Evangelicals have gathered in the South Korean capital of Seoul this week to strategize for world evangelization ahead of 2033 - the year when the global church will join in celebrating 2,000 years since the Lord’s coming.
The six-yearly WGA of the World Evangelical Alliance (WEA) opened on Monday morning and will bring evangelicals from around the world together for five days of vision-setting and discussions around the most pressing issues facing evangelicals today.
Incoming Secretary General of the WEA, Rev Botrus Mansour, cited John 17:21 as he called on delegates to live out the commandment of Jesus to “be one”.
“We are diverse in lots of things - different languages, difficult cultures, different mentalities - but … the barrier wall has been demolished and we are one in Christ so let's celebrate that at this conference … working together in order to fulfil the commission the Lord has given us,” he said.
The WEA has members across 165 countries and nine continents. Thousands of them are meeting this week at SaRang Church in Seoul, South Korea, under the theme of “the Gospel for everyone by 2033”.
Rev Dr Goodwill Shana, Chair of the WEA’s International Council, said it was a “very significant” gathering and a time to “re-imagine the WEA” as it gets ready for 2033.
He remarked on the growth of evangelicals around the world since the last WGA in 2019, from 140 million at that time to around 161 million now.
“I think we need to celebrate that,” he said, adding that he hoped the gathering would “launch us to the next dimension of the WEA”.
Godfrey Yogarajah, Chairman of the Asian Evangelical Alliance, said the WGA was “a landmark moment for the global evangelical community” to “strengthen the church, deepen fellowship and extend Christlike love worldwide”.
“This gathering offers us a unique opportunity to learn, to pray for strategic partnerships, and renew our commitment to mission empowered by the Holy Spirit,” he said.
Earlier in the opening ceremony, Dr Seble Daniel, head of the WEA’s Women’s Commission, issued an appeal for greater inclusion and recognition of women, saying that in some places the Church was “excluding” them and “denying them the space to serve as God equipped them”.
“He has torn down the wall; we must not rebuild it,” she said, adding that the Church should work to “break barriers of tribe, class, denomination and gender”.
“The Gospel must not only be preached but seen - seen in how we treat one another, seen in how we serve, forgive and love,” she said.
“Let us live the Gospel, not by standing above one another but standing together in love, humility and service.”
Rev Dr Jyung-Hun Oh, Senior Pastor of SaRang Church, warmly welcomed the WEA to his church, saying he was hopeful “we are going to see a turning point and a new chapter” for world evangelicalism.
Over the course of the week, delegates will hear about challenges and opportunities, including the impact of AI and other emerging technologies, the rapid growth of evangelicals in Africa, progress on a new evangelical Christian centre in Qatar, and reaching non-believers in urban contexts.
Guest speakers include Purpose Driven Life author Rick Warren and evangelist Rev Dr Stephen Tong.
