The Council of Churches of Malaysia (CCM) is an ecumenical fellowship of Churches and Christian organisations in Malaysia. It is one of the three constituent members of the Christian Federation of Malaysia.
It is affiliated with the Commission on World Mission and Evangelism of the World Council of Churches and a member of the Christian Conference of Asia. It also participates in the Malaysian Consultative Council of Buddhism, Christianity, Hinduism, Sikhism and Taoism as part of the Christian Federation of Malaysia.
History In 1947, the Malayan Christian Council was mooted and officially inaugurated on 9 January 1948 under the leadership of John Leonard Wilson, the Anglican Bishop of Singapore, with Hobart Baumann Amstutz of the Methodist Church acting as General Secretary to promote Christian unity among the Churches and Christian organisations in Malaya and Singapore.
Despite the 1963 federation of the British Crown Colonies of Singapore, North Borneo, and Sarawak with the Federation of Malaya into the new nation of Malaysia, the Malayan Christian Council continued to function using the old name. In 1967, the Malayan Christian Council was renamed the Council of Churches of Malaysia and Singapore. In view of Malaysia and Singapore having separated and become independent sovereign nations, it was considered desirable to have separate Councils of Churches for each nation, therefore, the Council was divided into 2 national organisations; the current Council of Churches of Malaysia and the National Council of Churches of Singapore in 1975.
Basis and objectives Basis The Council is founded on a common belief that God has revealed His eternal purpose for mankind in His Son Jesus Christ, through the Holy Spirit. Its members accept the scriptures of Old and New Testaments as the supreme standard of faith and practice, and confess their common faith as expressed in the Apostles' and Nicene Creeds on the acceptance of the principal that the Church is in the Christian enterprise that the local congregation is basic to its life and witness, and that evangelism is its primary task as an association of Churches, and other Christian organisations, each believing that it is Christ's will that His Body, the Church should again be visibly one and each desiring to work towards this end as an association of co-operating members, each of which determines its own policy and action
Objectives The objectives of the Council are to offer itself as an instrument or agency to the Churches in Malaysia whereby they can more and more do together everything except what irreconcilable differences of sincere conviction compel them to do separately to show forth among its members that Christian unity which is God's gift to His people in Jesus Christ, and by common prayer, study, consultation and action, promote the Church's mission in Malaysia and the World through common consultation and action to form Christian public opinion and bring it to bear on the moral, social, national and international problems of the day, particularly those affecting the life and welfare of the peoples of Malaysia to promote discussion and action among Churches in Malaysia towards Church union to provide an agency through which governments in Malaysia both federal and state, may consult with member-churches and organisations on matters of common concern to all member bodies of the Council to maintain fellowship with other Christian Councils or Council of Churches of other countries and with such ecumenical bodies as the Council may decide, and in particular to fulfil its obligations as an affiliated member of the World Council of Churches and the Christian Conference of Asia
Constituents Member Churches Member Church Head of ChurchAnglican Diocese of KuchingBishop: Rt Rev Danald JuteAnglican Diocese of SabahBishop: Rt Rev Melter Jiki Bin TaisAnglican Diocese of West MalaysiaBishop: Rt Rev Dr D Steven AbbarowBasel Christian Church of MalaysiaBishop Rev Dr James Wong Chong LeongEvangelical Lutheran Church in MalaysiaBishop Steven LawrenceLutheran Church in Malaysia and SingaporeBishop Thomas Low Kok ChanMar Thoma Syrian Church in MalaysiaDr Thomas PhilipsMethodist Church in Malaysia Chinese Annual Conference Sabah Provisional Annual Conference Sarawak Chinese Annual Conference Sarawak Iban Annual Conference Tamil Annual Conference Trinity Annual ConferenceBishop: Rev Dr T Jeyakumar Rev Dr Wong Tik Wah Ling Heu Uh Rev Dr Lau Hui Ming Rev Bonnie Sedau Rev Dr Dennis Raj Rev Joshua KhongOrthodox Syrian Church in MalaysiaCor Episcopa Philip ThomasPresbyterian Church in MalaysiaRev Chua Hua PengProtestant Church in SabahBishop Rev. Justin SansaluSalvation Army in MalaysiaLt Colonel David Bringans Major Lim Teck Fung
Associate Members Organisation Head of OrganisationBible Society of MalaysiaNg Moon Hing, PresidentBoys' Brigade in Malaysia Nicholas Yeap, Brigade PresidentGirls' Brigade in MalaysiaLau Mee Ting, PresidentMalaysian Christian Association for ReliefWong Young Soon, Executive DirectorNational Council of YMCAsGeh Thing Lok, Executive DirectorYoung Women's Christian Association of MalaysiaLoius Bong, PresidentSeminari Theoloji MalaysiaDr Chong Siaw Fung, PrincipalSabah Theological SeminaryDr Thu En Yu, PrincipalMobilisation Fellowship MalaysiaChoong Wye Choon, National DirectorInterserve MalaysiaPhilip Chang, ChairmanPrison Fellowship Malaysia Dr. Tan Kah Hock, Chairman
Affiliate Members Organisation Head of OrganisationCoptic Orthodox Church in Malaysia Fr Joseph Sim, Representative
Leadership Presidents Period Name Denomination2003 - Dr Thomas PhilipsMar Thoma Syrian Church in Malaysia2001 - 2003Julius D. PaulEvangelical Lutheran Church in Malaysia1995 - 2000Yong Ping ChungAnglican Diocese of Sabah1989 - 1994Dr Denis C. DuttonMethodist Church in Malaysia1987 - 1988E.B. MuthusamiEvangelical Lutheran Church in Malaysia1983 - 1986George VergisMar Thoma Syrian Church in Malaysia1979 - 1982John Gurubatham SavarimuthuAnglican Diocese of West Malaysia1977 - 1978E.B. MuthusamiEvangelical Lutheran Church in Malaysia1975 - 1976C.N. FangMethodist Church in Malaysia1972 - 1974Basil TemenggongAnglican Diocese of Kuching1970 - 1971V.E. ThomasMar Thoma Syrian Church in Malaysia1968 - 1969Roland Koh Peck ChiangAnglican Diocese of Sabah1966 - 1967Robert F. LundyMethodist Church in Singapore and Malaysia1964 - 1965R.M. GreerPresbyterian Church1963Dr Ho Seng OngMethodist Church in Singapore and Malaysia1962Roland Koh Peck ChiangAnglican Diocese of Jesselton (Sabah)1958 - 1961J.R. Fleming, Church of Scotland Missionary Presbyterian Church 1947 - 1957Leonard WilsonAnglican Diocese of Singapore
General Secretaries Period Name1998 -Dr Hermen Shastri1995 - 1997Dr Hermen Shastri (Honorary)1989 - 1994Varghese George (Honorary)1975 - 1988Dr Denis C. Dutton (Honorary)1973 - 1974V.D.P. Pillai1972R. Chelladurai1967 - 1971Wong Hoon Hee1958 - 1966Chung Chi-an1952 - 1957J.R. Fleming1947 - 1951Hobart B. Amstutz (Honorary)
See also Christianity in Malaysia Christianity in Singapore Ecumenism
External links Council of Churches of Malaysia Profile of CCM at the World Council of Churches website