SEOUL, SOUTH KOREA (October 28, 2025) – On the opening day of the World Evangelical Alliance’s General Assembly in Seoul, Dr. Goodwill Shana (WEA Executive Chair) connected the theme of ‘Living out the Gospel’ in unity through a powerful metaphor:
“Something beautiful is unfolding in Korea. We are seeing greater unity in the evangelical church, and this speaks directly to the theme we want to focus on today: ‘Let there be light – unity in diversity.’
Our reference Scripture is Genesis 1:3. In the Hebrew Bible, it contains only seven words: ‘And God said, Let there be light, and there was light.’
Of all the words God could have spoken, in His omniscience and wisdom, He chose to begin with light. This is the theme we want to address as the WEA. From the dawn of creation to the mission of Christ, light has always represented the proclamation of the Gospel and God’s continuing work to this day. When God said, ‘Let there be light,’ He was revealing His nature.
In the WEA, our reference point in diversity must begin with God. Our identity as denominations, pastors, and movements means nothing if it is not embedded in the Almighty God, the ultimate Light.
Light is God’s first missionary: it travels, reveals, and transforms. It brings clarity where there was confusion, and life where there was emptiness.
Evangelicals from around the world gathered here. There are 124 countries represented at this General Assembly, with 161 national alliances in the WEA. They all embody this same missionary purpose. They travel, they speak, they bring clarity, and they bring transformation. With light, God began creation; in Christ, the Light, God brought salvation. Through the Church, God continues to bring light and transformation, and that is the main reason we gather from around the world.
The second thing I’d like us to focus our eyes on is this: although light appears simple and does one thing, when you pass it through a prism, it reveals the electromagnetic spectrum — many colours that make up one radiant light. Each colour is distinct, yet together they form one shining whole. So it is with the Body of Christ, and so it is with the WEA.
We have many colours, but when we come together, we form the light of the Gospel. There is one body, one Spirit, one path, one Lord, and one Gospel. When the light of the Church passes through the prism of God’s design, it reveals the beauty of many colours — people from Latin America, Oceania, Africa, the Middle East, and Europe. It is through all these colours that the light of the Gospel of Jesus Christ spreads throughout the world.”
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