World Student Christian Federation

WSCF was formed at a meeting of student leaders from ten North American and European countries in 1895 at Vadstena Castle, Sweden. The founders included John R. Mott (U.S.), J.Rutter Williamson (U.K.), Martin Eckhoff (Norway), Luther D. Wishard (U.S.), Johannes Siemsen (Germany) and Karl Fries (Sweden).^{[citation needed]}

WSCF was the first international student organisation. Together with YMCA and YWCA, it is among the oldest extant youth movements.^{[citation needed]} WSCF is known in French as FUACE—Fédération Universelle des Associations Chrétiennes d'Étudiants—and in Spanish as FUMEC—Federacion Universal de Movimientos Estudiantiles Cristianos.

Forces affecting WSCF have been:^{[citation needed]}

• the rise of the ecumenical movement,
• the turbulence of the 1960s student movements,
• the mid-twentieth century shift in balance of power from liberal to evangelical Christianity,
• the shift in balance of influence within Christianity between the developed and the developing world,
• the pressures of maintaining unity across the spectrum of Christianity

Notable leaders of the WSCF have included:

• John R. Mott
• Nathan Söderblom
• Willem Visser 't Hooft
• Philip Potter
• Alan Brash

The WSCF newsletter Federation News started in 1921 and is published twice a year.^[1] The WSCF journal Student World was begun in 1908 but has had a broken history of publication.^[2][3]

The mission and vision statement of the WSCF is:

• The WSCF is a global community of Student Christian Movements committed to dialogue, ecumenism, social justice and peace.
• the mission is to empower students in critical thinking and constructive transformation of our world by being a space for:
  • Prayer and celebration
  • Theological reflection
  • Study and analysis of social and cultural processes and
  • Solidarity and action across boundaries of culture, gender and ethnicity.
• Through the work of the Holy Spirit, the WSCF is called to be a prophetic witness in church and society. This vision is nurtured by a radical hope for God’s Reign in history.^{[citation needed]}

WSCF's founder, the Methodist layman and YMCA worker John R. Mott (1865-1955), promoted Protestant unity in 1895 as an organization joining youth from all Protestant churches to dedicate themselves to the 'evangelization of the world in this generation.'" ^[4]

The General Assembly (GA) is the highest decision making body of the Federation. WSCF's GA is held approximately every four years. Recent assemblies have been held in Montreal, Canada, Chiang Mai, Thailand, Beirut, Lebanon, and Yamoussoukro, Côte d'Ivoire.^{[citation needed]}

The GA is made up of representatives from all affiliated and associated movements. The GA reviews the previous four years, plans for the next four years and elects the Executive Committee, Chairperson, Vice-Chairpersons, Treasurer and General Secretary.

The 35th GA was held in Bogota, Colombia from February 27 to March 5, 2015.^{[citation needed]}

The Executive Committee and staff (General Secretary and Regional Secretaries) co-ordinate the Federation's activities between General Assemblies. The Executive Committee has met in Chiang Mai, Thailand, Porto Alegre, Brazil and Alexandria, Egypt.^{[citation needed]}

The General Secretary is based in the Inter-Regional Office (IRO) in Geneva, Switzerland. The IRO is in the Ecumenical Centre which also houses the World Council of Churches, the World Alliance of Reformed Churches, the Lutheran World Federation, the Ecumenical Advocacy Alliance, the Conference of European Churches, Ecumenical News International, Action by Churches Together International, and many other organisations.

The IRO organises the General Assembly and Executive Committee, the IRO staff is the secretariat for WSCF's endowment The Centennial Fund. The IRO administers WSCF's income, salaries and fundraising and co-ordinates global WSCF programmes, the IRO administers the Ecumenical Assistance Programme, the Universal Day of Prayer for Students, produces Federation News and Student World maintains contact with national movements and Senior Friends and organises WSCF representation at meetings of the United Nations, UNESCO, World Council of Churches and other organisations.^{[citation needed]}

• John R. Mott (USA)1895
• Robert C. Mackie (Scotland) 1938-1948
• Risto Lehtonen (Finland) 1968–1973
• Feliciano Cariño (Philippines)
• Emidio Campi (Italy)
• Christine Ledger (Australia)and Manuel Quintero(Cuba)
• Clarissa Balan (Philippines) and Jean-Claude Deteil (France)
• Clarissa Balan (Philippines) and & Kwanga Mabuluki (Zambia)
• Beate Fagerli (Norway) and Lawrence Nana Brew (Ghana)2000-2004
• Michael Wallace (Aotearoa New Zealand) 2004-2010
• Christine Housel (USA) 2011-2015
• Necta Rocas Montes (Philippines) 2015-2020
• Marcelo Leites (Uruguay) 2020-today

Until the 1960s, the WSCF was centralized in Geneva. This shifted in 1972, when the Federation divided into six regional offices with Geneva remaining as an inter-regional office. Each region has a regional secretary, officers and a committee made up of representatives from the national movements in the region. Each region has its own programmes and publications. The regions nominate students to participate in global WSCF programmes and other activities. Each region has two representatives on WSCF's global Executive Committee. The six regions are Africa, Asia-Pacific, Europe, Latin America and Caribbean, Middle East, and North America. The regional offices are in Nairobi, Hong Kong, Trento, Buenos Aires, Beirut and New York.^[5]

WSCF's ecumenical work operates at a national level through the Student Christian Movement (SCM). Each national SCM has ties to the ecumenical bodies such as the World Council of Churches, and other national ecumenical organizations such as the National Council of Churches in Australia and the Christian Conference of Asia.^[5]

Whilst national SCMs may vary considerably, they have tended to foster liberal and progressive religious and social views amongst university students. This resulted in conflicts with evangelical student groups, such as those affiliated to the parachurch International Fellowship of Evangelical Students.^[6]

National SCMs include the Student Christian Movement of Great Britain, Student Christian Movement of the Philippines, Student Christian Movement of Canada, and Indonesian Christian Student Movement.

• World Council of Churches
• YMCA
• YWCA
• World University Service

• Bishop George Bell
• Steve Biko
• Dietrich Bonhöffer
• Bishop Charles Brent
• Inga-Brita Castrén (Finnish theologian, Secretary to Africa 1959-1962)
• Willem Visser 't Hooft (First General Secretary of the World Council of Churches)
• Bishop Penny Jamieson
• Samuel Kobia (Sixth General Secretary of the World Council of Churches)
• Jürgen Moltmann
• Edouard Chivambo Mondlane (President of FRELIMO)
• John R. Mott (Nobel Peace Prize 1946)
• Bishop Lesslie Newbigin
• Kwame Nkrumah
• Mwalimu Julius Nyerere
• Mercy Oduyoye (African theologian)
• Joseph Oldham
• Philip Potter (Third General Secretary of the World Council of Churches)
• Radius Prawiro (Minister of Finance of Indonesia)
• Frère Roger of the Taizé community
• Nancy Ruth Canadian Senator
• Archbishop Ted Scott
• Ellen Johnson Sirleaf President of Liberia
• Amir Sjarifuddin (Former Prime Minister of Indonesia)
• Archbishop Nathan Söderblom (Nobel Peace Prize 1930)
• Oliver Tambo
• William Temple
• M. M. Thomas (Indian theologian)
• Bishop K. H. Ting (Chinese Bishop)
• Archbishop Anders Wejryd
• Lois Miriam Wilson (Canadian Senator)

• WSCF/FUMEC/FUACE global website