WCC news: Patmos Bible Summit closes with shared commitment to global engagement

The historic Patmos Bible Summit closed on 15 May in Jakarta, Indonesia, with 250 participants from all over the world, representing various denominations and church traditions, agencies, and Bible Societies in a wide spectrum of people whose hearts, minds, and prayers centered on Bible engagement.  Photo: Alex Baker/BFBS 19 may 2026 The three-day summit, united by the Bible at the centre, was organized by the British and Foreign Bible Society and United Bible Societies in collaboration with Alpha International, Community Bible Study, Coptic Orthodox Church, Generosity Path, Our Daily Bread Ministries, SIL Global, World Council of Churches (WCC), and World Evangelical Alliance. Marianne Ejdersten, WCC director of communication, and part of the summit’s Visionary Steering Group since November 2025, represented WCC general secretary Rev. Prof. Dr Jerry Pillay at the summit. Rev. Dr Seoyoung Kim, Ph.D., research associate at the Oxford Centre for Mission Studies, served in the Visionary Steering Group from March to November 2025 as the representative of the WCC general secretary.  “This was indeed a historic summit bringing together people from all over the world, with a truly diverse representation of the world’s regions, cultures, confessions, and ministries,” said Ejdersten, who closed the summit. “We have worked and prayed together to discern what God is impressing on our hearts concerning Bible engagement.” The participants worked particularly in seven small cluster groups to identify regional and global missional opportunities informed by people’s attitudes about the Bible. “The final statement at the end of the summit tries to conclude the joint work and to shape a vision for Bible engagement that can be sustained by a shared imagination and framework for collaboration,” explained Ejdersten. “The Patmos Survey is a gift to the churches and agencies to shape up the mission strategies and gives an important indication on the role of the Bible in everyday life across the globe.” Ejdersten added that the regional reflections will be the most important part to study the outcome of the survey in detail and to pray and  reflect together. “It will be especially interesting to continue to reflect with young people on the chapter for the next generation—the digital generation using the Bible,” said Ejdersten. “What does that mean for the future of the churches? How do we shape digital discipleship?” Photo: Alex Baker/BFB Patmos Commitment  In a “Patmos Commitment,” participants affirmed the life-giving role of the sacred Scripture in their faith, churches, and ministries. “For people to encounter and engage Scripture, it must first be available and accessible in a language and format they can understand,” reads the commitment. “While the task of translating the Bible into languages and new formats will continue in every generation, we acknowledge the unique moment in history where soon almost the entire world will have the possibility to access the Bible for the first time.” The Patmos commitment affirms that Bible engagement is a lifelong journey in which people – personally, communally, and contextually – interact with, reflect on and understand Scripture, through which they encounter the risen Christ. “Through this journey with the Bible we grow in the knowledge of God, are transformed into the likeness of Christ, and by the Spirit are drawn to participate in and witness to the renewal of all things,” notes the commitment. “We commit to taking active steps towards clearly articulating the Bible engagement framework and mission tasks that have been developed through the Patmos Global Summit for Bible engagement.” About the WCC delegation The WCC delegation present at the Patmos Bible Society included Rev. Dr Henriette Hutabarat-Lebang, (Toraja Church), WCC president from Asia, and president of the Indonesian Bible Society; Rev. Dr Mery Kolimon, former head of the Protestant Evangelical Church in Timor and a WCC central committee member; Rev. Karen Erina Puimera (Protestant Church in Western Indonesia), moderator of the commission Young People in the Ecumenical Movement and a youth member of the WCC executive committee; and Marianne Ejdersten, WCC director of communication. The WCC delegation led prayers, workshops, participated as panelists, and also served on the Visionary Steering Committee for the conference. About the Patmos Survey The Patmos survey, in partnership with Gallup, is the largest Bible engagement research project ever. It provides data to establish a new understanding of how people relate to the Bible. The survey analyzed 150 countries, was produced in 89 languages, and encountered 91,000 people. The cluster groups covered by the Patmos Bible Summit included The Sahel, Pakistan, Afghanistan; Central and Eastern Europe, Portugal; Middle East and North Africa and Central Asia; Latin America, Philippines; Western Europe, North America, Australia, New Zealand; Asia; and sub-Saharan Africa, Haiti. The roots of this vision date back 2,000 years to the island of Patmos. It was here, the Bible tells us, that seven short letters were written to churches in seven distinct contexts, revealing a deeper insight into their spiritual condition. The encouragement and challenges of those insights continue to agitate the imagination of many communities to this day. It is hoped that the missiological and audience insights from the Patmos survey will shape a shared imagination and framework for mission, and that shared framework will enable collaboration and innovation for generations to come, so that the whole world can encounter the Bible. Local host the Indonesian Bible Society under the leadership of General Secretary Rev. Dr Sigit Triyono, who is also the incoming chairperson for the United Bible Societies. Photo: Alex Baker/BFBS Opening with a source of hope Hutabarat-Lebang offered an opening reflection on 13 May . Words of welcome were shard by secretary general of the United Bible Societies Rev. Dirk Gevers; CEO for the British and Foreign Bible Society Paul Williams; and the general secretary of the Indonesian Bible Society, Rev. Dr Sigit Triyono, who is also the incoming chairperson for the United Bible Societies. In her homily, Hutabarat-Lebang offered the premise that the Bible tells us Christ remains in control of history, and Christ remains at work. “This is a source of hope for us amid various problems and challenges we face even today, as individuals, as families, as churches, and amidst global challenges: be it communal conflicts, wars, poverty, or ecological destruction,” she said. “There is a blessing for everyone who faithfully reads God’s Word, for everyone who hears it, and for everyone who follow its message.” Hutabarat-Lebang added that many people do not have access to the Bible for a variety of reasons. “One of the important roles of the Bible institutions is to collaborate with the churches and all Christians to invite people to read, meditate on, and apply God’s Word in their lives,” she said. “The question is how to do it, especially to people with different cultures and different generations.” Closing devotion During a closing morning devotion, H.E. Archbishop Angeloes from the Coptic Orthodox Church, who is also president of the British and Foreign Bible Society, spoke of the ways in which the Bible offers us reassurance. “The message of God is holistic,” he said. “It is true It is undeniable. But that word is not meant to be sealed up. To hide it away would be a disservice to the world. Christ is there to be shared because there is an urgency. There is a necessity This is not an optional extra.” The roots of the Patmos vision date back 2,000 years to the island of Patmos. It was here, the Bible tells us, that seven short letters were written to churches in seven distinct contexts, revealing a deeper insight into their spiritual condition. Patmos Bible Summit opens with reflections on global spiritual realities “Scripture Reveals Reality”, sermon by Rev. Dr Henriette Hutabarat-Lebang, (Toraja Church), WCC president from Asia WCC will celebrate 80 years of United Bible Societies The Patmos Survey Photo gallery See more

The World Council of Churches promotes Christian unity in faith, witness and service for a just and peaceful world. An ecumenical fellowship of churches founded in 1948, today the WCC brings together 356 Protestant, Orthodox, Anglican and other churches representing more than 580 million Christians in over 120 countries, and works cooperatively with the Roman Catholic Church. The WCC general secretary is Rev. Prof. Dr Jerry Pillay from the Uniting Presbyterian Church in Southern Africa. Media contact: +41 79 507 6363; www.oikoumene.org/press Our visiting address is: World Council of Churches Chemin du Pommier 42 Kyoto Building Le Grand-Saconnex CH-1218 Switzerland