The Pluralism Project at Harvard University

Organization

The National Council of the Churches of Christ in the USA was founded in 1950 as an ecumenical Christian organization. The NCCC’s membership includes churches that collectively represent 45 million people in more than 100,000 local congregations across the United States.

The NCCC Interfaith Relations Commission is composed of individuals representing Christian communions and ecumenical and interfaith organizations. The representatives meet regularly to study interfaith issues, promote interfaith dialogue, and provide interfaith resources for member churches.

Structure

The Commission has members from many organizations and traditions, and is headed by Dr. Antonios Kireopoulos, Senior Program Director. Dr. Diana L. Eck is currently chairing the commission.

Specially allocated interfaith gifts from National Council of Churches of Christ member communions fund the work of the Commission. Some support also comes from grants designated for specific projects.

History

The Interfaith Relations Commission was officially formed in 1991 as an outgrowth of the union of the NCCC's Jewish-Christian Relations and Muslim-Christian Relations committees, both of which were founded in the mid-1970s. The Commission has undergone restructuring, particularly in 2007, and has expanded its work to include other religious traditions, such as Buddhist and Native American communities.

Work

The Commission is divided into three task groups: Theology of Interfaith Relations, Relationships with Interfaith Partners, and Equipping Congregations for Interfaith Engagement.

The Interfaith Relations Commission publishes policy statements, handbooks, and other publications as resources to churches and organizations interested in interfaith work.