Rev. Dr. Goodwill Shana, Executive Chair of the World Evangelical Alliance (WEA), opened the first day of the WEA General Assembly in Seoul with a stirring message on unity, diversity, and the mission of the global Church. Speaking during a joint session with hundreds of Korean pastors gathered for a parallel conference, Shana urged believers worldwide to “shine as one light” in a world marked by division and darkness.
“We are seeing something beautiful unfolding in Korea,” Shana said, commending the collaboration among Korean evangelical leaders and churches that helped host the assembly. “There is greater unity and greater coming together of the evangelical church.”
Preaching from Genesis 1:3 — “And God said, Let there be light” — Shana reflected on how light symbolizes the presence, revelation, and transforming power of God. “Of all the words God could have spoken to begin creation, He chose light,” he said. “When God said, ‘Let there be light,’ He was revealing His nature. The Bible tells us that God is light, and to begin this project called Earth, He began with Himself.”
Shana described light as “God’s first missionary,” one that travels, reveals, and transforms. “It brings clarity where there was confusion and life where there was emptiness,” he said. “When we shine together as evangelicals — 161 national alliances represented in the WEA — we continue that same missionary purpose.”
Using the image of light passing through a prism, Shana likened the global evangelical movement to a spectrum of colors forming one radiant beam. “Although light appears to be one thing, when it passes through a prism it reveals many colors,” he said. “Each color is distinct, yet together they form one light. So it is with the body of Christ.”
Representatives from around 125 countries were present in Seoul for the General Assembly, reflecting the diversity that Shana described. “We see people from Latin America, Oceania, Africa, the Middle East, and Europe — all these colors of the light of the gospel,” he said. “Our vision as the World Evangelical Alliance is evangelicals united for global transformation. We are one light in Christ, yet we shine through many colors, cultures, and languages.”
Shana emphasized that unity does not erase diversity but amplifies its impact. “Unity does not remove diversity; it reveals purpose and power,” he said. “When light is focused, it can cut through steel. When the Church in Korea is united, it will become a laser beam that cuts through the steel issues that the enemy has built in this nation.”
He linked the idea to social and spiritual transformation, noting that unity in the gospel enables the Church to confront challenges such as poverty, injustice, and division. “When a nation is united in the gospel, it begins to deal with the issues that cause disharmony,” he said. “When all of us begin to shine, the gospel will touch everyone.”
Recalling the birth of the early Church in Acts 2, Shana said the WEA gathering mirrored that moment when believers from many nations spoke in one Spirit. “When believers from every nation gathered in Jerusalem in one accord, the Holy Spirit descended,” he said. “Many languages became one message, many cultures became one character, and the gospel was born to spread across the world.”
He drew a connection between that biblical unity and the modern-day mission of the WEA. “Whenever diversity found harmony, heaven was moved and history on earth was changed,” he said. “We need the Church to demonstrate that picture in a world breaking apart from disunity.”
In his closing exhortation, Shana challenged delegates and pastors to let their light shine through their own culture, language, and community. “Whatever light you have, whatever background God has allowed you to come through, if you allow His light to shine, there will be victory for the Church,” he said.
“Our calling is to let that light shine — in word, in deed, in unity, in love,” he continued. “In a world filled with darkness and hate, let it shine in grace. When our light shines, people will not glorify us, but our Father in heaven.”
