As-ian I-ntegral P-astoral A-pproach (AsIPA)

The Asian Bishops declared in the Final Statement of their Fifth Plenary Session in Bandung. The Church of 1990s has to be a "Participatory Church" a "Communion of Communities", a Church that “witnesses to the Risen Lord." (FABC5, . #8).

The question was, how to promote this "new way of being Church". Therefore, late in 1993, jointly sponsored by the FABC offices of Human Development and of Laity, a consultation meeting was held in Malaysia. It was during this consultation that the pastoral process for promoting a "Participatory Church' in Asia was termed AsIPA: Asian Integral Pastoral Approach.

AsIPA TEXTS (TRAINING PROGRAMMES) FOLLOW THIS DIRECTIVE:

ASIAN

They want to implement the vision of the Asian Bishops and help Asian Christians face Asian life in the light of the gospel.

INTEGRAL

They aim at achieving a balance between the "spiritual" and the "social", between the individual and the community, between hierarchical leadership and the co-responsibility or the laity.

PASTORAL

They train the laity in their pastoral mission in Church and world.

APPROACH

The process of AsIPA TEXTS can be described as a pastoral approach which Is "Christ and Community centred". It Involves the participants of workshops to search for themselves and allows them to experience a "New Way of being Church."