To commemorate the centenary of the 1925 Life and Work Conference in Stockholm, the Church Councils of Sweden hosted an Ecumenical Week in Stockholm from August 18-25. Rev. Dr. Kenneth Mtata, World Council of Churches (WCC) program director for life, justice, and peace, spoke on the panel on Ecumenical Diakonia.
The panel continued the work of the 1925 conference, which explored how Christianity could respond practically in the aftermath of the First World War and the moral decline brought about by industrialization.
"Diakonia today looks at how we meet the immediate needs of the people while also addressing the structural issues that cause people to live in injustice, struggle, poverty, and need," Mtata said in an interview with China Christian Daily after the event.
"Diakonia" is a Greek word used in the Bible to describe the service Christians offer in response to their faith. Mtata traced its development through history. In the book of Acts, the church was committed to the apostles' teaching, prayer, fellowship, and meeting people's needs—one reason the early church grew. When Constantine converted in the fourth century, diakonia was relegated to a lower level as priestly roles were elevated, but it remained a core identity of the church. Over the years, diakonia was used by some people to earn their right to become God's people, a practice critiqued by the Reformation in the 16th century.
During colonization, diakonia created a relationship of dependency in which missionaries acted as providers and locals as recipients. In the 1960s and 1970s, amid liberation struggles, many began to demand a more equitable relationship. The language of diakonia shifted from charity to transformation: instead of merely giving fish, the focus turned to helping people learn how to fish. Supporting the poor was no longer seen as an act of charity but of justice, since diakonia recognizes that poverty has underlying causes. Addressing those causes means confronting injustices and those who perpetuate them, making diakonia today a prophetic exercise.
"Prophets were not always safe," Mtata noted. "When the prophetic witness and action of the church become effective, they may cause some level of persecution if there are those resisting the improvement of life for the majority." He added that the goal is not to provoke persecution, but to empower people to transform their own lives. Still, prophetic diakonia, when faithfully practiced, sometimes brings conflict.
Mtata also reflected on the challenges faith-based organizations (FBOs) face, especially in the Global North. In Nordic countries and the US, FBOs receive government funding and are trusted to deliver development projects. While this cooperation worked smoothly when church and state goals aligned, it is now strained as political agendas shift. FBOs, he argued, must learn to advocate with their governments, insisting that aid be given without excessive conditions.
He suggested two lessons the North could learn from the South. First, practice "critical solidarity": cooperate with governments when possible, but also speak out against them when they do wrong. Second, empower ordinary Christians to serve directly. In the Global South, many grassroots initiatives meet people's needs, while in Europe, diakonia has largely been professionalized, leaving church members to contribute money but not actively engage in service.
Mtata gave examples from his home country, Zimbabwe, drawn from people who join his daily online Bible studies. Some visit prisons to care for inmates serving life sentences. A couple runs a rehabilitation program for young people struggling with drug addiction. One community built a small two-room house for a woman living alone who had been abused because her home was easily accessible.
While inspiring, these initiatives also have limitations, Mtata noted. They often operate in isolation without coordination, lack strategies for scaling up, and tend to remain one-off projects rather than sustained efforts. Moreover, they rarely address the root causes of the problems.
"Diakonia must become the church's self-understanding at the local level," he said in his panel speech. "These local efforts need to be connected and combined across different structures of society for scaling up and impact. I believe this is the future of prophetic diakonia."
For FBOs, the challenge of "speaking bilingual"—using both faith language and technical humanitarian language—remains. For decades, many European aid agencies downplayed their religious identity, but in the last ten years, they have realized that without it, they risk losing their constituency. "In my view, the future of Christianity depends on a diakonia that is not disconnected from our proclamation of the faith," Mtata said. "Diakonia in its fullness recognizes that human beings are not only physical. Their dignity must also include spiritual dignity."
He clarified that Christians do not serve people in order to convert them, but neither should they hide their motivation: "If we have an opportunity to talk to people, we can tell them why we are doing what we are doing."
He also urged FBOs to shift from competition to cooperation. While they may compete for funds, they are ultimately called to serve together for the common good, both globally and locally.
Looking at the wider context, Mtata identified three pressing challenges for ecumenical diakonia today. After World War II, nations agreed to uphold human dignity through rules and protections. That consensus is eroding, and lives are increasingly devalued. In the absence of such rules, the planet is treated as an unlimited resource, driven by an economic logic of endless growth rather than by meeting people's needs. The third is continued poverty. The rich accumulate wealth at an unprecedented speed, while the poor sink deeper into poverty just as rapidly.
"The story of the feeding of the 5,000 is always inspiring to me," Mtata said. "It was in the sharing of resources that transformation started. We have enough resources in the world; if God's people put them together, we can solve hunger, improve education, improve health, and address many of the challenges we face."
Dealing with these challenges, Mtata believes that the church is both a very potent catalyst and a big problem. Certain forms of Christianity encourage fatalism, teaching people to remain poor in expectation of heavenly riches, or promote prosperity teachings that replace hard work and education with promises of miraculous wealth. At times, governments also manipulate religious actors to support bad policies.
Yet the church can also play a powerful positive role. "We need to be driven by a commitment to abundant life for all people," Mtata said, pointing to John 10:10: "I have come that they may have life, and have it to the full." This equitable vision for development, he argued, should be included in preaching, songs, and Christian education.
Take Zimbabwe as an example, 80% of the population attends church, and an individual attends church at least twice a week. The church holds a unique opportunity to influence society by nurturing in its members a deep appreciation for justice and respect for the rule of law, and encouraging nonviolent approaches to pursuing these goals. Moreover, Mtata emphasized the importance of global solidarity among Christians.
"We need to be constantly connected to our source of life—God, the Father, Son, and Holy Spirit. This connection happens best in our moments of worship, and when it happens, we are sent out to meet the needs of our neighbors," said Mtata, recalling his most memorable moment during the ecumenical week. In collective worship, participants realized they are connected to a source of power that transcends them, which then sends them into the world to become sources of transformation.
