaster prevention and preparedness, on peacebuilding, and on structural drivers such as inequality and the climate crisis. What do you take away from your recent visit with the WCC? Watt: The WCC is central to Christian Aid's story, as the ecumenical agency of the British and Irish churches. It represents, together with the ACT Alliance, the wider global family of which we are a part, which gives us enormous reach and legitimacy. Why is it important to work ecumenically as we walk with the suffering people of the world? Watt: Working ecumenically - both amongst the churches in the WCC and more widely - is both a practical necessity and an expression of the unity to which Jesus calls us. If we cannot overcome differences within the Christian traditions to work together, then how authentic is our vision of a more just world, and how seriously will that vision be taken by others? We need at the same time to be building bridges with people of other faiths, and people of goodwill: when confronted by issues as deep and wide as the destruction of our common home, only the broadest collaboration will achieve the change that is needed. What are some of Christian Aid’s strategic foci for 2026? Watt: Our focus will remain the struggle to end the injustice of poverty. To contribute to that vision, we will be delivering programmes with our partners on gender justice, peacebuilding, governance and rights, and climate adaptation. We will be campaigning on climate finance, debt cancellation, and reformed global economic governance. As we finalise some significant organisational changes in Christian Aid, we'll be looking to bed in our new model, and to work more effectively with our partners around the world, including many member churches and specialised ministries of the WCC. See more

The World Council of Churches promotes Christian unity in faith, witness and service for a just and peaceful world. An ecumenical fellowship of churches founded in 1948, today the WCC brings together 356 Protestant, Orthodox, Anglican and other churches representing more than 580 million Christians in over 120 countries, and works cooperatively with the Roman Catholic Church. The WCC general secretary is Rev. Prof. Dr Jerry Pillay from the Uniting Presbyterian Church in Southern Africa.  Media contact: +41 79 507 6363; www.oikoumene.org/press Our visiting address is: World Council of Churches Chemin du Pommier 42 Kyoto Building Le Grand-Saconnex CH-1218 Switzerland

Regarding Ruling Elders: The foundations of Presbyterian polity — basic operating principles, part three

The third and final chapter of the Foundations of Presbyterian Polity section of the PC(USA) Book of Order sets forth principles that have guided the order of this denomination since the late 18th century. It does so by quoting and rephrasing two documents from early in the history of Presbyterians in the United States — the “Historic Principles of Church Order” (F-3.01) and the “Principles of Presbyterian Government” (F-3.02).

The first of these documents is put directly into the text of our current Book of Order. It sets forth principles that are valid for all churches, summarized in the titles of the eight points of this section of the chapter: God Is Lord of the Conscience, Corporate Judgment, Officers, Truth and Goodness, Mutual Forbearance, Election by the People, Church Power, and The Value of Ecclesiastical Discipline.

The second section of the chapter, the “Principles of Presbyterian Government,” (F-3.02) also draws on a key historic document: the “Historic Principles of Church Government,” which was adopted by the new General Assembly in 1797. In this part of the chapter, the historic document is not quoted directly but is “restated” — it takes the points made in the historic document and states them separately. The principles named in this section are specific to the Presbyterian church. There are nine: One Church; Governed by Presbyters; Gathered in Councils; Seek and Represent the Will of Christ; Decision by Majority Vote; Review and Control; Ordination by Council; Shared Power, Exercised Jointly; and General Authority of Councils. The flow from one to the next is like the flow of the paragraph that is its source.

Six of the nine principles named in F-3.02 are described in a single sentence. Three of the nine principles are given a longer treatment: Governed by Presbyters (F-3.0202), Gathered in Councils (F-3.0203), and the final principle, General Authority of Councils (F-3.0209). “Governed by Presbyters” includes an explanation of “ruling elder,” seeking to ward off unhelpful images connected to “ruling.” “Gathered in Councils” provides an explanation of the relationship between the various levels of council: session, presbytery, synod and General Assembly. It includes the important point that “The Councils [sessions, presbyteries, synods, General Assembly] are distinct, but have such relations that the act of one of them is the act of the whole church …” (F-3.0203). “General Authority of Councils” concerns which powers are assigned to which council.

The Foundations of Presbyterian Polity section of the Book of Order works to name and affirm a particular identity for the Presbyterian Church (U.S.A.). The section and the documents it draws on insist that the PC(USA) does have a distinct and shared identity, one that can be named. It is an identity that has deep historical roots. Those roots are found in the confessional documents in our Book of Confessions, as they are found in the historic documents that name the basic principles of Presbyterian government. It is an identity that has flexibility for faithful living in the present moment, with its effort to balance impulses that may be prone to conflict — like the insistence on finding, naming and advancing the truth, while also showing mutual forbearance.

This section of the Book of Order navigates deep waters of theology and of the history of our shared life. It is not simple. It offers insights that are easy to underestimate. They are worthy of our continual reflection and review. We could develop a pattern for reading this section, a discipline: to read through the Foundation of Presbyterian Polity section during the days around the anniversary of our ordination. We might set a discipline of reading the section during the time when the General Assembly is meeting. Other possibilities abound. Whatever specific form it takes, the opportunity is to engage with, and alongside, one another in being what we affirm God has made the church to be — participants in and agents of God’s work; God’s mission in Creation.

For Reflection

1. Looking back over the whole Foundations of Presbyterian Polity section, what do you find most helpful within it?
2. What practice would work best for you to be regularly engaging this section and what it says about the church in general and the Presbyterian church in particular?

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Barry Ensign-George is a teaching elder in the Presbyterian Church (U.S.A.). He has served as a pastor in Iowa and at the denominational level in the Office of Theology & Worship.

Throughout 2025, monthly Regarding Ruling Elders articles will focus on the Foundations of Presbyterian Polity as included in our Book of Order. Ruling elders can benefit from these reflections as they consider their own ministries and call to serve as leaders in the Presbyterian Church (U.S.A.).

© 2025 Barry Ensign-George

Work licensed for publication in “Regarding Ruling Elders: A Monthly Series for Serving Faithfully.” Congregations and mid councils may print copies for educational use. Permission is needed for any other use, including copying and reprinting.

Subscribe to receive notifications of monthly Regarding Ruling Elders articles. Visit the PC(USA) Leader Formation website for more resources for ruling elders and deacons. For more information, email Martha Miller, editor of Regarding Ruling Elders.

WCC news: WCC denounces terrorist attack in Sydney, Australia

World Council of Churches (WCC) general secretary Rev. Prof. Dr Jerry Pillay denounced a terrorist attack that took place in Sydney, Australia, during the ceremony for lighting the first candle of Hanukkah at Bondi Beach – an iconic location for families and community gatherings. Photo: Ivars Kupcis/WCC 14 December 2025 “It is particularly distressing and unacceptable that this incident occurred at the very beginning of Hanukkah, a festival that symbolizes light, faith, and the resilience of a community in the face of adversity,” said Pillay. “The fact that the attack took place at a moment when people had gathered to honour a tradition deeply rooted in hope and spiritual endurance renders this act even more egregious.” Pillay noted that the attack forms part of a disturbing global rise in antisemitic acts that represent an emboldened violent hatred, and endanger the security of communities that have lived peacefully for decades within multicultural societies. "Such violent antisemitism constitutes a gross violation of basic human rights and cannot be tolerated in any democratic society,” he said. “We extend our solidarity to the affected members of the Jewish community in Australia, as well as to all our Jewish sisters and brothers threatened by antisemitic hatred and violence.” Read the full statement See more

The World Council of Churches promotes Christian unity in faith, witness and service for a just and peaceful world. An ecumenical fellowship of churches founded in 1948, today the WCC brings together 356 Protestant, Orthodox, Anglican and other churches representing more than 580 million Christians in over 120 countries, and works cooperatively with the Roman Catholic Church. The WCC general secretary is Rev. Prof. Dr Jerry Pillay from the Uniting Presbyterian Church in Southern Africa. Media contact: +41 79 507 6363; www.oikoumene.org/press Our visiting address is: World Council of Churches Chemin du Pommier 42 Kyoto Building Le Grand-Saconnex CH-1218 Switzerland

WCC news: WCC delegation to attend Global Refugee Forum Progress Review 2025

A delegation from the World Council of Churches (WCC) will attend the  Global Refugee Forum Progress Review 2025 at the UN Refugee Agency on 15-17 December in Geneva.  Refugees walk across the border into Austria near the Hungarian town of Hegyeshalom. Photo: Paul Jeffrey/Life on Earth 12 December 2025 The delegation, led by WCC general secretary Rev. Prof. Dr Jerry Pillay, will include Marianne Ejdersten, WCC director of communication; Peter Prove, director of the WCC Commission of the Churches on International Affairs; and Carla Khijoyan, WCC programme executive for peace building in the Middle East. The delegation will participate in the opening ceremony on 15 December, as well as a brief special ceremony hosted by the Global Alliance to End Statelessness at the International Conference Centre Geneva on 17 December, during which the World Council of Churches and the UN Refugee Agency intend to formally announce a closer collaboration.  Pillay will then speak on behalf of religious leaders during a plenary session on 17 December. The WCC delegation will attend a workshop on “Legal identity for all: Addressing statelessness to achieve SDGs.” Programme overview | UNHCR WCC meets with UN Refugee Agency to discuss work related to statelessness | World Council of Churches See more

The World Council of Churches promotes Christian unity in faith, witness and service for a just and peaceful world. An ecumenical fellowship of churches founded in 1948, today the WCC brings together 356 Protestant, Orthodox, Anglican and other churches representing more than 580 million Christians in over 120 countries, and works cooperatively with the Roman Catholic Church. The WCC general secretary is Rev. Prof. Dr Jerry Pillay from the Uniting Presbyterian Church in Southern Africa. Media contact: +41 79 507 6363; www.oikoumene.org/press Our visiting address is: World Council of Churches Chemin du Pommier 42 Kyoto Building Le Grand-Saconnex CH-1218 Switzerland

WCC News: WCC links climate and racial justice through Living Planet Monitor presentation in Berlin

The World Council of Churches (WCC) presented evidence at the International and Ecumenical Conference on Racial Justice in Berlin this week that communities of colour face the heaviest burden of environmental harm - and that climate justice cannot be achieved without racial justice. The Ven Dr Leslie Nathaniel, Archdeacon of Eastern Europe and Germany & Northern Europe received the LPM 2 from the WCC Moderator, Bishop Prof. Dr Heinrich Bedford-Strohm Photo: Anglican Church of Freiburg 11 December 2025 Bishop Prof. Dr Heinrich Bedford-Strohm, WCC central committee moderator, introduced the second edition of the Living Planet Monitor at the conference. Edited by Dinesh Suna, WCC programme executive for Land, Water, and Food, the publication compiles environmental and justice data from across central, northern, and western Africa—showing where toxic waste, industrial pollution, and climate impacts hit hardest. "When racial justice and ecological justice are pursued together, they strengthen each other, creating pathways toward a more equitable and sustainable future for all," Suna told participants. The publication documents both data and "stories of hope" from faith communities responding to environmental crises. The WCC uses these findings to inform advocacy at COP30 and throughout the Ecumenical Decade of Climate Justice (2025-2034). This second edition focuses on central, northern, and western Africa, following last year's examination of southern and eastern Africa. An Asia-focused edition is planned for 2026. The data confirms what many communities already know: Black, Indigenous, and other marginalized groups live closest to toxic waste sites, polluting industries, and contaminated water. Indigenous lands face systematic targeting for resource extraction, nuclear testing, and waste disposal. From Flint's water crisis to climate-driven displacement in island nations and the Global South, the pattern holds—racial injustice and ecological destruction advance together. The Living Planet Monitor, Issue 2, is available at no cost here  Living Planet Monitor, Volume 1, Issue 1, Nov. 2024 See more

The World Council of Churches promotes Christian unity in faith, witness and service for a just and peaceful world. An ecumenical fellowship of churches founded in 1948, today the WCC brings together 356 Protestant, Orthodox, Anglican and other churches representing more than 580 million Christians in over 120 countries, and works cooperatively with the Roman Catholic Church. The WCC general secretary is Rev. Prof. Dr Jerry Pillay from the Uniting Presbyterian Church in Southern Africa. Media contact: +41 79 507 6363; www.oikoumene.org/press Our visiting address is: World Council of Churches Chemin du Pommier 42 Kyoto Building Le Grand-Saconnex CH-1218 Switzerland

EarthBeat Weekly: 10 years ago today, the world adopted the Paris Agreement on climate

10 years ago today, the world adopted the Paris Agreement on climate EarthBeat Weekly Your weekly newsletter about faith and climate change December 12, 2025   Thousands assembled along the Avenue de la Grande Armee in Paris Dec. 12 hours before 195 nations adopted the Paris Agreement, which provided a framework for global action on climate change. (NCR photos/Brian Roewe) Today (Friday) marks 10 years to the day since the world adopted the Paris Agreement, the first global framework binding nearly all nations on Earth, rich and poor, to collectively address climate change. On that mid-December day a decade ago, in the hours before the deal was reached, I was walking up and down the Avenue de la Grande Armée, one of the 12 thoroughfares that conclude at the iconic Arc de Triomphe in central Paris. It was there that an estimated 10,000 people assembled for a final demonstration at COP21, the United Nations climate summit where the Paris Agreement was reached. I still remember vividly the scenes, sounds and emotions of that day. The demonstration felt almost like a festive parade, a sense of celebration in the chilly Parisian air as climate activists — including a sizable Catholic and faith presence — chanted and cheered, played music and danced along the famous avenue. A great many people were wearing red, and massive red ribbons stretched for blocks along the street as symbols of demonstrators' own "red lines" and resolve to not quit pushing for ambitious action on climate change, even after the Paris accord was struck. As I reported at the time: "Women with flowers in their hair and others dressed as polar bears helped give the ribbon movement, while a woman danced along a tarp with the message 'climate justice' painted on it. Brass bands and drum circles provided rhythm for the chants and cries of 'What do we want? Climate justice! When do we want it? Now!' 'This is what democracy looks like!' and 'The people, united, will never be defeated!' Climate clowns pranced in front of police officers manning the route's end -- to keep it from approaching the Arc de Triomphe -- in hopes of evoking a smile." But it wasn't all celebration. There was a solemn moment where the trumpets and tubas went silent as people placed flowers along the long red ribbons in commemoration of people already suffering from climate change. The memory of terror attacks in the French capital a month earlier still lingered in minds and led to the larger police presence. And even as world leaders were on the cusp of gaveling approval of the Paris Agreement, many in the crowd already saw flaws in the deal that have only become more exposed in the decade since.  The world has changed markedly in the 10 years since the Paris Agreement's adoption.  Back in 2015, President Barack Obama and the U.S. were seen as central figures in helping culminate a deal. Today, President Donald Trump withheld a U.S. delegation from the COP30 climate summit in Brazil in November, and is months away from officially withdrawing from the Paris accord for a second time. Ten years ago, Pope Francis cheered the Paris Agreement from afar, calling it "historic" and saying "its implementation will require concerted commitment and generous dedication by each one." Months earlier, he timed the release of his encyclical "Laudato Si', on Care for Our Common Home" in an effort to influence the outcomes in Paris. In the years since, U.N. officials and COP21 delegates have pointed to Francis' powerful letter to the world as critical in giving ethical and moral language to debates around climate change and helping break through techno-centric negotiations.  Today, there is a new pope — Leo XIV — and the legacy of Laudato Si' now is in the hands of Catholics worldwide. In his early papacy, Leo has demonstrated he intends to continue Francis' emphasis on environmental concerns, and the Holy See — now a party to the Paris Agreement — has become more engaged in U.N. climate deliberations. A decade ago, global temperatures were set to eclipse 3 degrees Celsius, or more than double the more ambitious 1.5 C temperature limit that nations enshrined in the Paris accord, a point at which scientists say millions more people will be exposed to more extreme storms, droughts, heatwaves, flooding and wildfires.  Today, temperatures are tracking toward 2.3 C on the low end by the end of the century, if nations follow through fully on their respective national climate plans; it's improvement from 2015, but well short of the trajectory to limit global warming to 1.5 C, which nations acknowledged for the first time at COP30 will likely occur, at least temporarily, in the next decade.  Explainer: What does the Paris climate agreement require of countries? At the Paris Agreement's adoption, some Catholics at COP21 viewed it as signaling "the end of the fossil fuel era." In some ways, that signal has grown in the past decade, as renewables like wind and solar have become cheaper than coal and make up an increasingly larger segment of new energy generation. Still, nations at COP30 again were unable to agree to include the words "fossil fuels" — the primary source of global warming — in the final texts, and countries like the U.S. have sought to double down on fossil fuel expansion. Assessing where the world stands with climate change 10 years after the Paris Agreement is difficult. But in attempting to do so, it's important to remember what it was, as many observed at the time: not the end of something, but rather a start.  This is how Neil Thorns, an official with CAFOD (the Catholic development agency of England and Wales) and frequent member of the Holy See delegation at U.N. climate summits, put it back in December 2015 in Paris: "The draft agreement represents a start towards what Pope Francis calls a global common plan where we put the needs of the most vulnerable first. Now we all need to redouble our efforts to guarantee the safety of future generations." That sentiment is one that has not changed in 10 years time. For more reading:  Dec. 12, 2015: Nearly 200 nations adopt historic Paris Agreement, set path for action on climate change Dec. 11, 2020: As Paris Agreement reaches five-year mark, world 'not doing well' on climate change, Vatican cardinal says Nov. 26, 2025: UN climate summit in the Amazon falls short on fossil fuel phaseout plan   What else is new on EarthBeat:   COP30 drew record Indigenous participation — but were their voices heard? by Eduardo Campos Lima Over 5,000 indigenous people attended the UN's climate summit in the Amazon to call for land rights over their ancestral territories, but it's unclear to what degree negotiations took them into account. Read more here »   Assumption Sisters' farm battles food insecurity, land degradation in Kenya by Shadrack Omuka At their farm in central Kenya, the Assumption Sisters of Nairobi sustainably curb environmental degradation through non-till practices, agroforestry, and other ways of improving tree cover and soil health. Read more here »   In Kenya, a fence builds hope and supports grassroots change by Josephine Kwenga "We have learned that impact not only happens through resources but through relationships, solidarity, trust and partnerships that do not dictate but empower," writes Sr. Josephine Kwenga. Read more here »   Vatican returns dozens of Indigenous artifacts, but 'hundreds' remain, says Canadian Indigenous leader by Christopher Guly Representatives from the country's First Nations, Inuit and Métis communities were in Montreal to greet the arrival of 62 items that were housed at the Vatican's "Anima Mundi" Ethnological Museum. Read more here »   What's happening in other climate news: The EPA is wiping mention of human-caused climate change from its website —Shannon Osaka for the Washington Post Bid to oust Zeldin cites 'EPA-sanctioned pollution spree' —Kevin Bogardus for E&E News Maha v Maga: feud grows as Trump EPA rolls back rules on toxic chemicals —Tom Perkins for the Guardian Environmental groups demand a nationwide freeze on data center construction —Lauren Dalban for Inside Climate News Federal judge finds Trump's halt on wind energy is illegal —Maxine Joselow and Brad Plumer for The New York Times FACT FOCUS: Trump said weaker gas mileage rules will mean cheaper cars. Experts say don't bet on it —Alexa St. John for the Associated Press Synthetic chemicals in food system creating health burden of $2.2tn a year, report finds —Damien Gayle for the Guardian Final Beat: Are there specific ways you mark the Advent season and Christmas celebration with environmentally friendly practices or reflections?  Let us know by sharing at earthbeat@ncronline.org.  As always, thanks for reading EarthBeat.   Brian Roewe Environment Correspondent National Catholic Reporter broewe@ncronline.org     Featured Advertisers   Looking to Hire? Offering Retreats? Selling Books? Place an Ad in NCR's Online Classified Section for Only $75 per Month!   Advertisement