World Evangelical Alliance

The World Evangelical Alliance (WEA) is a global organization of evangelical Christian churches, serving more than 600 million evangelicals, founded in 1846 at Freemason Hall in London, England, United Kingdom to unite evangelicals worldwide. WEA is the largest international organization of evangelical churches. The headquarters is in Deerfield, Illinois. It brings together 7 regional and 135 evangelical alliances of churches, and over 150 member organizations. Some of the national alliances include Protestant churches which are not traditional Evangelical churches in the strict sense (anabaptism,[1] networks & church denominations). Moreover, the WEA includes a certain percentage of individual evangelical Christian churches. It is open for membership of individual evangelical Christians[2] (as compared to the World Council of Churches (WCC), where individual membership is not possible). The Evangelical Alliance[3] of the United Kingdom, its founding member, is part of WEA.

Not to be confused with Evangelical Alliance.
World Evangelical Alliance
ClassificationProtestant
OrientationEvangelical
LeaderBishop Efraim Tendero, Secretary General
Associations129 evangelical alliances
RegionWorldwide
HeadquartersDeerfield, Illinois
Origin1846
Members600 million
Official websiteworldea.org

Purpose

Its mission is to establish and strengthen regional and national Evangelical Alliances, who in turn enable their national Church to advance the Good News of Jesus Christ and effect personal and community transformation for the glory of God.

History

The organization has its origins in the Evangelical Alliance, a British organization founded in 1846.[4] In 1951, the World Evangelical Fellowship was founded by 21 countries at the first general assembly in Woudschoten (Zeist) in the Netherlands.[5][6] In 2001, after the General Assembly in Kuala Lumpur, WEF became the World Evangelical Alliance.[7] As of 2005, the WEA was experiencing a collegiate management under the leadership of its Canadian leader, Geoff Tunnicliffe. Offices were opened in Vancouver, Canada (Leadership), San Francisco (Information Technology), Washington (Publications), and Geneva (International Relations). As of 2010, the central office is in New York, United States [8]

Beliefs

The Alliance has an Evangelical confession of faith. [9]

Leadership

The WEA is headed by a Secretary-General whose function is to administer and represent the Alliance. Efraim Tendero, born in Philippines, is the Secretary-General since March 1, 2015.[10][11]

List of former leaders

This list contains the former leaders of the WEA since 1951.[12]

  • Roy Cattell (United Kingdom) and J. Elwin Wright (United States), co-secretaries, (1951-1953)
  • A.J. Dain (United Kingdom) and J. Elwin Wright (United States), co-secretaries, (1953-1958)
  • Fred Ferris (United States), International Secretary, United States, (1958-1962)
  • Gilbert Kirby (United Kingdom), International Secretary, (1962-1966)
  • Dennis Clark (Canada), International Secretary, (1966-1970)
  • Gordon Landreth (United Kingdom), interim International Secretary, (1970-1971)
  • Clyde Taylor (United States), International Secretary, (1971-1975)
  • Waldron Scott, (United States) General Secretary, (1975-1980)
  • Wade Coggins, (United States) Interim General Secretary, (1981)
  • David M. Howard, International Director (1982-1992)
  • Agustin Vencer, International Director (1992-2001)
  • Gary Edmonds, Secretary General (2002-2004)
  • Geoff Tunnicliffe, Secretary General (2005–2014)[13]
  • Efraim Tendero, Secretary General (2015–present) [14]

Commissions

In 1974, the WEA creates 6 commissions to better achieve its mandates. [15][16]

  • Theological Commission

Function: Reflect on issues of evangelical theology, and the important issues concerning the churches and society in the world.[17]

  • Missions Commission

Function: Coordinate activities of evangelism and Christian humanitarianism.[18][19]

  • Religious Liberty Commission

Function: Monitor religious freedom in the world and participate in the defense of persecuted Christians. In the United Nations, the Commission shall field observation reports.[20]

  • Women's Commission

Function: Identify and address the special needs of women. The commission works with advocacy organizations women's rights.[21]

  • Youth Commission

Function: Equipping children for their development and protect their rights.[22]

  • IT Commission

Function: Sharing knowledge on Information technology and promote the quality of Christian websites.[23]

Membership

The World Evangelical Alliance embraces member-bodies whose identity and vocation are rooted in historic biblical Christianity. WEA affirms and seeks the biblical unity of Christ's body, the Church, celebrating the diversity of practices and theological emphases consistent with the WEA Statement of Faith,[24] recognizing the existing dynamic tension between unity and diversity.

There are five types of membership, each with its distinct qualifications and responsibilities:

  • Regional & National Alliances are regional evangelical fellowships and their national fellowships/alliances.
  • Global Partners are independently incorporated organizations which work in harmony with WEA structures and serving the WEA constituency.
  • Associate Members are independently incorporated organizations with their own specific ministries and accountability, an international scope of ministry, and the capacity and authority to serve in and beyond the WEA community.
  • Church Networks & Denominations are networks of churches (located in one or a number of countries), in agreement with the Statement of Faith and objectives of the World Evangelical Alliance.
  • It is open for individual membership of evangelical Christians.[2]

General Assemblies

A General Assembly takes place every six years in a country that differs depending on the year.[25] It is a time of healing and gathering for national alliances and associations.[26] It allows the execution of administrative procedures and the training of leaders of each country. The last General Assembly was to be held in 2014 in Seoul in South Korea, but was postponed to a later date.[27]

Publications

There are two quarterly publications: a journal Evangelical Review of Theology (published on behalf by Paternoster Periodicals since 1977) and a newsletter Theological News (since 1969). Books are published occasionally.[29]

Global engagements

Development

The fight against poverty is a major concern of the WEA.[30] Publications and meetings of the Alliance are the means used to influence and inspire development initiatives and actions humanitarian in churches, NGOs and political.[31] It is the origin of the Micah Challenge, an initiative to educate Christians and promote decision making among leaders.[32]

Ecumenical Participation

On June 5, 2010, Geoff Tunnicliffe, the International Director of the WEA, appeared alongside the leaders of the Pontifical Council for Promoting Christian Unity and the World Council of Churches (WCC) in a press conference, entitled “Christian unity today”, at the Edinburgh 2010 Conference. The gathering marked the centennial of the 1910 World Missionary Conference.[33] In the same year, on 17 October 2010, Olav Fykse Tveit, the general secretary of the WCC, gave an invited address to the 3rd International Congress of the Lausanne Movement.[34] In the address he said, "we are called to participate in the one mission of God".[34] The World Evangelical Alliance, Geoff Tunnicliffe, the International Director and other WEA leaders were involved at each level in the development of the programme, and helped choose its participants.[35] In May 2014 the Lausanne International Student Ministry Global Leadership Network became a "docked network" with the WEA's Mission Commission.[36]

On 22 January 2015, the WCC and WEA announced plans for closer cooperation, worship and witness.[37][38] In the same year, in June 2015, the WEA reported that discussions with the Pontifical Council for Promoting Christian Unity were finalised, and that "the open questions of the 16th century are almost answered".[39] The WEA representatives also reported that "still open is the question to what extend [sic] evangelical Christians who stem from the reformation churches have full access to salvation according to the catholic view".[39]

On May 24, 2017, the WEA participated in a two-day Global Christian Forum meeting with the World Council of Churches, officials from the Vatican and Eastern Orthodox Churches, and the Pentecostal World Federation to facilitate moves 'towards greater oneness in Christ'.[40] The meeting was held at the WCC's Bossey Ecumenical Institute.[41] Some criticism was voiced of the WEA for lack of consultation about this move, the absence of regional and national discussion, or a vote of the General Assembly prior to the meeting.[42]

Criticism

Neglect of the suffering church in China

The WEA was criticised for its positive assessment of the situation of the churches in China, after meeting with government approved representatives in 2009. China Aid and Church in Chains claimed, "There are many Christians in China who are not free to worship, do not have Bibles of their own and are not free to organise their own affairs and this situation is not mentioned in your press release… our concern is that you have turned your back on these brothers and sisters."[43][44] One exemplary case of abuse, that of the imprisoned Uyghur Christian, Alimujiang Yimiti, was raised in the criticism, but the WEA did not respond in detail.[43][44]

See also

References
  1. http://www.worldevangelicals.org/members/churchnetworks_denominations.htm
  2. "Join", Members, World evangelicals.
  3. EAUK.
  4. William A. Dyrness, Veli-Matti Kärkkäinen, Global Dictionary of Theology: A Resource for the Worldwide Church, InterVarsity Press, USA, 2009, p. 950.
  5. Roger E. Olson, The Westminster Handbook to Evangelical Theology, Westminster John Knox Press , UK, 2004, p. 100.
  6. Brian Stanley, The Global Diffusion of Evangelicalism: The Age of Billy Graham and John Stott, InterVarsity Press, USA, 2013, p. 73.
  7. Lewis, Donald M.; Pierard, Richard V. (2014), Global Evangelicalism: Theology, History & Culture in Regional Perspective, USA: InterVarsity Press, p. 114.
  8. At the United Nations, USA: WEA, retrieved August 11, 2015.
  9. World Evangelical Alliance, Statement of Faith, worldea.org, USA, retrieved April 17, 2020
  10. Anugrah Kumar, World Evangelical Alliance Inaugurates Filipino Bishop Efraim Tendero as New Secretary General Newspaper The Christian Post, USA, February 21, 2015
  11. Manila Times, Bishop Tendero voted new WEA head, Newspaper Manila Times, Philippines, January 26, 2015
  12. WEA, History, WEA's website, USA, accessed August 11, 2015
  13. JEREMY WEBER, christianitytoday.com, Head of World Evangelical Alliance Will Step Down for 'Younger Leadership', USA, MARCH 07, 2014
  14. http://www.worldea.org/whoweare/leadership/efraim-tendero World Evangelical Association website
  15. Brian Stiller, Evangelicals Around the World: A Global Handbook for the 21st Century, Thomas Nelson Publishing, USA, 2015, page 214
  16. Norman E. Thomas, " Missions and Unity: Lessons from History, 1792-2010", USA, Wipf and Stock Publishers, 2010, pages 137-138
  17. WEA, Introduction, WEA's website, USA, accessed August 11, 2015
  18. WEA, Who We Are WEA's website, USA Accessed August 11, 2015
  19. Richard Tiplady, One World Or Many?: The Impact of Globalisation on Mission, William Carey Library, USA, 2003, page 6
  20. WEA, Introduction, WEA's website, USA, accessed August 11, 2015
  21. WEA, Introduction, WEA's website, USA, consulted August 11, 2015
  22. WEA, Introduction Official WebWEA's website, USA, accessed August 11, 2015
  23. WEA, Introduction, WEA's website, USA, accessed August 11, 2015
  24. "Statement of Faith", Who we are, WEA.
  25. Brian Stiller, Evangelicals Around the World: A Global Handbook for the 21st Century, Thomas Nelson Publishing, USA, 2015, page 213
  26. Patrice de Plunkett, ""Les évangéliques à la conquête du monde", Editions Perrin, France, 2009, page 93
  27. WEA, WEA Announces Postponement of Upcoming General Assembly, WEA's website, USA, 11 February 2014
  28. Leonardo Blair, World Evangelical Alliance announces plans to strengthen, expand network for spiritual awakening, christianpost.com, USA, November 8, 2019
  29. "Publications". WEA Theological Commission. Retrieved October 1, 2016.
  30. Ronald J. Sider, Diane Knippers, 'Toward an Evangelical Public Policy: Political Strategies for the Health of the Nation, USA, Baker Books, 2005, page 242
  31. Matthew Clarke, "Handbook of Research on Development and Religion", Australia, Edward Elgar Publishing, 2013, pages 426-427
  32. Bruce Ellis Benson, Peter Goodwin Heltzel, Evangelicals and Empire: Christian Alternatives to the Political Status Quo, Brazos Press, USA, 2008, page 76
  33. "Ecumenism helps Catholics move beyond a 'theology of exclusion'". Ekklesia website. 2010-06-10. Archived from the original on 2010-06-09. Retrieved 2015-02-24.
  34. "Greetings to the 3rd Lausanne Congress for World Evangelization". World Council of Churches website. 2010-10-17. Archived from the original on 2013-08-28. Retrieved 2015-02-23.
  35. "Cape Town 2010 FAQS". Lausanne Cape Town Conference 2010. 2011. Archived from the original on August 7, 2011. Retrieved 2015-02-23.CS1 maint: unfit url (link)
  36. Chinn, Leiton Edward; Chinn, Lisa Espineli (April 2016). "Agents of Diaspora Missions in and from the Academic World". In Tira, Sadiri Joy; Yamamori, Tetsunao (eds.). Scattered and Gathered: A Global Compendium of Diaspora Missiology. Wipf & Stock. pp. 228–241. ISBN 978-1498296670.
  37. "WEA and WCC representatives explore possibilities of working together". World Council of Churches website. 2015-01-22. Archived from the original on 2015-02-23. Retrieved 2015-02-23.
  38. "WEA and WCC Representatives Explore Possibilities of Working Together". WEA website. 2015-01-22. Archived from the original on 2015-01-25. Retrieved 2015-02-23.
  39. "Evangelicals Finalise Pontifical Council Dialogue" (PDF). WEA website, WEA Theological News. 2015-06-01. Archived (PDF) from the original on 2015-10-23. Retrieved 2015-12-26.
  40. "Historic meeting to support the Global Christian Forum". Ecumenical Patriarchate Permanent Delegation To The World Council Of Churches. 2017-05-29. Archived from the original on 2017-08-30. Retrieved 2019-04-07.
  41. ""Greater Oneness in Christ" focus of dialogue at historic meeting in Bossey". World Council Of Churches. 2017-05-27. Archived from the original on 2019-04-07. Retrieved 2019-04-07.
  42. ""Greater Oneness in Christ": What Does it Mean?". Reformanda Initiative. 2017-09-01. Archived from the original on 2019-04-07. Retrieved 2019-04-07.
  43. "China: Growing Criticism of WEA "misleading" statement". Church in Chains. 2010-01-08. Archived from the original on 2015-02-25. Retrieved 2015-02-25.
  44. "ChinaAid Responds to World Evangelical Alliance's Statement on their Visit to China". ChinaAid. 2009-12-20. Archived from the original on 2015-02-25. Retrieved 2015-02-25. Alt URL
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