The World Evangelical Alliance (WEA) General Assembly has brought together one of the most globally diverse gatherings in the evangelical movement, uniting 850 participants from 124 nations in Seoul, South Korea, from 27 to 31 October.
Opening the week-long event, Rev. Dr. Goodwill Shana, Executive Chair of the WEA, delivered a powerful message calling the worldwide Church to unity, diversity, and shared mission. Speaking before hundreds of delegates and local pastors attending a parallel Korean conference, he urged believers to “shine as one light” amid growing division and darkness in the world.
“Of all the words God could have spoken to begin creation, He chose light,” Dr. Shana said, reflecting on Genesis 1:3. “Light was God’s first missionary, it travels, reveals, and transforms. When we shine together as evangelicals, we continue that same missionary purpose.”
Using the image of light passing through a prism, Shana compared the global evangelical movement to a radiant beam made up of many colours. “Each colour is distinct, yet together they form one light,” he said. “So it is with the body of Christ, evangelicals united for global transformation.”
According to Dr. Brad Smith, WEA’s Director of Alliance Engagement and media spokesperson, the assembly mirrors the changing face of world Christianity. “Seventy percent of Christians today are from the southern and eastern parts of the world, and 71% of those gathered here represent those same regions,” he told journalists during a press briefing on 28 October.
Of the 850 delegates, 36% came from Asia and 21% from Africa, with further representation from Europe (12%), North America (17%), the South Pacific (3%), the Middle East and North Africa (3%), Central Asia (1.5%), and the Caribbean (1.5%).
Smith added that the average age of participants was 45, reflecting a younger generation of evangelical leaders. “That’s much younger than we’ve seen in past assemblies,” he said. “It’s encouraging to see how God is moving through new generations.”
Africa sent 182 participants from 29 countries, including Kenya, Burundi, Rwanda, South Africa, and Cameroon. Asia’s 299 participants came from 21 nations, with India, Pakistan, the Philippines, Nepal, and Singapore sending the largest groups.
Smith described the WEA as a “global family” built on the strength of its national alliances. “Our purpose is to equip and support national evangelical alliances, who in turn serve local churches and believers,” he said. “We are serving those on the front lines of the gospel, helping them present, proclaim, and demonstrate Christ in every sphere of society.”
He emphasised that the General Assembly is more than a conference. “It’s a family gathering,” he explained. “Delegates are working together to strengthen their national alliances so they can better represent the gospel in their nations.”
Dr. Shana reminded participants that unity in the gospel does not erase diversity but amplifies it. “Unity does not remove diversity; it reveals purpose and power,” he said. “When light is focused, it becomes a laser beam that can cut through steel. When the Church is united, it can cut through the strongholds of division and darkness.”
He connected this vision to spiritual and social renewal, urging the global Church to address poverty, injustice, and conflict through gospel-centred unity. “When a nation is united in the gospel, it begins to heal the issues that cause disharmony,” he said.
Recalling Acts 2, Shana said the gathering in Seoul echoes the early Church’s moment of unity and mission. “When believers from every nation gathered in Jerusalem in one accord, the Holy Spirit descended. Many languages became one message, and many cultures became one character.”
He concluded by encouraging participants to let God’s light shine through their lives and communities. “Whatever light you have, whatever background God has given you, let it shine in word, in deed, in unity, and in love,” he said. “In a world filled with darkness, let our light shine with grace, so that people may glorify our Father in heaven.”
Adapted from CDI.
