Council of Churches of Malaysia

The Council of Churches of Malaysia (CCM) is an ecumenical fellowship of Churches and Christian organizations 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 January 9, 1948 under the leadership of John Leonard Wilson, the Anglican Bishop of Singapore, with Hobart B. Amstutz of the Methodist Church acting as General Secretary to promote Christian unity among the Churches and Christian organizations in Malaya and Singapore.
Despite the 1963 federation of the British Crown Colonies of Singapore, British 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 organizations; the current Council of Churches of Malaysia and the National Council of Churches of Singapore in 1975.
==Basis & 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 organizations, 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 cooperating 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 Church
Anglican Diocese of Kuching 	Bishop: Rt Rev Bolly Lapok
Anglican Diocese of Sabah 	Bishop: Rt Rev Albert Vun Cheong Fui
Anglican Diocese of West Malaysia 	Bishop: Rt Rev Ng Moon Hing
Basel Christian Church of Malaysia 	Bishop Voo Thien Fui
Evangelical Lutheran Church in Malaysia 	Bishop Dr. Solomon Rajah
Lutheran Church in Malaysia and Singapore	Bishop Philip Lok Oi Peng
Mar Thoma Syrian Church in Malaysia 	Dr Thomas Philips
Methodist Church in Malaysia
:*Chinese Annual Conference
:*Sabah Provisional Annual Conference
:*Sarawak Chinese Annual Conference
:*Sarawak Iban Annual Conference
:*Tamil Annual Conference
:*Trinity Annual Conference	Bishop: Rev Hwa Yung
:*Rev Boh Che Suan
:*Ling Heu Uh
:*Dr Su Chi Ann
:*James Puang
:*P Tevaraji
:*Ong Hwai Teik
Orthodox Syrian Church in Malaysia 	Cor Episcopa Philip Thomas
Presbyterian Church in Malaysia 	Wong Fong Yang
Protestant Church in Sabah 	Sopirid Masandu
Salvation Army in Malaysia 	Lt Colonel David Bringans
:*Major Lim Teck Fung
===Associate Members===
Organisation 	Head of Organisation
Bible Society of Malaysia 	Kong Yeng Phooi, President
Boys' Brigade in Malaysia 	Eric Tan, Brigade Secretary
Girls' Brigade in Malaysia 	Tnay Yong Hua, President
Malaysian Christian Association for Relief 	Lee Chee Loi, Executive Director
National Council of YMCAs 	Geh Thing Lok, Executive Director
Young Women's Christian Association of Malaysia	Loius Bong, President
Seminari Theoloji Malaysia 	Dr Ezra Kok, Principal
Sabah Theological Seminary 	Dr Thu En Yu, Principal
Mobilisation Fellowship Malaysia 	Choong Wye Choon, National Director
Interserve Malaysia 	Philip Chang, Chairman
Prison Fellowship Malaysia 	Mark Matthew, Chairman
===Affiliate Members===
Organisation 	Head of Organisation
Coptic Orthodox Church in Malaysia	Fr Joseph Sim, Representative
==Leadership==
===Presidents===
Period 	Name 	Denomination
2003 - 	Dr Thomas Philips 	Mar Thoma Syrian Church in Malaysia
2001 - 2003	Julius D. Paul 	Evangelical Lutheran Church in Malaysia
1995 - 2000	Yong Ping Chung 	Anglican Diocese of West Malaysia
1989 - 1994	Dr Denis C. Dutton 	Methodist Church in Malaysia
1987 - 1988	E.B. Muthusami 	Evangelical Lutheran Church in Malaysia
1983 - 1986	George Vergis 	Mar Thoma Syrian Church in Malaysia
1979 - 1982	John Gurubatham Savarimuthu	Anglican Diocese of West Malaysia
1977 - 1978	E.B. Muthusami 	Evangelical Lutheran Church in Malaysia
1975 - 1976	C.N. Fang 	Methodist Church in Malaysia
1972 - 1974	Basil Temenggong 	Anglican Diocese of Kuching
1970 - 1971	V.E. Thomas 	Mar Thoma Syrian Church in Malaysia
1968 - 1969	Roland Koh Peck Chiang 	Anglican Diocese of Sabah
1966 - 1967	Robert F. Lundy 	Methodist Church in Singapore and Malaysia
1964 - 1965	R.M. Greer 	?
1963 	Dr Ho Seng Ong 	Methodist Church in Singapore and Malaysia
1962 	Roland Koh Peck Chiang 	Anglican Diocese of Jesselton (Sabah)
1958 - 1961	J.R. Fleming 	?
1947 - 1957	RLeonard Wilson 	Anglican Diocese of Singapore
===General Secretaries===
Period 	Name
1998 - 	Dr Hermen Shastri
1995 - 1997	Dr Hermen Shastri (Honorary)
1989 - 1994	Varghese George (Honorary)
1975 - 1988	Dr Denis C. Dutton (Honorary)
1973 - 1974	V.D.P. Pillai
1972 	R. Chelladurai
1967 - 1971	Wong Hoon Hee
1958 - 1966	Chung Chi-an
1952 - 1957	J.R. Fleming
1947 - 1951	Hobart 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
Category:Christianity in Asia
Category:Christianity in Malaysia
Category:Christianity in Singapore
Malaysia
Malaysia
Category:Religious organizations established in the 1940s
Category:Christian denominations, unions, and movements established in the 20th century