The World Council of Churches [WCC] is a fellowship of 349 Christian denominations representing all inhabited geographical regions of the earth. The council began to be organized in the late 1930s, but World War II (1939–1945) delayed its formal inauguration until 1948. Its principal purpose is as a forum for dialogue and cooperation among member churches and their partners in other churches, faiths, and agencies. Primary programmatic emphases include theological discussions, mission and evangelism, peace and justice, ecological integrity, the role of churches in international affairs, and interreligious relationships.

The preponderance of WCC member churches are Protestant, Orthodox, Anglican, or Old Catholic. Several Pentecostal bodies have joined the WCC in recent decades. The Roman Catholic Church is not a member of the WCC, but relations between ...