The World Student Christian Federation (WSCF) is a federation of autonomous national Christian student organizations forming the youth and student arm of the global ecumenical movement.
In 2025, it has 117 affiliated student groups in 94 countries and 2 million members. Its headquarters are located in Geneva, Switzerland.
Contents
History
The Federation was founded in 1895 at a meeting of Christian student leaders from ten North American and European countries at Vadstena Castle in Sweden. American missionary leader of The Student Volunteer Movement for Foreign Missions and the Young Men's Christian Association, John R. Mott, would serve as WSCF General Secretary from 1895-1920, before becoming chairperson of the WSCF from 1920-1928. Mott travelled widely, helping establish Student Christian Movements around the world to develop young leaders for the emerging national churches that were beginning to seek independence from foreign mission sending agencies. Many of these young leaders also took prominent roles in national independence struggles against colonialism.
In 1910, the Cambridge Inter-Collegiate Christian Union (CICCU) split from the Student Christian Movement of Great Britain, due to disagreement with the SCM's move towards ecumenism and endorsement of new methods of biblical exegesis. In 1928, CICCU influenced the founding of the Inter-Varsity Fellowship.
The WSCF newsletter Federation News started in 1921 and is published twice a year. The WSCF journal Student World was begun in 1908 but has had a broken history of publication.
In 1968, the Federation formed six regional committees which became largely autonomous in 1972: Africa, Asia-Pacific, Europe, Latin America and the Caribbean, Middle East, and North America.
The global WSCF historical archives are held at Yale Divinity School Library, along with the archives of the Trustees of the World Student Christian Federation, Inc., and related US Student Christian Movements (SCMs), along with the personal papers of many WSCF and SCM leaders, including John R. Mott, Ruth Harris, Margaret Flory, Bruce Rigdon, and Alice Hageman.
Beliefs
It holds Progressive Christian beliefs and studies various social justice issues, including trade justice, gender equality, globalization, racism, violence, war, HIV/AIDS, poverty, human rights, and ecology.
Some national member organizations, such as the Student Christian Movement of Canada, Student Christian Movement of Great Britain, Student Christian Movement of the Philippines, and Australian Student Christian Movement support the inclusion of LGBTQ people.
Structure and activities
WSCF globally
The General Assembly (GA) is the highest decision making body of the Federation. WSCF's GA is held approximately every four years.
The GA is made up of representatives from all affiliated and associated movements. The GA reviews the previous four years, plans for the next four years and elects the Executive Committee, Chairperson, Vice-Chairpersons, Treasurer and General Secretary.
The Executive Committee and staff (General Secretary and Regional Secretaries) co-ordinate the Federation's activities between General Assemblies. The Executive Committee has met in Zambia, Indonesia and Sicily.
The General Secretary is based in the Inter-Regional Office (IRO) in Geneva, Switzerland. The IRO is in the Ecumenical Centre which also houses the World Council of Churches, the World Alliance of Reformed Churches, the Lutheran World Federation, the Ecumenical Advocacy Alliance, the Conference of European Churches, Ecumenical News International, Action by Churches Together International, and many other organisations.
The IRO organises the General Assembly and Executive Committee, the IRO staff is the secretariat for WSCF's endowment The Centennial Fund. The IRO administers WSCF's income, salaries and fundraising and co-ordinates global WSCF programmes, the IRO administers the Ecumenical Assistance Programme, the Universal Day of Prayer for Students, produces Federation News and Student World maintains contact with national movements and Senior Friends and organises WSCF representation at meetings of the United Nations, UNESCO, World Council of Churches and other organisations.
General Secretaries of WSCF
John R. Mott (USA) 1895-1920
Team: Suzanne Bidgrain, Henry-Louis Henriod, C.D. Hurrey, Ruth Rouse, Margaret Wrong 1920-1924
Henry-Louis Henriod 1924-1928
Team: S.K. Datta, Henry-Louis Henriod, Conrad Hoffman, P.C.Hsu (Xu Baoqian), Walter Kotschnig, W.A. Visser 't Hooft 1928-1932
Willem Visser t' Hooft (Netherlands) 1932-1938
Robert C. Mackie (Scotland) 1938-1948
Philippe Maury 1949-1961
Valdo Galland 1961-1968
Risto Lehtonen (Finland) 1968–1972
Feliciano Cariño (Philippines)1973-1977
Emidio Campi (Italy)1977-1984
Manuel Quintero 1984-1986
Christine Ledger (Australia) and Manuel Quintero (Cuba)1986-1990
Clarissa Balan (Philippines) and Jean-Claude Deteil (France) 1990-1995
Clarissa Balan (Philippines) and & Kwanga Mabuluki (Zambia)1995-2000
Beate Fagerli (Norway) and Lawrence Nana Brew (Ghana)2000-2004
Michael Wallace (Aotearoa New Zealand) 2004-2010
Christine Housel (USA) 2011-2015
Chairpersons of the WSCF
1895-1920 Karl Fries
1920-1928 John R. Mott
1928-1938 Francis P. Miller
1938-1948 W. A. Visser 't Hooft
1949-1953 Robert Mackie
1953-1960 D.T. (Daniel) Niles
1960-1968 Philip Potter
1968-1972 Richard Shaull
1973-1978 Mercy Oduyoye
1978-1981 Berkeley Yebio
1982-1986 Juan Antonio Franco
1986-1990 Paulose Mar Paulose
1991-1995 Marshall Fernando
1995-1997 Deborah Spini
1997-1999 Wong Wai Ching
1999-2004 Ejike Okoro
2004-2008 Kenneth J. Guest
2008-2015 Horatio Mesones
2016-2020 Georgine Kegne Djeutane
2021-2025 Geevarghese Mor Coorilos
WSCF Regions
Until the 1960s, the WSCF was centralized in Geneva. This shifted in 1972, when the Federation divided into six regional offices with Geneva remaining as an inter-regional office. Each region has a regional secretary, officers and a committee made up of representatives from the national movements in the region. Each region has its own programmes and publications. The regions nominate students to participate in global WSCF programmes and other activities. Each region has two representatives on WSCF's global Executive Committee. The six regions are Africa, Asia-Pacific, Europe, Latin America and Caribbean, Middle East, and North America. The regional offices are in Nairobi, Hong Kong, Trento, Buenos Aires, Beirut and New York.
National Student Christian Movements
WSCF's ecumenical work operates at a national level through the Student Christian Movement (SCM). Each national SCM has ties to the ecumenical bodies such as the World Council of Churches, and other national ecumenical organizations such as the National Council of Churches in Australia and the Christian Conference of Asia.
National SCMs include the Student Christian Movement of Great Britain, Student Christian Movement of the Philippines, Student Christian Movement of Canada, and Indonesian Christian Student Movement.
Related organisations
World Council of Churches
YMCA
YWCA
World University Service
Notable members
Raoul Allier
Bishop George Bell
Steve Biko
Dietrich Bonhoeffer
Bishop Charles Brent
Charlotte Bunch 1944- US Feminist scholar/activist
Inga-Brita Castrén (Finnish theologian, Secretary to Africa 1959-1962)
Suzanne de Dietrich
Charles Gruass
Willem Visser 't Hooft (First General Secretary of the World Council of Churches)
Bishop Penny Jamieson
Samuel Kobia (Sixth General Secretary of the World Council of Churches)
James Lawson (activist) 1928-2024 US Civil Rights organizer, Methodist Pastor
Hannes Lilje
Jürgen Moltmann
Edouard Chivambo Mondlane (President of FRELIMO)
John R. Mott (Nobel Peace Prize 1946)
Pierre Maury
Bishop Lesslie Newbigin
Martin Niemöller
Kwame Nkrumah
Mwalimu Julius Nyerere