"Ecumenical organisations are in trouble spiritually," Dr Choan-Seng Song, president of the World Alliance of Reformed Churches (Warc), told members of the Warc executive committee meeting here. "We have to take the leadership, not only follow what other people are doing."

Dr Song, who is Taiwanese-born but teaches in the United States, made his comments on July 27 in an opening plenary address and discussion, and afterwards in an interview with ENI.

Particularly disturbing was a public perception that ecumenical institutions are "stressing social and political action without spiritual strength", Dr Song told ENI . The perception was not always accurate, he said, "But my question is, why do we give that impression?"

Mainstream churches are losing members to charismatic churches, he added. Protestant Christians have suffered a "credibility problem", causing ecumenical organisations "to lose ground in their member communities and also [to lose] financial support."

"Spiritual support and financial support are related," Dr Song added.

Warc is a fellowship of more than 200 Congregational, Presbyterian, Reformed and United churches with 75 million members world-wide.

Christians with a spiritual hunger have been looking outside mainstream Protestant denominations for fulfilment. "Many go to the charismatic movement in Taiwan, southern Africa and South America," Dr Song told ENI. "Why are they seeking that?"

Dr Song's comments were part of a larger reflection on the promotion of economic justice in a global marketplace, an issue which Warc put at the top of its agenda at its last assembly - called the general council - in 1997. The issue promises to remain a priority for the alliance as it prepares for its next general council in 2004 in Accra, Ghana, which will meet under the theme "That All May Have Life in Fullness".

Dr Song made a connection between the issue of spirituality and the issue of economic justice. He expressed impatience with member churches that have been slow to respond to the challenge posed by the global marketplace.

Warc had "inspired" non-governmental organisations and other world Christian institutions to take the issue of economic justice seriously, he said. But the alliance has had difficulty in awakening its own member churches to the problems of globalisation.

"While our effort is slow and painstaking and its effects limited, the globalisation of world economy moves ahead faster than ever," the alliance president said in his opening address.

Dr Song suggested that one way to encourage interest in work on economic justice was by renewing its ties to spirituality and through a strengthened sense of Reformed Christian identity. He urged committee members to "find the source of people's spiritual strength" and to help "equip our member churches and Christians in self-understanding as churches and Christians in the world today".

"We live in a world saturated with information about the life that is political, social, financial, cultural," he continued. "But most Christians are not well informed about the life of faith that is biblically grounded and historically developed."

In considering the issue of economic justice for the next general council, there was a temptation to rely on platitudes without making proposals for practical action. However, Warc needed to find something "unpredictable to say to our member Christians, especially to the Christians living 'an abundant material life'".

Dr Song suggested that this be a spiritual message. But he warned against churches making promises that they could not keep: "Religion is usually not held accountable for the promises it fails to deliver. It can always refer unfulfilled hopes in this world to the next world."

"The history of world Christian institutions is, in a certain sense, also a history of promises made and promises unfulfilled," he said. [649 words]

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