For the third time in a hundred years, we meet in Canada for a general council of the churches belonging to the two international organizations which united to form the World Alliance of Reformed Churches as we know it today.

In 1892, the Alliance of the Reformed Churches holding the Presbyterian System met in Toronto for its fifth general council, attended by 291 delegates.

In 1937, the 15th general council of the same Alliance met in Montreal with 151 delegates.

Today, in 1982, an impressive gathering of delegates and visitors have just opened what would have been the twenty-first meeting of the erstwhile World Presbyterian Alliance or the thirteenth of the erstwhile International Congregational Council but in actual fact is the second general council of the new World Alliance of Reformed Churches (Presbyterian and Congregational) constituted in 1970.

Let me say, first of all, how delighted we are to be meeting in Ottawa, the capital city of Canada, located between Toronto and Montreal, on the boundary of two of the cultures which make up this great country. As one who spent six years of his ministry in Quebec Province, I may be allowed to remind you that Protestantism, in its French Reformed guise, goes right back to the arrival here of the first colonists. After the three expeditions of Jacques Cartier, in the middle of the sixteenth century, the outstanding names - Pierre de Chauvin, Pierre du Guast, Samuel de Champlain - take us back to two other names closely linked with Huguenot history: Admiral Gaspard de Coligny, one of the first victims of the Saint Bartholomew Massacre, and Henry of Navarre, who, as Henry IV, proclaimed the Edict of Nantes in 1598. It comes as no surprise, therefore, to learn that the first settlements in New France in 1600 and 1604 were dedicated to complete religious liberty. So it was that some of the first songs to be sung along the banks of the St Lawrence river were the Huguenot psalms. Despite the ensuing severe repression, with its tragic succession of imprisonments, recantations and banishments, a small Reformed group somehow survived. With the arrival of the British, sanctioned by the Treaty of Paris in 1763, Presbyterianism was organized in the country and in 1875 took concrete shape with the foundation of the Presbyterian Church in Canada. Methodist and revivalist influences had already been strong at the beginning of the nineteenth century. Not surprisingly, therefore, the first united church to see the light of day, transcending confessional barriers, was the United Church of Canada in 1925.

We have much to learn from the long and rich history of Christian witness in this country.

It is also an occasion for gratitude that we should be meeting here in Canada in this year of grace 1982. Between Toronto 1892 and Montreal 1937 there is a period of forty five years. By one of those quirks of history, it is also a period of exactly forty five years between Montreal 1937 and Ottawa 1982!

In the last century, as a result of the industrial revolution, a new world was born. Those who led our churches at that time felt it imperative to embody in a tangible form what had been till then only an idea and a hope. They created an international organization with a raison d'être and an objective, namely, to strengthen the bonds between churches of the same spiritual tradition by summoning this tradition to explore and deepen its distinctive values so as to enable its members the better to perform their ministry. The dynamic image of this effort is reflected in the records of the eight world assemblies held in the last quarter of the nineteenth century.

In the first third of the twentieth century, the world wrestled with a fearful industrial, social, economic and political crisis, which had its tragic sequel in the second world war. The main theme of the Montreal general council in 1937 was "The church in the modern world". The themes which emerged as central to its discussions were: rampant unemployment, injustice in social relationships, conflicts in international affairs; an attempt was made to stress the importance of a Christian witness which inspired hope, a quest for "human rights and values," as one of the main declarations of the general council put it. Views were expressed which undoubtedly helped the churches and their members to negotiate the dark years from 1939 to 1945.

To recall these dates and these general councils is instructive for us as we now begin together to try to identify the Alliance's priorities and programme for 1982 and the years ahead. The deep parallels and no less fundamental differences encourage us to recognize our common responsibility at this historical juncture.

As I see it, however, the present historical era is marked by accelerations and inhibitions which make it dangerous to venture a global analysis and difficult to establish an appropriate strategy. There is general agreement that the second industrial revolution has already begun. We have been plunged into a frantic race for technological development which, far from being merely a matter of making available new methods, is bringing about a qualitative change in life itself, The current development in micro-electronics, the growth of advanced technology, the increasing sophistication of scientific methods, and above all, the application of nuclear potentials whose consequences we are still far from mastering - all this is evidence of a furious burgeoning of ideas, with the wildest hopes jostling with the almost nightmare anxieties. But it is also our human, social, economic and political relationships which are thrown into turmoil as a result. New patterns of relationship emerge, rendering obsolete those so painfully established. In all aspects of life, new forms of solidarity or dependence are created which reflect not merely a rearrangement of human relationships but also a profound transformation of ways of living and thinking.

"The released power of the atom has changed everything" - these words of Albert Einstein shortly before his death can appropriately be applied to the transformation which is taking place.

This advance, this explosion, however, has its disquieting aspects. The challenge to, and often the collapse of, existing systems, especially the financial and economic systems, is accompanied by the emergence of new forms of action in a general climate of intense competition. There is talk of a "new capitalism", a financial capitalism this time, which encourages concentrations exempt from control on the world markets, the domination of the world trade in raw materials. There is talk of the gigantic redistribution of economic resources in a climate of serious commercial warfare; efforts are made to develop a new economic and social order, while the economic and social realities evade control and the necessary political determination is lacking. Inflation, currency fluctuations, and unemployment - these are only examples - tragic as certain of their consequences undoubtedly are - are just examples of the realities of our situation.

A moment ago I quoted Albert Einstein. I deliberately abbreviated the quotation. This great scientist, in his appeal to scientists, said: "The released power of the atom has changed everything... except our way of thinking." But many movements, aware of what is at stake today, have sought to alert us to the importance of a change in our ways of thinking - young people, women, ecologists, and many others. To consign their role to that of utopian criticism, to stress only the ambiguity of certain of their efforts without even bothering to find out the reason which lies behind them, is to fail to grasp what is at stake here and now, in the times in which we live. It is to play into the hands of the powerful forces whose advantage lies in evading all questioning; it is to increase the danger of explosions which will be all the greater the more they have been smothered and will beget irrational reactions. The most disquieting accompaniment of the most astonishing advances is the paralysis of the mind, heart and will. The growing discouragement today, the feeling of being merely a plaything of uncontrolled and concealed forces, the passivity in face of a situation whose components we can neither understand nor control, the realization that the changes taking place affect different people in different degrees, the recognition that once again it is the weak who are more often than not the victims, the impotence in face of the concentration of power in the hands of an anonymous minority, the resurgence and intensification of forms of political nationalism - all this is part of our real situation in 1982.

If our discussions are to be relevant, it is not just against this background but in the midst of this real situation that they will have to be conducted.

Before I venture on this attempt to identify the main general responsibilities of the World Alliance of Reformed Churches today, I would like to express publicly my deep gratitude to all those individuals, groups, congregations, and churches, which responded to the reports composed by my colleagues and myself for this general council. There was a large postbag, with letters from all parts of the world. It is not possible for me to offer here a detailed analysis or even a brief summary of these responses. All of them were extremely useful to me in working on this present address.

The responsibility of the World Alliance of Reformed Churches in the world today

The study document "Reformed witness today" speaks of and underlines this responsibility. "The Reformed churches have a strong tradition of constructive social theology and action. They have always confessed the lordship of Christ over the whole of the common life and have sought to bear witness to this lordship in the discipline of their own communities and in responsible engagement with the political, economic and social powers of the world." We should rejoice rather than be astonished, therefore, that many of the responses received, the reflections of many groups and decisions taken by many synods and general assemblies of the member churches, should be concerned with the Alliance's responsibility in the world today. We should also expect many of the debates of our general council to bear upon this theme.

It is neither possible nor desirable within the limits of this address that I should enter into detail concerning the serious problems which will arise during this general council, or even draw up a more or less complete list. It seems, however, that there are four major problems which keep emerging in the preparatory documents of this council or in the express concerns of the churches:

The problem of apartheid and racism, for which the World Alliance of Reformed Churches has a quite special responsibility, since churches in South Africa belonging to various racial or cultural groups in that country are members of our organization and are represented in this general council.
The problem of human rights, on which the Nairobi general council in 1970 decided to set up a study programme.
The problem of justice, which is so closely connected with the Christian witness that, without the struggle for greater justice in human society, the Christian witness and religious life would be confined within a ghetto and lose their credibility.
The problem of peace, since without the struggle for peace among human beings, inner peace is selfishness and hypocrisy.

In what follows, therefore, you should not expect an account or a basic study of the problems. All I can offer is an alarm signal and an attempt to make it easier for this general council to deal seriously and effectively with those aspects of our witness which relate to our responsibility in the world.

Apartheid - racism

The earlier of two resolutions officially communicated to the general council by member churches comes from the committee for external ecumenical relations of the Reformed Churches in the Netherlands (Gereformeerde Kerken in Nederland) and is as follows:

"The general synod of the Reformed Churches in the Netherlands... decided 'to make an urgent appeal to the assembly of the World Alliance of Reformed Churches meeting in Ottawa in August 1982 to strongly denounce the ideology and practice of apartheid and in doing so to heed particularly the voices of the Black Reformed Christians in South Africa (ABRECSA) and the Broederkring'." (Letter dated May 18th 1982)

At its meeting in Wuppertal, Federal Republic of Germany, in 1981, the WARC executive committee had already been informed by another official source of a similar proposal to this and taken steps to ensure that at least a consultant from the Broederkring could be present in Ottawa should this group not otherwise be represented by one or other of the delegates appointed by the churches. The same step was also taken in order to ensure that ABRECSA (an organization which came into existence in the closing months of 1981) would also be represented here.

This is not the place to remind you in detail of the official declarations of the World Alliance of Reformed Churches, in particular during its last general council in Nairobi, Kenya, in 1970. These declarations are clear and well-known. They have been brought together in a short paper published by the Reformed Press Service for November 1981 in the form of an interview entitled "The World Alliance of Reformed Churches and apartheid."

The problem of apartheid and racism will probably come up in several sections of this general council. To ensure the effectiveness of the debates on this subject, it is suggested that it be assigned specifically to the policy reference committee, in coordination with the committee on Reformed witness today. Groups, sections and committees also wishing to take it up are asked to keep in touch with the two committees mentioned and to let them have their comments and proposals.

Human rights

The second in date of the official church resolutions comes from the Federation of Swiss Protestant Churches, dated July 13 1982, and concerns an international agreement against torture. It is in the following terms:

"The general assembly of the Federation of Swiss Protestant Churches requests the general council of the World Alliance of Reformed Churches in Ottawa in 1982 to condemn the use of torture as the most serious violation of human rights and to urge its member churches:

to end the silence concealing the increasing use of torture throughout the world and to denounce it publicly;
to help Christians to realize the duty of the church to be in the forefront of the struggle against torture and to summon them to this struggle which is to be waged by prayer and by action, by all possible means;
to urge their governments to support the establishment of an effective international convention against torture, whereby countries would at all times permit visits to places of detention by delegates of an impartial international commission."

The proposal is that this resolution be remitted to the policy reference committee for examination and recommendations for dealing with it. The increasingly widespread use of torture, to which Amnesty International in particular is drawing public attention, is also a problem calling for a concerted, vigorous campaign on an increasingly broad scale.

The theology committee will discuss, of course, the theological basis of human rights and, quite specifically, the study programme which was developed jointly by various Christian world communions. The committee on cooperation and witness will continue to hold a watching brief for cases of violations of human rights. It is suggested that the committee on Reformed witness today, when it takes up this question, should keep in touch with the other two committees just mentioned.

Justice

The concern for justice is evidently very much alive in our member churches. It takes extremely practical forms in countless demonstrations and programmes of solidarity with the oppressed, the marginalized, and in such studies and researches as that of section 2 of our general council, "The power of grace and the graceless powers", or of the chapter on "Human wealth and power" in the report on "Reformed witness today." The leaders of this section and this committee will be well advised to keep in close touch on this theme so as to ensure that our general council may be able to deal concretely and effectively with this acute question and to make its voice clearly heard.

Peace

The peace of the world is menaced more than ever before by the convulsions in international politics, the noise of weapons ceaselessly drowning all else throughout the world, the mad traffic in armaments which even becomes an instrument of the economic and foreign policy of governments, and nationalistic antagonism. In accordance with our executive committee's policy of supporting all genuine efforts for peace, I had the privilege of taking part as an observer in the "world conference of religious workers for saving the sacred gift of life from nuclear catastrophe" held in Moscow in May this year on the initiative of the patriarch of the Russian Orthodox Church. My conviction of the churches' responsibility in this field was greatly reinforced by such a profitable and independent experience. This question will be taken up by our policy reference committee. A recommendation on an action which is proposed to the churches for Christmas 1982 has been remitted to the policy reference committee by our executive committee.

A clear, faithful and effective witness

The four problems which we have done no more than simply mention above are among those which come up most frequently in the concerns expressed by the member churches in respect of our responsibility in the world. The list is by no means complete...

The study document on "Reformed witness today", after singling out three "social attitudes that are contrary to the gospel of Jesus Christ and to the best insights of Reformed theology" - namely, apartheid, the so-called "Calvinist work ethic", and Protestant individualism - goes on to say: "Reformed churches carry these attitudes as a burden which we must throw off, both by clarifying the true witness to Christ in society, to which we are called, and by purging their influence from the life of our churches." It is our hope that this general council may be able to make the witness to Christ in society clearer, and without compromise.

The responsibility of the World Alliance of Reformed Churches in the one church of Jesus Christ

In the question of ecumenical relationships, the responses to our reports are extremely diverse as regards their substance, their form and their direction. Yet all of them, it can fairly be said, accord with the ecumenical charter par excellence: "That they all may be one" (John 17.21). But what exactly does that mean in the present ecumenical situation? What is the relationship between the call to unity, the achievement of an organic union and the embodiment of a real communion? How are these three terms - unity, union and communion - all from the same root - to inform and inspire a real ecumenical programme? What meaning does an organization such as ours give to them? And how do we understand our role in relation to other similar organizations, in particular, to the World Council of Churches?

Without harking back to the establishment of our organization in 1875 (in itself already a truly ecumenical step), or to the famous ecumenical declaration of its executive committee (the 1951 Basel statement of the World Presbyterian Alliance), or even to the message of the new World Alliance of Reformed Churches (Presbyterian and Congregational) at its general council in 1970, let me remind you of four of the preparatory documents for this present assembly: Daniel Jenkins' article on "Reformation and Catholicity", in the study guide for delegates; the report of the secretary of the department of theology; the study document on "Reformed witness today", the paragraph entitled "The commitment to the catholicity of the church"; and finally, the section on "The ecumenical scene" in my own report. These last three are all to be found in the third preparatory brochure To Ottawa 1982 and Onwards.

It is hardly necessary to emphasize how deeply the concern for the unity of the church is rooted in the Reformed tradition. The many responsibilities devolving on me in the preparations for this general council prevented me from completing in time the plan to publish a short collection of selected quotations on the theme of church unity from a wide range of theologians of the Reformed tradition from the 16th century down to our own day, together with extracts from statements or study documents on the same theme published by the two organizations which presided over the formation of our present World Alliance of Reformed Churches. It is my hope that this project will nevertheless come to fruition within a year or so.

Even taking account of the diversity among the churches which are today members of the World Alliance of Reformed Churches, the following classification may be ventured:

Those who take the view that the call to organic union should not be assigned priority. The following response is an example: "Frankly, we are disappointed to see (sc. in the preparatory documents) continued references to, the continued emphasis on corporate union of the churches." For these churches the raison d'être of the Alliance, perhaps the only one, is the improvement of links between churches of the same tradition in order to help them the better to carry out their distinctive ministry. Ecumenical and world dimensions seem to be pushed into the background. One could refer, as this was sometimes done, to "confessional blocks" that are more defensive than progressive.
Those churches which fear that the very existence of confessional organizations puts a brake on ecumenical progress. This is illustrated by another response: "I should like to express a certain element of disquiet at the strengthening of the various confessional bodies throughout the world...Inevitably they are elitist and can emphasize differences and theological niceties in a way which can hamper local (ecumenical) growth."

Finally, churches which are in between the first two positions, though with considerable differences between them. Some see membership of the World Alliance more as an interesting historical salute whose concrete value, however, they have difficulty in recognizing. Others sense that this connection meets a need even if they are unable to identify this need with precision. Others again see the benefit of membership of an international church community which puts them in touch with other churches facing problems similar to their own. Others would like to see a more effective embodiment of the "specifically Reformed dimension" without necessarily equating "specificity" with isolation. Others want to help strengthen "Reformed solidarity" or "Reformed thought" as a dynamic contribution for the benefit of churches of other traditions, with a view to a better Christian witness; and there are still other churches with other concerns perhaps or a wide variety of combinations of concerns...

The relationship between unity, union and communion is not one which can find expression in rigid structures. It is a dynamic relationship which the institution is required to serve, whether the institution be in any given instance called an organized church, a confessional alliance or a World Council of Churches. Organic union cannot be set in opposition to Christian communion. There cannot be any Christian communion without Christian bonds, without a social, communal, organic form; nor can there be any genuine union without authentic Christian communion. To reject (consciously or otherwise) this dynamic relationship of true unity is to play into the hands of the existing structures so that organic union becomes a totalitarian regime and Christian communion anarchy, which are two intimately connected if opposing forms of the same risky dictatorial exercise.

The World Alliance of Reformed Churches itself, moreover, must try to live this dynamic unity of union and communion in its own sphere. How is it to express concretely in its own organization the bonds which unite its member churches? (What is the organic form of Reformed solidarity?) How is it to express concretely the bonds which the very reality of these churches represents? (What is the Christian solidarity which underlies the unity of the Reformed?) How is the World Alliance of Reformed Churches to express concretely in its ecumenical commitment the bonds which unite it to churches of other traditions? (What organic form does the Reformed commitment in the field of unity take?) And the bonds which the reality of the ecumenical movement expresses? (What Christian solidarity underlies the ecumenical reality?)

It is impossible to discuss the problems of unity, union, communion without raising a great many difficult questions. Let me mention just two of these questions.

Within the membership of the World Alliance of Reformed Churches are sixteen united churches which have transcended the confessional barriers. Many other member churches, to be sure, are the result of unions achieved after lengthy discussions, though within the Presbyterian, Congregational or Reformed tradition. The Church of Scotland, for example. The presence of these sixteen united churches is precious and significant to us. Since the formation of the Alliance in the last century, in fact, it has been made quite clear that the confessional bond could not be established to the detriment of every other wider relationship within the Christian family. It is an interesting fact that these sixteen united churches are distributed among the different continents: 3 in Africa, 2 in North America, I in the Pacific, I in Latin America, 5 in Asia, and 4 in Europe. The latest of them to be formed decided to indicate by its very title that organic unity is not only a result but also a continuing and deepening process. The adjective in the title "Uniting Church" expresses the view of unity as something dynamic and on the move.

But these sixteen united churches within the membership of the Alliance are not the full quota of united churches with Reformed, Presbyterian or Congregational members. For their own different reasons, the united churches in Germany, for example, or the Church of South India, are not attached to the World Alliance of Reformed Churches. Other united churches, although members of the Alliance, have perhaps some difficulty in seeing clearly what this membership means for them, for the Alliance itself and for the ecumenical movement; for example, the United Church of Christ in Japan (Nippon Kirisuto Kyodan) or the United Church of Canada - we rejoice at the decision that was taken, some days ago, by the general council of that church to stay in the Alliance. Certainly the two consultations organized already by the Faith and Order Commission - in Toronto in 1975 (coinciding precisely with the 50th anniversary of the formation of the United Church of Canada) and in Sri Lanka in 1981 - tried to define more precisely the real role of these churches themselves as such, in relation to the confessional families of churches and within the ecumenical movement. It seems to me that the time has come for the World Alliance of Reformed Churches to organize a conference or a study programme with these sixteen united churches which belong to the Alliance, and perhaps also with others with whom we maintain very friendly relations. The object of such a conference or study programme would be to try to see more clearly within our present context the place and role of united churches within the Reformed Alliance, in order to make a better contribution to the ecumenical movement itself. It is no longer enough to keep on repeating how welcome these churches are in the Alliance; what we need to do is to define more clearly their specific contribution.

The formation of united churches is sometimes not accomplished without organizational problems which raise deeper questions. A current example is furnished by the serious situation of one of our member churches in Zaire, the Presbyterian Community in Zaire, within the wider fellowship of the Church of Christ in Zaire. There are fears - we have received on that matter an official letter - for the very existence of this Presbyterian Community and for the safety of certain of its leaders following the Community's refusal to accept an episcopal system imposed by the leaders of the Church of Christ in Zaire. The point at issue is not that of the episcopate but that of the imposition by a hierarchical authority of a system which does not have the assent of a regularly constituted and expressly recognized community or church. This is a painful example of extravagance in insisting on organic unity in a way which disregards Christian fellowship, the communion of brothers and sisters. A solution is urgently needed if existing tensions are to be reduced. While it is not for the World Alliance of Reformed Churches to interfere in the internal affairs of any church whatever, nevertheless it cannot shrug off its responsibilities when appeal is made to it by a member church.

I have just received a long letter from the president of the Church of Christ in Zaire. Reacting to my request for information, Rev Bokoleale insists that the standing orders of the church itself have specific references to problems of this kind which have to be dealt with within the church; he thinks that the western world, once more, intends to impose its views and even destroy the unity of the children of God in Zaire and that the confessional groupings are institutions that prevent unity to be manifested, especially at the national level. he believes that the Alliance did not itself rejoice at the union that was achieved in Zaire; he finally suggests that, within a not to distant future, I should travel to Zaire to have talks there on these matters.

The other difficult question I want to raise here is that of the relationship which we have with the Roman Catholic Church. Unexpected ecumenical advances have been made possible in the past twenty years. The increasingly close network of so-called "bilateral dialogues" between the different families within the one church of Jesus Christ, closer cooperation between the churches, including often enough the Roman Catholic Church, at local and national levels, the common commitment to the struggles for greater justice and a more authentic peace - to mention just a few examples - have helped to create a quite new overall climate in which we can only rejoice. But the situation in these relationships has arrived today at a complex and critical point. In this area, too, hopes jostle with disappointments and real advances are mingled with anxieties. Through the dialogues it has been possible to establish a whole set of channels for conveying information, study, mutual respect. There is a constant deepening of this mutual knowledge. Though this mutual knowledge has often culminated in the mutual recognition of fellow-labourers, the full and unreserved recognition of one another as churches still does not yet exist. The discussions seem, in fact, to have arrived at a phase which is often defined as one of "evaluation", but in which a certain "freeze" or blockage seems to appear. Sometimes, indeed, the positive results of the bilateral dialogues can even seem to be no more than a purely verbal and theoretic construction, having no effect on the behaviour of the churches themselves. In this respect, the official reactions of the Roman Catholic Church are not yet clear. Is it prepared to recognize the existence of its partners as churches in the full sense of the term, moving forward like it, in obedience and fidelity, towards the full realization of the church of Jesus Christ? In this respect, the position is not the same for each of the Reformation churches: the commentators are already full of optimism for the prospects of a reunification between Rome and Canterbury by the rapidly approaching end of this century whereas the question of the recognition of the Augsburg Confession by Rome is at a complete standstill.

The churches of the Reformation, and among them the Reformed churches particularly, should insist that Christian communion (which implies mutual knowledge and mutual recognition) be deepened by a serious large-scale ecclesiological study (dealing, among other things, with the church's very existence, its role, its teaching office). We know that this debate is likewise being pursued vigorously within the Roman Catholic Church itself (existence and role of a central teaching authority located in Rome in the person of the Pope, revision of the Canon Law whose eventual shape it is difficult to predict, directions adopted by the present Pope which are not clearly understood and can appear ambiguous). Prudence is called for - even if, and especially if, we are imbued with ecumenical impatience - and we must not raise undue hopes of an organic union. These remarks are not meant to discourage but are intended rather to contribute to a real forward movement, towards the unity of the one church of Jesus Christ, in the real Christian communion of its present diverse branches, in order that union, on the day when it pleases God, will be the concrete embodiment of that communion.

The Alliance's responsibility to itself

This brings us to the difficult point when we have to ask ourselves what our organization should be in the years ahead. We have just examined two main dimensions of our raison d'être: our responsibility in the world and our responsibility in the one church of Jesus Christ. These are our two essential responsibilities ad extra. But there is yet another no less essential responsibility which derives from the very fact of our common existence. It needs to be said very clearly in this connection - many reactions received are just examples of this fact - that in many of our churches today there is great expectancy, a deep longing that the Alliance should become more dynamic, more heedful of the needs of its members, more effectively in a position to act. This expectancy, this longing, are not in the form of concrete proposals and precise programmes but they spring from a real feeling that the Alliance should be a better instrument in the service of its member churches so that it may become a better instrument in the hands of the member churches.

And this improvement indubitably depends on the way we think of our very 'existence as an Alliance. A friend in Faith and Order teases us gently whenever we insist on calling ourselves "a family of churches." "Do you not do your own Reformed ecclesiology a disservice by persisting in domestic/ethnic metaphors? ', Without perhaps seeking to question ourselves as to the "ecclesiological density" of the Alliance, we should ask ourselves how an Alliance such as ours fits into the Reformed ecclesiology. The Conference of the Protestant Churches of the Latin countries of Europe recently raised an interesting question: how can we transcend the national political barriers? Ecumenism is not just a question put to local churches shut up within national territorial boundaries; it goes hand in hand with a supranational conception both of the church and of particular churches and the various confessional traditions to which they are attached. Let me depart from the rule I have followed so far and quote by name a comment which reached me from Hendrikus Berkhof of the Netherlands: "The 'sola' always marks a fresh starting point... I would hate to belong to a church which would stick to some specialité de la maison. I love the Reformed church because of its concept of catholicity in which continuity and renewal go hand in hand."

The distinctiveness of the Reformed tradition is not meant to be a peculiarity, a particularism, a special way of viewing the church. What it claims to be, for itself first of all, is a universal requirement. What it claims to be for others is a question and an appeal, not with structural or theological compromises in view but with the object of a common quest in faithfulness to the only Lord of the church.

This is the context in which the growing expectancy and longing in our member churches for a more visible, more dynamic Alliance is to be seen. Two fundamental criticisms should be mentioned at this point. The first comes from a small minority church in Latin America:

"What the World Alliance of Reformed Churches lacks is a warm and living love. For us here, the Alliance has up to now been a 'cold' community, directed on the basis of the 'cold letter', from past tradition... Let me therefore make a proposal here...that the Ottawa general council should discuss and establish a plan or programme to visit all the Alliance member churches within one or two years." A second and fuller reaction comes from an east European country. It speaks of "the anachronistic structure" of the World Alliance and of the shortage of proposals for administrative changes in the reports. Certainly there can be no question of establishing a "confessional bloc" - and we should jettison the fear we have of this. The Alliance must be made a much more concrete reality and this response from eastern Europe is the only one to go so far as to recommend that the Alliance should abandon its hitherto settled policy and create a "Department of common diaconia" - including mutual financial aid between the churches. While the suggestions offered need not necessarily be adopted in the precise form in which they are made, they express an important sentiment: the need to make the World Alliance of Reformed Churches a concrete dynamic reality.

It is significant that the expectancy and longing to which expression is given follow two main thrusts corresponding to our two existing departments:

-"How", asks a group in Nigeria, "can the World Alliance help in a situation like ours?" "The Alliance member churches in certain developing countries should be equipped by WARC..." to help them to face up to the different challenges confronting them, asserts an Indonesian leader. This is one of the main aims of the department of cooperation and witness.

-This work of "equipment" is inconceivable without the enlargement and deepening of our common theological work. Certainly the theological discussions are part of the Alliance's responsibility, and they help many churches in their local ecumenical situations, but joint theological research needs to be intensified. Nor should this effort be confined to the "specialists" but should also involve the "ordinary members" of the church.

The specific practical objectives incorporated in the incomplete list at the end of my report thus receive support in a very general way and in this I rejoice. It seems to me important here to remind you of these proposals for the organization of our work in the coming years:

a) Aims of a general character:

Deeper exploration of everything connected with our specifically Reformed approach.
Need for greater concreteness, dynamism and visibility in the organization and activities of WARC.
A more marked presence in the ecumenical field.
Importance of our publications.

b) Aims for the general secretariat:

A more effective communication network with the member churches.
Assurance of a better token presence at various levels.
Greater availability for action required in the case of churches in difficulty.
Additional staff.
A better distribution of financial burdens.

c) Aims for the department of theology:

Expansion of theological research.

d) Aims for the department of cooperation and witness:

Strengthening the solidarity between the member churches.
Development of activities in the two new departmental sectors (women's work, civil and religious liberties).
Problem of interchurch aid.

These aims make additional staffing necessary:

A theological secretary mainly charged with research.
A secretary with special responsibility for coordination and cohesion in the department of cooperation and witness.
A deputy general secretary.

(Either male or female can be appointed for any of those three positions).

With this as a basis, and also taking into account that the increase in staff - consultations, meetings, visits etc. - our budget needs to be doubled, at least doubled. No doubt our finance committee will analyse these questions closely and in detail. But the radical question which underlies them is not simply a matter of figures, budgets and accounts! It is above all a question of really existing, having a common will and choosing our priorities. It is possible to approach this financial problem from different angles and the resultant solutions to it - or the absence of solution! - can be diametrically opposed.

The truth is that, as a result of enormous efforts, the financial resources of the Alliance have increased in the course of the past ten to fifteen years, but only to a small extent. How then can we possibly envisage any substantial improvement when world prospects are not exactly encouraging? The answer to this is a simple one: if the present policy in respect of resources is pursued, the doubling of the budget is hardly possible. It would not only be impossible to double the budget, but also unhealthy to do so! The fact is that the financial burden rests mainly on the shoulders of only a few churches. Even if these churches were to agree to double their contributions - and I hope they would refuse to do so - in order to ensure that our financial operation would be a successful one, this would simply mean the reinforcement of a deplorable financial dependence and an even greater financial disengagement of the other churches.

A leader of a small Indonesian church suggests that each church be asked for a minimum annual contribution of US$ 750.-. If this had been the case in 1981, we should have had a sizeable surplus instead of a deficit. Is this really utopian?

A more equitable method would be to take the size of churches into consideration. If all churches with fewer than a hundred pastors were asked for an annual contribution of US$ 500.-, all churches with a hundred to a thousand pastors were asked for an average annual contribution of US$ 2,000.-, and churches with more than a thousand pastors for an annual contribution of US$ 25,000.-, our financial resources would amount this year to exactly half-a-million US dollars, in other words, roughly the doubling of the budget proposed. These figures clearly show that the WARC financial problem is not one of accountancy but a matter of justly apportioning responsibilities, and still more, a minimum of will.

A Malagasy delegate has put forward an interesting suggestion. The key to the fair distribution of financial responsibilities, he thinks, is to take three factors into account. For example, first of all, for 40 per cent of the contribution, theological education resources to be determined in accordance with criteria still to be worked out; secondly, for 30 per cent of the contribution, the economic position of the continent; and thirdly, for another 30 per cent of the contribution, the number of active church members. The use of differentiated parameters offers a more equitable solution to the problem.

A financial leader of one European church writes, after having stressed the extent of the growing financial difficulties of his church: " An increase in, the doubling of, the budget of the World Alliance of Reformed Churches, would be even more unpopular than before. Yet I told my synod's finance committee last week that our income would fall and economies would have to be made in all sectors. But if the delegates in Ottawa make the correct and the wise decision, we shall in future have to pay twice as much for the World Alliance of Reformed Churches."

This brings us back to the essential point: the present general council should, above all, decide what the role of WARC should be today and in the coming years, and invite the member churches to draw the correct conclusions from this, in accordance with the priorities they have themselves established. The budget reflects the results - not mainly financial - of this deeper process.

Conclusion

The world in which we begin our general council is not a very encouraging one. Often we feel perplexed and at a loss. It is not easy for our witness to bear the seals of gratitude and joy.

And yet... and yet... it is in such a context that I received a message for this general council which I shall in conclusion quote almost in extenso. It comes from a prison in Taipei where Pastor Chung-Ming Kao, the general secretary of the Presbyterian Church of Taiwan, has begun the third year of the seven-year prison sentence to which he has been condemned. We are glad that Mrs Ruth Kao is with us as a guest of honour of this general council. We would have liked that her husband would have been with us too, as we have clearly said to the government of his land. His message is dated June 30 1982.

"While you are having the WARC conference in Ottawa, I will be thinking of and remembering you all, especially all the member churches. Recently one of my friends in prison told me I am not like a prisoner, but rather like a foreign missionary. I was glad to hear that and am thinking that I am a missionary sent to this prison to proclaim the gospel. During the past two years there have been 15 who have roomed with me and have heard the gospel and three of them have confessed their faith already. There was a great change in their lives because they had become new persons in the Lord Jesus Christ.

I will continue doing missionary work so please don't worry about my difficulties here. Please pray for me that I can fulfil my call from God.,

May God bless you and what you are doing for him so that it will be a contribution to the salvation of all human beings, to the church united and to bring justice and peace to the world."

And I can think of no better conclusion than to quote the two Bible passages which Pastor Kao himself quotes at the end of his message.

Firstly, Habakkuk 3.17-19

"Even though the fig trees have no fruit and no grapes grow on the vines,
even though the olive crop fails and the fields produce no grain,
even though the sheep all die and the cattle stalls are empty,
I will still be joyful and glad,
because the Lord God is my saviour.
The sovereign Lord gives me strength,
He makes me sure-footed as a deer,
and keeps me safe on the mountains."

Then, 2 Corinthians 4.8-10 and 16-17

"We are often troubled, but not crushed; sometimes in doubt, but never in despair; there are many enemies, but we are never without a friend; and though badly hurt at times, we are not destroyed. At all times we carry in our mortal bodies the death of Jesus, so that his life also may be seen in our bodies. For this reason we never become discouraged. Even though our physical being is gradually decaying, yet our spiritual being is renewed day after day. And this small and temporary trouble we suffer will bring us a tremendous and eternal glory, much greater than the trouble."

This address was delivered in the plenary session on Tuesday August 17 1982.