The Accra Confession is based on the theological conviction that the economic and ecological injustices of today’s global economy require the Reformed family to respond as a matter of faith in the Gospel of Jesus Christ.
The Accra Confession was adopted by the delegates of the 2004 General Council of the World Alliance of Reformed Churches (WARC) in Accra, Ghana, a predecessor body of the WCRC, and then reaffirmed at the 2010 Uniting General Council at which WARC merged with the Reformed Ecumenical Council to form the WCRC.
Why does the church need the Accra Confession?
Justice is a matter of faith: The Accra Confession states that matters of economic and ecological justice are not only social, political and moral issues, they are integral to faith in Jesus Christ and affect the integrity of the church. Being faithful to God’s covenant requires that individual Christians and the churches take a stand against current economic and environmental injustices.
The church stands in solidarity with persons who are suffering and struggling: Following the justice traditions of the biblical prophets and of Jesus in the gospel narratives, the Accra Confession views the current world situation by “looking through the eyes of powerless and suffering people.” It calls the churches and society to hear the cries of the people who suffer and the woundedness of creation itself, over-consumed and under-valued by the current global economy.
The unity of the church is critical: Unity is concerned with togetherness, however divisive the issues confronting the confessing body may be. While the complex realities of globalization have not led to a full consensus, the global Reformed family addresses the problematic nature of today’s global economy in the Accra Confession.
In the decade since the Accra Confession was adopted the world situation has not improved. Through 2014 the WCRC held a series of consultations around the world to gauge current issues facing member churches and to re-engage with the confession. The Accra Confession will continue to be the foundation on which the WCRC tackles issue of injustice in today’s world.
Reports from the regional consultations
- Global Consultation: Accra Confession: Ten Years Later
- Africa: ACRC Statement on the Tenth Anniversary Celebration of Accra Confession
- AIPRAL: Barranquilla Statement
- Statement from the Northeast Asia Area Council
- North America and Caribbean: An open letter to the WCRC, with proposals for action for CANAAC and CANACOM
Resources
- An Introduction to the Accra Confession: English; Spanish
- Power to Resist and Courage to Hope: Caribbean Churches Living out the Accra Confession
- Songs based on the Accra Confession
- Reformed World: Volume 55, No 3 (September 2005)
- Essay: The Missiological Implications of the Accra Confession by Roderick R. Hewitt
