Atla Digital Library Welcomes the World Council of Churches

We are pleased to welcome the World Council of Churches as the newest contributor to the Atla Digital Library! The World Council of Churches digitized their Ecumenical Press Service collection with support from the Atla Digitization Grant Program.

The Ecumenical Press Service (EPS), published from 1947 to 1994 under the auspices of the World Council of Churches, and its previous title International Christian Press and Information Service (ICPIS), published from 1933 to 1946, was a weekly newsletter providing information on trends of thoughts and opinion in and about the Churches and Christian movements. It is a worthy historical source for the ecumenical movement in the second part of the 20th century, and a precious witness of daily life of the WCC member churches all around the world.

In addition to this new digitization work, there are five other collections of materials related to the ecumenical movement that would be of interest to theologians and researchers. These will be added to the Atla Digital Library soon.

Explore highlights from this collection below.

Ecumenical Press Service

The Ecumenical Press Service (EPS) 15th Year 1948 issue includes reports on the First Assembly which established the World Council of Churches, as well as a description of the nature of the organization. Also included is an overview of the situation of churches and Christian movements around the world following the end of World War II.

You can see the full Ecumenical Press Service in the Atla Digital Library.

Papers of the Faith & Order commission

This famous text, adopted by Faith and Order at its plenary commission meeting in Lima, Peru in 1982, explores the growing agreement – and remaining differences – in fundamental areas of the churches’ faith and life. The most widely-distributed and studied ecumenical document, BEM has been a basis for many “mutual recognition” agreements among churches and remains a reference today.

You can see the full Papers of the Faith & Order commission in the Atla Digital Library – coming soon.

Reports and documents of the assemblies of the World Council of Churches

The report of the first assembly of the World Council of Churches held in 1948 in Amsterdam accounts for the work of the representatives from 147 churches attending the event. The different debates highlighted the vocation of the WCC as an entity where Christians of various ecclesial cultures and traditions could dialog, exchange, confront and reflect. It is especially a working place, engaging member Churches in theological reflection with a particular attention to social and political problems.

You can see the full Reports and documents of the assemblies of the World Council of Churches in the Atla Digital Library – coming soon.

Commission on World Mission and Evangelism & International Missionary Council

This is the official report of the 1996 conference on world mission and evangelism that took place in Salvador, Brazil. This meeting embodied a constitutional mandate that provides for regular intentional deliberation by the global Christian community on the nature of the proclamation of the gospel in a world of many cultures, shaped by forces of globalization and fragmentation and yearning for signs of hope, freedom and community, and the dimension of unity that this proclamation is intended to nurture and express. Salvador came at the close of a century of debate, study and cooperation in mission that, with the historic Edinburgh conference of 1910, became a characteristic feature of the modern ecumenical movement.

You can see the full Commission on World Mission and Evangelism & International Missionary Council in the Atla Digital Library – coming soon.

Commission of the Churches on International Affairs

This issue of the journal “Background information” is dedicated to the topic “Human rights and the Churches” and offers a compilation of reports of international and regional consultations organized by the Commission of the Churches on International Affairs held between October 1994 – and June 1998.

You can see the full Commission of the Churches on International Affairs in the Atla Digital Library – coming soon.

Journals published by the WCC

This issue of “Risk”, the magazine published by the Youth Departments of the WCC and the World Council of Christian Education, presents a comprehensive kind of position paper on the ministry of the church to and with the younger generation, and is therefore designed as a draft of a statement on ecumenical youth ministry.

You can see the full Journals published by the WCC in the Atla Digital Library- coming soon.

You can see all of the World Council of Churches’ collections in the Atla Digital Library

About

The Atla Digital Library brings together in a singular, searchable platform digitized collections from libraries, religious institutions, and other organizations worldwide who collect and preserve texts, records, maps, photographs, recordings, and other materials. The items found in the Atla Digital Library are of importance to those with an interest in researching, studying, teaching, and otherwise searching for historical and archival content in religion and theology. Learn more on how to become a contributing institution.

Check out all of the over 129,000 works in the Atla Digital Library.