Olav Fykse Tveit (born 24 November 1960) is a Norwegian Lutheran theologian. He was elected to the post of general secretary of the World Council of Churches on 27 August 2009. He entered office on 1 January 2010, for a proposed term of five years.

Olav Fykse Tveit is general secretary of the World Council of Churches as from 1 January 2010, replacing the Rev. Samuel Kobia. He is an ordained pastor in the Church of Norway and has also served as a parish priest in Haram, Møre Diocese, 1988–91 and as an army chaplain during his compulsory year of national service in 1987-88. He was secretary for the Church of Norway Doctrinal Commission, 1999–2000, and Church-State Relations, 2001-02. From 2002 to 2009, Tveit was the general secretary of the Church of Norway Council on Ecumenical and International Relations. He was elected as the seventh general secretary of the World Council of Churches (WCC) in August 2009 during its Central Committee meeting. Tveit is the youngest general secretary since Willem Visser 't Hooft, who had led the WCC while it was in process of formation and following its founding assembly in 1948.

Tveit holds a Master in Theology (Candidate Theologiea) from the Norwegian School of Theology/Menighetsfakultetet (NST/MF), Oslo, and a doctorate in theology from the NST/MF, 2002. His doctorate is titled "Mutual Accountability as Ecumenical Attitude".

Tveit is a member of the WCC Faith and Order Plenary Commission, co-chair of the WCC Palestine Israel Ecumenical Forum core group, a member of the board of directors and executive committee of the Christian Council of Norway, moderator of the Church of Norway - Islamic Council of Norway contact group and also of the Jewish Congregation contact group. He is also a member of the Inter-Faith Council of Norway and a member of the board of trustees of Norwegian Church Aid.

[September 2016]

Source: Wikipedia