The Rev. Sam Kobia of the Methodist Church in Kenya has extensive experience in ecumenical circles. Currently director and special representative for Africa on the WCC staff in Geneva, he was executive of the WCC’s unit on justice, peace and creation and directed programs dealing with theological and social issues. He was also general secretary of the National Council of Churches in Kenya and chaired peace talks in the Sudan.

Kobia succeeds the Rev. Konrad Raiser of the Evangelical Church in Germany who held the position for 11 years. The other candidate for the position was the Rev. Trond Bakkevig of the Lutheran Church of Norway.

“I believe the 21st century if the century when spirituality will take centre place,” said Kobia in his acceptance speech August 28. “Today we live in a world we recognize as a broken world, a world searching for meaning in life and for security, yet a world in which many lead meaningless and insecure lives. The answer is neither in politics nor in economics,” he said. Nor is the answer to be found in military might.”

Walking together

Underscoring the WCC’s primary purpose “to call one another to visible unity,” he ended with an African saying: “If you want to walk fast, walk alone. But if you want to go far, walk together with others.”

African church leaders were jubilant with the selection. General Secretary Ishmael Noko, a Zimbabwean who heads the Lutheran World Federation, said that Kobia’s competence “lies in the area of peace and reconciliation” as well as in a “strong awareness of the dimensions of church life in the southern hemisphere, with the great diversity of the church universal.

According to Bishop Christopher Epting, the Episcopal Church's deputy for ecumenical and interfaith relations, "Sam Kobia is a bold and creative choice for the WCC at this time in our history. He knows the organization, is aware of our need for change, and brings great credibility as a Christian 'from the South' at this time in church history. He evidences a deep spirituality coupled with a passion for social justice. I look forward to working with him in the years to come."

At a press conference at the end of the Central Committee meeting, Kobia said that Africa is likely to be “the centre of Christianity in terms of numbers” in this century. In his first press conference he said that many of the independent and Pentecostal churches “want to join us and we want to encourage them so they can contribute their own spirituality and enrich the WCC and the global ecumenical movement.”

Under his leadership the WCC will also be giving strong emphasis to inter-religious dialogue and to concerns for the whole of the natural environment, what he described as “cosmovision.”

He concluded by observing that “religion is assuming a powerful place in the affairs of humankind because the 21st century is dominated by the politics of identity. The world will be talking about religion in a very big way because so many identify themselves by their religion."