{"id":8786,"date":"2025-11-01T21:54:23","date_gmt":"2025-11-01T21:54:23","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/biblelon.com\/?p=8786"},"modified":"2025-11-01T21:54:23","modified_gmt":"2025-11-01T21:54:23","slug":"world-evangelical-alliance-general-assembly-concludes-with-installation-of-new-secretary-general-and-seoul-declaration-upholding-biblical-sexuality","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/biblelon.com\/?p=8786","title":{"rendered":"World Evangelical Alliance general assembly concludes with installation of new Secretary General and Seoul Declaration upholding biblical sexuality\u00a0"},"content":{"rendered":"

\n Rev Botrus Mansour addressing WEA delegates during the closing ceremony of the general assembly in Seoul, South Korea, on 30th October 2025.<\/span>\u00a0(Photo: Christian Daily International)<\/span><\/p>\n

The World Evangelical Alliance general assembly concluded in Seoul, South Korea, on Thursday evening after four days of discussion and deliberation about key issues affecting evangelicalism and the task of fulfilling the Great Commission.\u00a0\u00a0<\/p>\n

During the gathering, Rev Botrus Mansour was installed as the new Secretary General of the WEA, ending a year and a half vacancy in the top position. Hailing from Nazareth, Rev Mansour brings a wealth of experience to the role as a former lawyer who has held various leadership positions across church and educational bodies in the Holy Land, including Co-Chairman of the Lausanne Initiative for Reconciliation Israel-Palestine.\u00a0<\/strong><\/p>\n

Speaking to reporters, he said he was filling \u201clarge shoes\u201d and that while his new appointment was \u201coverwhelming\u201d, he was \u201chere to serve\u201d.\u00a0<\/p>\n

In his first address as Secretary General of the WEA on Thursday night, he said it was \u201cspecial\u201d to be appointed Secretary General as a Palestinian Christian from Israel, and coming so soon after the ceasefire agreement reached with Hamas.\u00a0<\/p>\n

\u201cI give tribute to my people and my country,\u201d he said, adding that it was his prayer that the ceasefire will last.\u00a0<\/p>\n

He said he was \u201creally humbled\u201d to be elected as Secretary General and felt a \u201cbig responsibility\u201d for the organisation which has 161 national alliances around the world, representing over 650 million evangelicals.\u00a0<\/p>\n

\u201cI\u2019m here to serve,\u201d he repeated, as he spoke of his desire to see a WEA marked by \u201cteamwork\u201d and \u201cunity\u201d, and the strengthening of regional alliances.\u00a0\u00a0<\/p>\n

\u201cWe are different people but we have one spirit, we have one mission, one core of beliefs. Can we rise up to the level of Jesus\u2019s prayer – \u2018Let them be one as we are one\u2019?\u201d he said.\u00a0<\/p>\n

Later on in his address, Rev Mansour said he wanted to \u201creclaim\u201d the word \u2018evangelical\u2019 and bring it back to its original meaning as \u2018bearers of good news\u2019.<\/p>\n

\u201cIt has been politicised and changed, and people use it in different ways \u2026 we want to be bearers of the good news to the whole world. We will work for this task,\u201d he said.\u00a0<\/p>\n

Rev Mansour\u2019s installation as Secretary General was not the only significant change in the WEA\u2019s leadership this week, with Godfrey Yogarajah, of Sri Lanka, being installed as the new Chairman of its International Council.\u00a0<\/strong><\/p>\n

It is the first time that both the Secretary General and Chairman of the WEA come from the Global South. Yogarajah said this was \u201ca reflection of what is happening globally\u201d given the \u201cphenomenal\u201d growth of Christianity across the Global South.\u00a0<\/p>\n

He said he was \u201chumbled and honoured\u201d to be elected Chair, and that the International Council stood ready to serve the national alliances.\u00a0<\/p>\n

\u201cI thank you for having placed your confidence in me,\u201d he said.\u00a0<\/p>\n

The WEA general assembly was hosted by the 60,000-member SaRang Church in Seoul, the South Korean capital, and brought together over 850 evangelicals from around the world.\u00a0<\/p>\n

The theme of the general assembly was \u201cThe Gospel for Everyone by 2033\u201d and many of the sessions were dedicated to how this ambitious goal can become a reality with only eight years to go. In a letter of greeting to delegates of the general assembly, Rev Mansour said the theme was \u201cnot simply a programme or slogan, but a mandate rooted in Scripture and the heart of God for all people\u201d.\u00a0<\/p>\n

On the last day of meetings, delegates were presented with the WEA\u2019s Seoul Declaration, a 15-page document crafted by an international group of theologians including eight from South Korea. It offers evangelical position statements on a range of issues, from gender and human sexuality, to war, abortion, religious freedom, and continued divisions on the Korean Peninsula.\u00a0<\/p>\n

A spokesperson for the WEA said the statement was intended to be a \u201cguiding post\u201d for its members, with carefully considered theological perspectives on key issues in the world today and \u201chow the Church ought to have direction for the future\u201d.\u00a0<\/p>\n

\u201cWe meet at a pivotal moment in human history – marked by the aftershocks of a global pandemic, widespread economic uncertainty, intensifying conflicts across multiple regions, and the rapid emergence of artificial intelligence into the public sphere. The global Church has not been shielded from these pressures; many of our communities continue to endure hardship, suffering and deepening social fragmentation,\u201d the introduction reads.\u00a0<\/p>\n

It continues, \u201cAmidst this sobering backdrop, our assembly takes place in a land shaped by both profound gospel fruitfulness and enduring division. The Korean Peninsula, divided for over eight decades, symbolizes both the pain of separation and the resilient hope of reconciliation. We acknowledge this unique context as we meet in fellowship with the Korean Churches – a community whose evangelical witness has contributed significantly to global mission, public life, and theological depth.\u201d\u00a0<\/p>\n

A statement within the declaration on \u201cthe core of the evangelical faith\u201d emphasizes evangelism through Gospel proclamation and discipleship as \u201cour most important and primary mission\u201d.\u00a0<\/p>\n

However, evangelicals need to repent for falling short of their calling to be salt and light, and for the \u201cfragmentation of the Body of Christ\u201d, which the declaration said had \u201cdiminished public witness of God\u2019s sovereignty over all areas of life and the suffering endured by our persecuted brothers and sisters around the world\u201d.\u00a0\u00a0<\/p>\n

It prays that Christian leaders would be \u201cpreserved from abuse of authority, moral failure, or the pull of secularization, and instead serve with the humility of Christ\u201d. \u00a0<\/strong><\/p>\n

In a section on the dignity of life, the declaration grieves the \u201ccollective failure\u201d of evangelicals to be \u201cmore active\u201d in addressing systems that perpetuate racism, tribalism, and caste systems, or discriminate against refugees, migrants, women and children \u201cin different times and regions across the world\u201d. It laments \u201cour inability to uphold a clear evangelical stance on abortion, medically assisted death, and the welfare of the aged\u201d.<\/p>\n

Evangelicals have \u201coften neglected environmental duties\u201d and have not done \u201cenough\u201d to address the \u201cabuse of God\u2019s creation\u201d, it goes on. Perhaps a nod to some criticism of the WEA\u2019s interfaith relations, which drew protests from some Korean Christians outside the venue over the four days, the declaration insists that the WEA is committed to \u201ccollaboration without compromise\u201d and \u201cremaining alert to the dangers of religious pluralism and syncretism, while holding firm to the Gospel, biblical orthodoxy, and the Spirit\u2019s renewing power for both personal and societal transformation\u201d.\u00a0
<\/strong><\/p>\n

The declaration goes on to \u201cacknowledge that many in our societies wrestle deeply with questions of identity, sexuality and belonging\u201d, and commits evangelicals to \u201clistening with humility, walking with compassion, and ministering with biblical clarity and pastoral tenderness\u201d.\u00a0<\/p>\n

\u201cTherefore, we affirm that practicing homosexuality is sin (Romans 1:26-27), contrary to God\u2019s design for human sexuality. But we proclaim this truth not with condemnation, but in love – offering hope, healing and freedom that is found in Christ alone (1 Corinthians 6:9-11),\u201d it continues.\u00a0<\/p>\n

\u201cWe desire to be a Church that speaks truth while embodying grace, always remembering our own need for mercy (Titus 3:3-7).\u201d\u00a0<\/p>\n

Elsewhere it affirms that humans are made \u201cmale and female, equal in dignity and worth\u201d, and that marriage is a \u201csacred union\u201d between one man and one woman.\u00a0<\/p>\n

Further on, the declaration rejects \u201cthe culture of death that devalues the weak, the elderly, the unborn\u201d, and affirms \u201cthe sacredness of life from conception to natural death\u201d. \u00a0<\/strong><\/p>\n

It expresses the WEA\u2019s commitment to \u201cboldly resisting all ideological systems that suppress freedom of faith and distort biblical anthropology, even as we boldly share the truth in love and proclaim Christ with compassion, humility, and courage\u201d.\u00a0<\/p>\n

The document grieves war, violence, and persecution, as well as the advancement in many regions of laws and ideologies \u201cwith little regard for conscience or the sacred human dignity affirmed in the Holy Scripture\u201d. In such a world, evangelicals are called to work for reconciliation and peace, it says.\u00a0<\/p>\n

The declaration prays specifically for \u201cmercy on North Korea\u201d and \u201cfor the end of systemic human rights violations\u201d, as well as the release of people \u201cunjustly imprisoned\u201d, but also expresses \u201cgrowing concern over emerging and rising societal pressures that challenges open expression of evangelical faith in many contexts\u201d on the Korean Peninsula.\u00a0<\/p>\n

The declaration concludes with a number of calls, including the defence of religious freedom and \u201cdeepening evangelical unity\u201d, and the \u201cpursuit of human-centered, ethical development in technology, including the discerning and redemptive use of media in a rapidly changing digital age\u201d.\u00a0<\/p>\n

WEA members have a week to consider the declaration and provide feedback.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

Rev Botrus Mansour addressing WEA delegates during the closing ceremony of the general assembly in Seoul, South Korea, on 30th October 2025.\u00a0(Photo: Christian Daily International) The World Evangelical Alliance general assembly concluded in Seoul, South Korea, on Thursday evening after four days of discussion and deliberation about key issues affecting evangelicalism and the task of<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":8787,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[40],"tags":[425,427,434,428,432,424,426,429,430,431,435,433,300],"class_list":{"0":"post-8786","1":"post","2":"type-post","3":"status-publish","4":"format-standard","5":"has-post-thumbnail","7":"category-videos","8":"tag-alliance","9":"tag-assembly","10":"tag-biblical","11":"tag-concludes","12":"tag-declaration","13":"tag-evangelical","14":"tag-general","15":"tag-installation","16":"tag-secretary","17":"tag-seoul","18":"tag-sexuality","19":"tag-upholding","20":"tag-world"},"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/biblelon.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/8786","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/biblelon.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/biblelon.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/biblelon.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/users\/1"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/biblelon.com\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fcomments&post=8786"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/biblelon.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/8786\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/biblelon.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/media\/8787"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/biblelon.com\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fmedia&parent=8786"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/biblelon.com\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fcategories&post=8786"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/biblelon.com\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Ftags&post=8786"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}