In what ways does the International Day of Prayer for the Persecuted Church (IDOP) represent WEA?
The WEA has much to do with the persecuted church at its roots. The IDOP was developed during the early years of the WEA Religious Liberty Commission (RLC). In 1988, the WEA commissioned a 4-year development process, which included surveying WEA members and the larger evangelical community on international religious liberty issues and preparing a strategic plan for a possible WEA commission to address burning issues. We wanted to see if the WEA could assist the global Church in being more involved in issues related to believers who are discriminated against, harassed, or persecuted for their faith. The WEA RLC was launched at the 1992 WEA General Assembly in Manila, Philippines, with prayer at the center.
Let me quote Brian O’Connell, who was one of the first Executive Directors of the RLC,
“In March 1994, I had the privilege of becoming the Executive Director of the WEA RLC and we immediately began a global “Day of Prayer for Iran” campaign, catalyzed by the January 1994 murder (and martyrdom) of Bishop Haik Hovespian Mehr, Superintendent of the Assembly of God churches in Iran, and the plight of Mehdi Dibaj, one of his church members who was imprisoned and sentenced to death on apostasy charges. Though Mehdi was released from prison, he, too, was killed in June of that year. Because of the overwhelming response to and participation in the Day of Prayer for Iran, the WEA RLC officially launched the International Day of Prayer for the Persecuted Church in 1996 and designated the first Sunday in November for the church calendar (subsequently the second Sunday was added). Catalyzed by the WEA North American office, many USA organizations (including the National Association of Evangelicals and the Institute on Religion and Democracy), also began a large promotion, though there were over 100 countries who participated in IDOP that first year. In 1997, at the WEA Global Assembly in Vancouver, Brother Andrew of Open Doors was the first recipient of the World Evangelical Alliance’s Religious Liberty Award, recognizing his lifetime of service to the persecuted. When receiving the award, Brother Andrew stated that “only through mobilizing the church to pray for those who are persecuted for their faith in Christ, will we see a significant shift in the involvement in their plight.”
In this age of perceived increased persecution (in reality, we are always in an age of persecution), should we consider the twenty years of engaging the global church in prayer for those suffering for their faith a failure? On the contrary, the global church is now engaged in international religious liberty issues like never before. Perhaps that is what God intended as His story continues to be written. In my opinion IDOP today is one of the core ministries of the WEA and is serving the Alliance especially in restricted nations to build resilience, raise prayer, and give courage to the Christians serving in difficult circumstances. IDOP strengthens not only the persecuted church but brings together an estimated 100,000 congregations to pray for the persecuted church.
Can you share a little about your personal background and history with WEA?
I joined the Sri Lanka Evangelical Alliance in 1990. The 1992 WEA General Assembly was my first exposure to the WEA. Here I was exposed to some of the effective functional Alliances and realized the scope, potential and ministry of an Alliance. People like Clive Calver of the UK EA, Theodore Williams of India, John Langlois of the UK, and Jun Vencer of the Philippines had tremendous influence in my journey with the WEA. I was also appointed as a commissioner to the first ever Religious Liberty Commission of the WEA and was one of its founding members.
Dr. Jun Vencer, the Secretary General of the WEA, mentored me in my early years and John Langlois introduced me to the world of religious freedom. My journey with the WEA has been a long and inspiring one where I have held various leadership positions from being a Commission member, a Commission head, to the Regional General Secretary for Asia. During this time, I was also elected as an International Council member (IC), a departmental head for alliance development and finally an Associate Secretary General, Deputy Secretary General and Deputy CEO of the WEA. Presently, I serve as the Ambassador for Religious Freedom and a member of the International Council. Almost 30 years of my ministry has been with the WEA, and I have enjoyed this tremendously. Furthermore, it was a great satisfaction to lead the WEA General Assembly in Indonesia in November 2019. Also, the Office of the Secretary General, of which I was a part, brought financial stability, strengthened governance, and restructured the movement to face the challenges of the 21st century.
How would you describe WEA and its work?
The WEA is a global expression of evangelical unity and engagement, which takes place on the ground in 140 nations across the globe. By strengthening alliances, the WEA is able to be effective and functional in fulfilling the Great commission and discipling the nation for gospel transformation.
How has WEA’s work impacted you personally and professionally?
How has WEA shaped your thinking?
WEA’s ministry has impacted me both personally and professionally. Personally, it has helped me in my spiritual formation and professionally it has sharpened my skills and helped me utilize it in building God’s Kingdom. The WEA also has shaped my thinking in giving me a holistic understanding of ministry and broadened my scope of service.
What are some things you have learned from and value about WEA in today’s world, especially related to the representation and calling of evangelicals?
The WEA’s value in today’s world is its unique position as a representative voice, advancing evangelical values and addressing global issues. It provides an identity, platform, and voice for evangelical Christians. It also unites evangelical Christians across the world for greater strategic impact to build God’s Kingdom. The greatest asset of the WEA is that it has people on the ground in more than 140 nations through its alliances.
How has your partnership with WEA built your capacity as an organization?
The partnership with the WEA has made the Alliance in Sri Lanka have an identity, voice and visibility. As evangelical Christians are less than 1 percent of the population in Sri Lanka, being part of a global body gives us a sense of belonging and identity. It is of great value to know that we are part of a family of 600 million evangelicals worldwide. This gives us a basis to even talk to our government. Also, through its ministries, the WEA has contributed to building the capacity of alliance around the world.
What does the word “evangelical” mean to you and your organization?
The word evangelical derives from the Greek word evangelion meaning gospel of good news. We are the people of the good news. Technically speaking, evangelical refers to a person, church or organization that is committed to the Christian gospel message that Jesus Christ is the savior of humanity. For evangelicals, the authority of the Holy Bible is normative in faith and life. The deity of Jesus Christ is essentially one with the Father and the Holy Spirit. The salvation of a person is only through personal faith in Jesus Christ by the grace of God.
As evangelicals, we believe in the unity and the centrality of the local church in God’s redemptive plan. Further, we also emphasize the necessity for holiness in heart and life. Holistic mission is another emphasis we make. For instance, the Sri Lankan alliance is currently championing the decade of holistic discipleship launched by the WEA in 2019.
Is there anything else that we didn’t cover that you would like to share?
The evangelical movement is the fastest growing section of the church today. This is precisely because we are meeting the needs of our community and being of relevance. By working through the vast networks of denominations and Christian organizations, the gospel message is being lived out, touching, and healing a hurting and broken world.
We strongly believe that the local church is God’s agent to carry out His work in the world. That is why the strategy of the alliance is to partner with churches to impact the nation. Evangelicals are a people with purpose called to change the course of events in history. This is our dream that we as a church of Christ would have an impact to change the course of nations, impact society and disciple the nation for Jesus Crist.