On 4 – 7 October 2011 some three hundred representatives of all the main Christian traditions will gather at Hotel Seruni in Cisarua, on the island of Java, about 70 kms from Jakarta the capital of Indonesia. In choosing Indonesia as the venue of the second Global Forum Gathering the GCF Committee wishes to acknowledge once again that the centre of gravity of world Christianity is shifting to the global South, where vitality and growth mark the life of the churches. The first gathering was in Africa, the second will be in Asia. The dramatic changes Christianity is undergoing in the world today and the new faces it is taking on will be at the heart of the programme of the gathering. The meeting will not simply be a repeat of the Limuru event in November 2007 but another step forward. Besides the sharing of personal faith stories, which is an essential part of all Forum meetings, there will be a sharing of "community stories" of churches and faith communities, a listening to discern what the Spirit is saying to the churches and a focus on mission in the wake of the two world conferences of Edinburgh 2010 and the Third Lausanne Congress.

The participants in the gathering will come from the "historic" churches : Anglican, Catholic, Orthodox, Protestant, as well as from the "newer" churches that have emerged so strongly in the 20th century, such as African Instituted, Charismatic, Evangelical, Pentecostal, Mega-churches, Non-denominational churches and others. About two hundred of them will be persons holding leadership positions in their respective traditions ; another fifty places are set aside to ensure adequate representation of women and young people in leadership and other groupes. These two hundred and fifty will be joined by fourty participants from the churches in Indonesia, the host country. It is hoped that a small group of highly visible, top leaders of the Christian churches will accept an invitation to be present at part of the gathering, so as to send a strong signal of reconcilaition and hope to the world.

Indonesia is a majority Moslem country (the largest in the world) with vibrant churches that make up for about 10% of the population and range from historic Protestant (Reformed, Lutheran, Methodist, Mennonite etc.) to Catholic, Evangelical, Pentecostal and Orthodox. In all, more than 320 denominations ! They are organised in four national bodies, the Catholic Bishops’ Conference, the Communion of Churches, the Fellowship of Pentecostal Churches and the Fellowship of Evangelical Churches and Organisations. All four have accepted enthusiastically to host the Global Forum Gathering and have agreed to setting up a local organizing committee. The GCF Committee and Secretariat are looking forward to the cooperation with the Indonesian church leaders.

The preparatory process for the gathering includes a consultation on the theme of "Major Trends and Changes in World Christianity" that will take place in Istanbul, Turkey in the last week of January 2011. It will bring together scholars, church leaders and members of the GCF Committtee. The consultation will help to develop two approaches to the issues at the gathering, one the telling of stories and reflecting on what is happening in the different regions of the world, the other the analytical reflection from the global perspective.

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