The Middle East Council of Churches is an ecumenical organization, bringing together churches in the East for common Christian witness in the region where Christ was born, lived, died and was resurrected. The MECC represents the four families of Christianity present in the region: the Orthodox, Eastern Orthodox, Catholic, and Evangelical/Protestant.

Vision

The Council envisions a Middle East which is diverse and vibrant in its spiritual and social dimensions; where churches are united in their commitment to ecumenical Christian witness and diakonia; where compassion, justice and peace are the founding elements of nations, communities and institutions; and where every person is able to fully exercise their human rights and live in dignity.

Mission

Being the tangible expression of the Christian presence in the region, the Council’s mission is to work towards the unification of visions, perspectives and attitudes among Eastern churches, especially on issues related to Christian presence and witness in the Middle East and Muslim-Christian relations.

The Council’s mission is seen today as being a bridge:

A bridge between Eastern Christians: to remove prejudices and barriers between churches, the MECC brings together the vast majority of Christians and churches in the Middle East. It provides them the adequate space to come together, pray, reflect, analyze, speak with a common voice, and act and witness together.
A bridge between Christians and peoples of other religions in the region, especially with Muslims: to reinforce and develop organized dialogue and partnerships with enlightened Muslims aiming at strengthening and deepening friendship and peace between people for the good of humanity.
A bridge between the Middle East churches and Western churches: to be a mediator between Christians and churches in the region and their brothers and sisters in Christ elsewhere.

Values

The Council’s vision and mission stem from its Christian faith with the belief that all human beings are created in God’s image, with equal rights and responsibilities as citizens of the one country and members of God’s household.

The foundations of the Council’s work are the Gospel values of:

Love and compassion: God’s love for all of his creation and manifested in the Lord Jesus Christ who came to give new life, new hope, and reconciliation with God and the creation, to serve the poor, the marginalized and the oppressed;
Justice: by witnessing to Jesus Christ, serving those in need for the fulfillment of justice, sharing with them God’s gifts to humanity, and engaging in the struggle for justice so that civil, political, economic and social rights be realized;
Participation: God gives all human beings responsibility for their own lives and for building the community/society in which they live. A community/society where justice and peace prevail, and where structures of injustice and manifestations of power that violate human dignity and deprive people of responsibility over their own lives, should not exist;
Integrity of creation: God gave the earth and its resources to all mankind, not to be exploited or destroyed to satisfy greed, but to be preserved for future generations to enjoy God-given resources;
God’s vision for humanity is one of life in abundance to all: It is a vision where structures of destruction and death no longer exist, and where the poor and the oppressed receive justice.