The Association (ATIME): A Model of Christian Unity in Action
Address of the Secretary General of the Middle East Council of Churches (MECC) Professor Michel Abs to the General Assembly of the Association of Theological Colleges and Institutes in the Middle East (ATIME).
Cairo, 17 July 2026
Professor Michel Abs
The Secretary General of the Middle East Council of Churches (MECC)
Peace be with you all.
It is an honor to stand before you at this distinguished gathering, which brings together leading figures dedicated to theological education in the Middle East, the very region where the message of salvation was first revealed, from which the Gospel was proclaimed to the world, and which, despite its many wounds, continues to bear the message of Christ to humanity.
We are gathered around a project unlike any other. The ATIME is far more than an academic network bringing together institutions of theological education. It is a living prophecy, written anew each day in our classrooms, our libraries, and our common prayers. It is a model of Christian unity in action, for it takes shape where the Church forms tomorrow's ministers as laborers in the vineyard of the one Lord, and prepares the future leaders of the ecumenical movement.
We live in the land where the Christian faith was first proclaimed and where the price of witness was first paid. Here, too, we came to know the diversity of theological expressions through which our one faith has been articulated. Ours is a history marked by theology, sacrifice, and tears. Today, the whole world looks to us with hope and joy as Christians, in the cradle of Christianity, gather around one table.
Our meeting today is far more than an ordinary administrative assembly or an academic conference. It is an act of hope. At a time when differences in language and forms of expression often suggest division, and when the crises afflicting our region continue to deepen, the coming together of the Churches around the mission of theological education becomes a prophetic sign. It proclaims that unity is not a distant dream but a shared journey toward the One, founded upon the crucified love of the One Lord—a journey built through patience, knowledge, charity, and common service.
The Churches realized from their earliest beginnings that their future would depend upon the quality of the leaders they prepare. A theological college is not a factory producing degrees; it is a school for forming men and women who will lead the Church, serve society, and bear witness to Christ in a rapidly changing world. This is precisely where the significance of the Association of Theological Colleges and Institutes in the Middle East (ATIME) becomes evident. It has succeeded in making theological education a space for encounter, dialogue, cooperation, and shared growth.
The Association has demonstrated that Christian unity does not begin solely through official dialogues among the Churches. It also begins in classrooms, libraries, research centers, and common prayer, where students from diverse ecclesial traditions come together and discover that what unites them is far deeper than what divides them, despite the historical confusion of many "Babels" of language.
When theological education is genuinely open to the other, it becomes an instrument for building the one Church rather than reinforcing the confusion of languages that can harden into division. Differences in doctrinal expression, important as they may be, should never become barriers preventing us from cooperating in the service of humanity and in bearing witness to the Gospel. Today, the Church does not need more walls; it needs more bridges.
Within this context, ATIME represents an advanced model of ecumenical partnership. It has not sought to erase the distinctive identities of the Churches; rather, it has respected them while simultaneously creating common spaces for education, scholarly research, quality assurance, spiritual formation, and the exchange of expertise. This is mature ecumenism: a unity founded simultaneously upon truth and love.
Dear beloved friends,
The future of the ecumenical movement in the Middle East will not be built solely in conference halls. It will be formed in classrooms, where future leaders learn to listen before they speak, to engage in dialogue before passing judgment, and to cooperate before competing.
A student who studies, prays, and serves alongside a colleague from another ecclesial tradition carries with him or her, throughout life, a different memory and a broader vision. Such a person will be better prepared to build ecclesial and human partnerships when assuming pastoral or academic responsibilities. In this way, theological education becomes a laboratory of unity, a school of reconciliation, and a place where peacemakers are formed.
For this reason, preparing the future leaders of the ecumenical movement is not limited to transmitting theological knowledge. It also requires cultivating essential human and spiritual virtues: humility, the capacity to listen, transparency, integrity, respect for diversity, and the profound conviction that truth has nothing to fear from dialogue.
Our Churches need leaders endowed with profound theological vision, academic excellence, pastoral wisdom, and the ability to administer institutions in a spirit of service rather than authority. They also need leaders capable of engaging young people, interacting creatively with contemporary culture, making effective use of modern media, and actively participating in the pursuit of justice, peace, and human dignity.
Likewise, our responsibility today is not confined to preserving the rich theological heritage we have inherited. It also extends to renewing and developing that heritage so that it may continue to respond meaningfully to the questions of contemporary humanity. Fidelity to tradition does not imply rigidity; rather, it calls for creativity in communicating the Gospel to every generation in a language it understands, through a methodology it finds convincing, and with a witness that touches the human heart.
Dear Brothers and Sisters,
We cannot speak about theological education without speaking about the reality of our region, a region facing unprecedented challenges: wars, forced migration, corruption, poverty, polarization, declining trust in institutions, and the growing spread of extremist rhetoric. In the face of these challenges, the responsibility of our theological institutions becomes all the more significant.
The Church is called to be the conscience of society, the voice of hope, and a messenger of reconciliation. Yet it cannot fulfill this vocation unless it prepares men and women who combine academic excellence, spiritual maturity, moral integrity, and openness toward others.
For this reason, investing in theological education is not merely an investment in institutions; it is an investment in the future of both the Church and society.
Allow me to conclude with two pleas.
The first is addressed to us, the leaders. Let us believe that ATIME is not our project, but the work of the Holy Spirit. Our role is not to create obstacles but to remove them. Let us invest in this mission with our time, our energy, our resources, and our prayers. Every talent that bears fruit within this Association brings us one step closer to the visible unity of the Church after long decades of separation.
My second plea is directed to our students.
You are not merely students of theology; you are monastics of ecumenism. Carry this sacred calling wherever you go. Learn from one another. Love one another even when you disagree. Pray together. The world is waiting to see Christ reflected in your lives.
When our Lord Jesus prayed:
"That they may all be one. As You, Father, are in Me and I in You, may they also be in Us, so that the world may believe that You have sent Me" (John 17:21), He established an inseparable bond between the unity of believers and the credibility of Christian witness before the world.
The closer we draw to one another, the closer the world is drawn to Christ. Conversely, the further apart we become, the weaker our witness grows.
Therefore, every joint academic program, every collaborative research project, every exchange of professors and students, every shared prayer, and every initiative of cooperation among our institutions is far more than an academic activity. It is a genuine participation in the fulfillment of Christ's prayer for His Church.
Let us therefore continue this journey with confidence. Let us make this Association a platform for academic excellence, a laboratory of Christian unity, a home for dialogue, and a beacon of hope for our beloved Middle East.
Thank you all for your commitment, for your vocation, and for your faith that the future is built through education; that unity is forged through encounter and common action; and that the Church is continually renewed whenever it invests in the human person.
May the Lord God bless the Association of Theological Colleges and Institutes in the Middle East, bless our Churches, and guide us all through His Holy Spirit, so that we may remain faithful to the Gospel, steadfast witnesses to the Truth, and authentic peacemakers in our world.
Amen.