Robert K. Welsh began his presidency of the Council in January of 1999. He had proven himself an able leader among Disciples as a successful president of the Church Finance Council and Associate General Minister. He was both well-formed and well-connected in ecumenical service through his work on the staff of both the Commission on Faith and Order of the World Council of Churches (1974-1976) and as the Associate Ecumenical Officer for the Disciples Council on Christian Unity from 1976-1988. In his first eleven years in office, Dr. Welsh has broadened the ecumenical agenda of the Disciples to include launching official dialogue among the churches of the Stone-Campbell Movement, resourcing Disciples for interfaith engagement, and giving leadership to a churchwide initiative in “becoming a multicultural and inclusive community” as a benchmark of our unity in Christ.
In 2016, with his retirement, the board elected him as the President-Emeritus of the Council.
Robert K. Welsh, President of the Council on Christian Unity, 1999-2016