Dr Geoff Tunnicliffe stepped down from the helm of the World Evangelical Alliance in December 2014 after 10 years. But he's not hanging up his coat any time soon. Aside from a few weeks with the family on vacation in New Zealand this month, it's straight onto the next project for this formidable evangelical leader.

And that next project is media, as he gets started with his new role as Chairman of the Board of Advisors at the Christian Media Corporation, an international group of Christian online publications. It's not a position he accepted on a whim but a decision deeply rooted in his conviction that Christian media has a crucial role to play in shaping opinions and educating people about the Christian faith.

2015 had barely started when the Charlie Hebdo terrorist attack in Paris reminded the world once again of the brutal forces at work on the international scene, and how fragile peace and security really are. But there are challenges within the global church too, and evangelicals in particular are having to confront unprecedented divisions over issues that until very recently unified and even defined them.

It's within this context that Dr Tunnicliffe believes Christian online media is in an unparalleled position to help people both inside and outside the church make sense of the Christian faith and the world around them.

"We live in an age, a time when media is so powerfully used for good and for evil," he says.

Over the course of a decade as Secretary General of the WEA, Dr Tunnicliffe travelled the world, meeting leaders in the spheres of politics, finance, social justice and the church. Now, as he moves into the next chapter of his ministry, he wants to use media to connect what people are doing on the ground for good with those who need to know, and engage both sides in "making a difference for the world and for the Kingdom of God".

Christian media "can give practical ideas for how we can help people around the world work together for the common good, for all, in ways that are truly going to help and make a difference in people's lives," he said.

But part of his work in Christian media is also about addressing Bible poverty and the misunderstandings that prevail around the Christian faith.

"We need to take this opportunity to use media to communicate a positive message about what Christianity is really all about and how our lives can be transformed, how Christians can work together for the common good," he said.

For Dr Tunnicliffe that means harnessing all the platforms that people are now using to relax, learn, connect, and live out large parts of their lives.

"I think we have an opportunity to build understanding about the Christian faith," he continued.

"Where people access information today tends to be digital media, films, television, we need to be involved in all these areas communicating the message that we've been given, the values we've been entrusted with that come from the Scriptures."

But there is another vital aspect of media that Dr Tunnicliffe wants Christians to seize upon and that is its huge potential to reach the unreached. Nearly four billion people live in the 10/40 Window, an area covering 69 countries across northern Africa, the Middle East and Central Asia, many of which are hostile to the Gospel and evangelism. And for Christians in remote communities, the internet might be the only connection they have to other believers.

"I think there's an incredible opportunity here," said Dr Tunnicliffe.

"Media can go in places. It can go into people's apartments, offices, into countries around the world where there are little or no churches and it opens up a whole realm of possibilities. And I think one of the challenges is that we've got to do it well."

And doing it well is what Dr Tunnicliffe wants to support through his efforts in Christian media over the coming years.

"It was a tremendous privilege to serve as the Secretary General of the WEA for 10 years," he reflects.

"I developed great relationships and had impactful experiences. Now, how do I steward those best, those relationships and friendships, to make a better world?

"What I really want to do over the next number of years is work with friends and leaders around the world to make a big difference in the big issues that really matter."