In an open letter to Americans marking the 250th anniversary of U.S. independence, Rev. Botrus Mansour, Secretary General of the World Evangelical Alliance, honors the sacrifice and generosity of American Christians and challenges them in the coming decades to “serve others with humility, understanding local cultures and avoiding exporting a one-culture version of Christianity.”
Rev. Mansour opens his letter with personal thanks to American Christians for their longstanding influence on his faith, even before he set foot in the U.S. He praised American Christians “for the practical support of missionaries, their generosity and faithful ministry partnership which he has encountered across the United States.”
While praising the global impact of American evangelical leaders and institutions, Rev. Mansour urges American churches to focus on the next stage of growth over the coming 50 years. He argues that the church must become more “incarnational”—serving people with humility, understanding local cultures, and avoiding the export of a one-culture version of Christianity.
The World Evangelical Alliance leader also identifies several concerns for reflection:
- Prosperity-leaning language that may overshadow the Gospel’s call to simplicity and dependence on God
- Overemphasis on individualism, which can weaken the church’s shared, community-centered life
- Insufficient collaboration, where entrepreneurial instincts may unintentionally limit deeper partnership across traditions and nations
- Risk of nationalism merging with Christianity, which can undermine the gospel’s universal witness
Rev. Mansour concludes by offering encouragement to celebrate both U.S. independence and the “greater freedom found in Christ”, calling on the American church to bless the nations not only through strength, but through a willingness to follow Jesus wherever he leads.
To read the complete article at page no. 24 of the magazine, ‘Evangelicals’ published by the North American Evangelical Alliance, click here.
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