National Council of Churches

National Council of Churches
source
Name	National Council of Churches
Formation	1950
Location	Washington, D.C.
Region served	United States
Leader title	President and General Secretary
Leader name	Jim Winkler
Main organ	General Assembly
Parent organization	Federal Council of Churches, International Council of Christians and Jews

National Council of Churches. The National Council of Churches is a ecumenical partnership of Christian denominations in the United States, including African Methodist Episcopal Church, American Baptist Churches USA, Antiochian Orthodox Christian Archdiocese of North America, and Evangelical Lutheran Church in America. It was formed in 1950 by the merger of the Federal Council of Churches and other ecumenical organizations, with the goal of promoting Christian unity and social justice, as advocated by Martin Luther King Jr., Dietrich Bonhoeffer, and Desmond Tutu. The organization is headquartered in Washington, D.C. and has been led by prominent figures such as John R. Mott, Reinhold Niebuhr, and William Sloane Coffin.

● History

The National Council of Churches has its roots in the Federal Council of Churches, which was founded in 1908 by Charles Evans Hughes, John D. Rockefeller, and other Protestant leaders, including Walter Rauschenbusch and Washington Gladden. The Federal Council of Churches was instrumental in promoting social gospel and ecumenism in the early 20th century, as seen in the Social Creed of the Churches, adopted in 1908, and the Delhi Conference of the World Council of Churches in 1961. In the 1940s and 1950s, the Federal Council of Churches merged with other ecumenical organizations, such as the International Council of Christians and Jews and the World Council of Churches, to form the National Council of Churches, with the support of Eleanor Roosevelt, Harry S. Truman, and Dwight D. Eisenhower. The National Council of Churches has been involved in various social justice movements, including the Civil Rights Movement, led by Rosa Parks, Malcolm X, and Thurgood Marshall, and the anti-apartheid movement, supported by Nelson Mandela, Desmond Tutu, and Oliver Tambo.

● Organization

The National Council of Churches is governed by a General Assembly, which meets annually to set policy and elect leaders, including Jim Winkler, the current President and General Secretary, and Michael Kinnamon, the former General Secretary. The organization has a number of committees and departments, including the Committee on Social Justice and Advocacy, the Department of Faith and Order, and the Department of Interfaith Relations, which work on issues such as poverty, racism, and environmental justice, in collaboration with Oxfam America, Habitat for Humanity, and the Sierra Club. The National Council of Churches also has a number of partner organizations, including the World Council of Churches, the Conference of European Churches, and the Middle East Council of Churches, which work together to promote Christian unity and social justice globally, as seen in the Assisi Interfaith Conference and the Lambeth Conference.

● Member Denominations

The National Council of Churches has 37 member denominations, including the African Methodist Episcopal Church, the American Baptist Churches USA, the Antiochian Orthodox Christian Archdiocese of North America, and the Evangelical Lutheran Church in America. These denominations represent a wide range of Christian traditions, including Protestantism, Orthodox Christianity, and Catholicism, as seen in the National Baptist Convention, USA, Inc., the Presbyterian Church (USA), and the United Methodist Church. The member denominations of the National Council of Churches work together to promote Christian unity and social justice, and to provide humanitarian aid and disaster relief through organizations such as Catholic Relief Services, Lutheran World Relief, and the Salvation Army.

● Programs and Initiatives

The National Council of Churches has a number of programs and initiatives, including the Poverty Initiative, the Racial Justice Initiative, and the Environmental Justice Initiative, which work to address issues such as poverty, racism, and environmental degradation, in partnership with Greenpeace, the Natural Resources Defense Council, and the National Association for the Advancement of Colored People. The organization also has a number of education and advocacy programs, including the Ecumenical Advocacy Days and the Seminar on Faith and Order, which provide training and resources for church leaders and activists, such as Sojourners and the Christian Community Development Association. The National Council of Churches also works to promote interfaith dialogue and cooperation, as seen in the National Interfaith Coalition for LGBTQ Equality and the Interfaith Center of New York.

● Ecumenical Relations

The National Council of Churches has strong ecumenical relations with other Christian denominations and ecumenical organizations, including the World Council of Churches, the Conference of European Churches, and the Middle East Council of Churches. The organization is also a member of the Global Christian Forum, which brings together Christian leaders from around the world to promote Christian unity and social justice, as seen in the Edinburgh 2010 conference and the Lausanne Movement. The National Council of Churches works closely with other ecumenical organizations, such as the Catholic Church, the Orthodox Church in America, and the Anglican Communion, to promote Christian unity and social justice globally, as advocated by Pope Francis, Patriarch Bartholomew I, and Archbishop of Canterbury Justin Welby.