On September 23, 2026, the World Evangelical Alliance (WEA) and its extensive network of leaders, volunteers, and supporters celebrated online the 180th anniversary the global alliance present in 160 countries, organized into nine regional alliances serving 650 million evangelicals.
Hundreds of participants from over 20 countries participated during two separate Zoom events (due to time zone differences). The WEA Secretary General, Rev. Botrus Mansour, opened each gathering, emphasizing the importance of an alliance.
“There is always a tension between the desire to follow this call to unity and our natural evangelical tendency to act according to our own convictions and conscience, and this has intensified with the addition of diverse cultures and strong national identities. But we continue today by the grace of God in humility, celebrating our diversity on the one hand, yet knowing that what unites us is much more, and we need one another,”
“His banner over me is love.”
He noted that the alliance’s members are independent evangelicals who have voluntarily agreed to work and fellowship together. Mansour used a popular hymn to illustrate what unites them, citing “His banner over me is love.”
Following the screening of a video created to celebrate the history of the WEA, which began at an 1846 meeting of 50 evangelical leaders from around the world, Rev. Dr. Chris Wright, Director of International Ministries at Langham Partnership International, shared some insights about John Stott, Langham Partnership's founder, who was an extremely important figure for the WEA.
“He became very much a part of its history, very supportive of it, deeply involved in the theological work the WEA has done over the years, and I’m sure he was a speaker at many of those conferences.”
Brian C. Stiller, former president of the Evangelical Fellowship of Canada (EFC) and a global ambassador for the WEA since 2011, spoke about the events of the past 180 years in the evangelical movement and the significance of the WEA’s founding.
“The moment was not accidental; it came on the tide of the first great awakenings, when the Spirit had moved across the English-speaking world with a force that ignored normal ecclesiastical boundaries.”
He went on to state that,
“What began as a gathering of Protestant leaders in one city is now the World Evangelical Alliance, a global network of 164 national alliances, representing somewhere north of 650 million Christians worldwide. It is, by any measure, the largest and most geographically diverse evangelical network on Earth.”
Prayers, relevant Bible verses, and the screening of a video of the song “Goodness of God” performed at the WEA General Assembly in Seoul, South Korea, captured the three themes the celebration sought to emphasize: the past, present, and future of this global fellowship.
In the segment focused on the future, James Burden, WEA’s Web and IT manager, presented the organization’s new website. In his remarks, he highlighted the changes made and the section of the website that showcases regional and national alliances around the world, which is the “beating heart” of the WEA. “We’re looking to build up our contact information here so we can readily connect people to their national alliances.”
We are co-workers in what God’s building.
Following Burden, Rachel Afeaki-Taumoepeau (leader of the South Pacific Regional Evangelical Alliance) prayed for unity. “It’s your Word that reminds us that we are co-workers in what God’s building,” she affirmed. “This is your work, your field, your building, and your church.”
What were the net and the fish that God had placed in the WEA’s hands?
After the responsive reading from Luke 4:18–19, Mansour gave a speech on the Call 33 initiative. “It’s a collaborative initiative answering God’s call together toward 2033.” The Secretary General shared that he had read many documents from the WEA’s past and found himself wondering, "what were the proverbial net and the fish that God had placed in the WEA’s hands? And then I came across a document prepared several years ago called Road Map 2030.” Rev. Mansour stated that the core of the document contained four main components: strengthening national alliances, advocacy, collaboration, and strong organizational structures.
The meeting concluded with videos of leaders from different parts of the world speaking about the WEA, its history, and its legacy.
To God be the glory today, and for the next 180, and beyond.
In a written statement released prior to the online meeting, Godfrey Yogarajah, Chair of the WEA International Council, stated that the WEA is,
“the church in the marketplace. The church at the table of the nations. The church speaking where others will not, serving where others cannot, and praying when all else fails. But I want to be careful not to simply give you a history lesson. Because the real story of the WEA is not a story about us”. He continued: “To God be the glory today, and for the next 180, and beyond.”
The WEA has also set aside the last Sunday of September as "WEA Day", a day of evangelical celebration and collaboration. The official WEA Day webpage states,
We warmly invite believers across the WEA global family to celebrate WEA Sunday, giving thanks for God’s faithfulness across generations and looking with confidence toward all that He continues to do through his Church. WEA Sunday is an opportunity to celebrate the unity we share in Christ. One possibility is a pulpit exchange, inviting a minister from another church or denomination within the national alliance to preach, while your minister serves in another congregation. Other expressions might include shared prayer, testimonies, Scripture readings, joint gatherings, or recognition of the ministries of other churches and Christian communities. Above all, we invite all to join in prayer with our global evangelical family.
For more information and to formally participate, you can sign up to join the movement here: https://worldea.org/wea-day/.
Since 1846 the World Evangelical Alliance (WEA) has been the trusted voice and convening table of the worldwide evangelical movement—living and proclaiming the hope of Jesus Christ, together. Founded in London in 1846, WEA brings together evangelical churches, alliances, and organisations from more than 160 countries—representing over 650 million Christians—to live and proclaim the Good News of Jesus Christ. WEA is not a denomination. It is a fellowship, a global family of national and regional alliances, each rooted in their own context, united by a common faith and a shared calling. Together, across the global Church.
