The World Communion of Reformed Churches (WCRC), together with the World Council of Churches (WCC), Lutheran World Federation, World Methodist Council, Council for World Mission and United Society Partners in the Gospel, is preparing to welcome students for the ecumenical school on Governance, Economics, and Management for an Economy of Life (GEM School).

Scheduled for 17-28 August 2026 in Panama City, Panama, this year’s program marks the 10th anniversary of the first GEM School, a decade of equipping church leaders to engage boldly with the global economic systems that shape our world.

A Decade of Building Economic Literacy

Since its inception, the GEM School has been a flagship ecumenical initiative, born from a shared conviction that churches possess vital ethical, moral, and theological perspectives on the global economy. Yet, these voices have often been sidelined in economic policymaking.

The program responds directly to the São Paulo Statement: International Financial Transformation for an Economy of Life and the policy framework Economy of Life for All Now, both of which identified the urgent need to build economic expertise within churches. These historic documents, developed through a global ecumenical conference in 2012, called for a fundamental transformation of international financial systems to prioritise justice, sustainability, and the common good.

2026 Focus: An Economy of Justice in a World of Crisis

This year’s GEM School curriculum will place particular emphasis on the urgent call for an economy of justice. This theme resonates powerfully in a world where military spending soars while resources for climate action, food security, and social protection remain critically insufficient.

Participants will explore the intersections of theology, ethics, and economics through a curriculum designed to:

• Identify theological foundations for economic justice.
• Provide a basic understanding of mainstream economic thinking.
• Contextualise economic methodologies and normative assumptions.
• Introduce ecological, feminist, and other alternative economic approaches.
• Develop interdisciplinary approaches connecting theology and economics.
• Equip churches with political and strategic tools for advocacy toward an Economy of Life.

NIFEA: Education, Consultation, Campaign

The GEM School is a key component of the broader New International Financial and Economic Architecture (NIFEA) initiative. This multi-faceted program brings together the WCRC, WCC, Lutheran World Federation, World Methodist Council, and Council for World Mission in shared advocacy for economic justice.

• The NIFEA initiative operates on three interconnected levels:
• Education – Through the GEM School, building economic literacy within churches
• Consultation – Convening theologians, economists, and advocates to shape strategic direction
• Campaign – Mobilising churches for concrete advocacy actions, including the Zacchaeus Tax Campaign, which draws on the biblical story of Zacchaeus to advocate for tax justice as a tool for sharing wealth equitably and holding corporations and citizens accountable for the common good

Continued Commitment to Justice

The growth and evolution of the GEM School reflect the WCRC’s enduring commitment to justice-led programming. Rev. Philip Vinod Peacock, general secretary of the WCRC, has been a driving force behind this work.

“Churches’ voices have been sidelined in economic policymaking, leaving little space for ethical and theological perspectives,” Peacock said. “Through GEM School, we’re equipping leaders with the knowledge and tools to engage meaningfully and advocate for an ‘Economy of Life’ that seeks to flesh out the connections between faith, economic systems and the environment”.

Reflecting on the program’s continued growth and the WCRC’s commitment to justice, Peacock emphasised that the work of economic transformation remains central to the communion’s identity. “The program continues to grow because the need grows,” he said. “Every year, we see new leaders emerge with fresh conviction that our faith demands more than charity, it demands justice that transforms the very structures that create poverty and ecological devastation. This is not an optional add-on to our witness; it is the gospel lived out in the public square.”

Join us in prayer for the participants in Panama as they celebrate a decade of equipping leaders for economic justice and chart the course for the next ten years of faithful witness in a world that desperately needs an Economy of Life.