SEOUL, SOUTH KOREA (October 27, 2025) – Evangelical leaders from 124 countries will gather today in Seoul for what organizers call a critical moment in global Christianity, aiming to unite the global evangelical community around a shared vision rooted in the Gospel.
The World Evangelical Alliance’s General Assembly takes place from October 27 to 31 at SaRang Church. It expects about 900 international delegates and 5,000 Korean pastors and friends, focusing on the theme “The Gospel for Everyone by 2033”.
Dr. Goodwill Shana, WEA Executive Chair, comments, “The Gospel continues to be our driving force, transcending every situation and uniting all believers across the globe. As followers of Christ, we are called to embody this message in our daily lives, demonstrating love for Jesus and for one another. Our foundation of faith and action is rooted in Scripture, the bedrock of our faith.”
Global South Now Leads Evangelical Movement as Membership Expands
The event brings together the widest group of evangelical movements in the WEA’s 179-year history. Since the last assembly gathering in Indonesia in 2019, the WEA family has grown by 27 new National Evangelical Alliances, now representing 161 nations and nine regional bodies worldwide. This growth particularly strengthens representation from Africa, Asia, and Central Asia—from Mauritania to Kazakhstan, Burundi to Uzbekistan.
These numbers point to a bigger trend. While estimates vary, different research sources agree that evangelicalism is now primarily a Global South movement. Today, 70% of the world’s evangelicals are in Africa, Asia, and Latin America.
“Each new National Evangelical Alliance (NEA) represents thousands of local churches and millions of believers actively advancing the Gospel in their contexts,” explains Dr. Brad Smith, Interim Director of the Alliance Engagement Department. “Our growth demonstrates the vitality of evangelical witness across diverse cultures and nations.”
South Korea Hosts as Second-Largest Missionary Sending Nation
Seoul’s selection as host city reflects the Korean church’s extraordinary transformation over the past 140 years from a mission field to a missionary force. South Korea is among the world’s largest missionary-sending nations, dispatching close to 22,000 commissioned missionaries1 globally, according to the Korean Research Institute for Mission.
The Seoul Organizing Committee is a joint initiative of the World Evangelical Alliance and Korean churches, co-chaired by Rev. Jung-hyun John Oh and Rev. Young-hoon Lee, with participation from the Korea Evangelical Fellowship (KEF) and other national cooperating organizations. Representing churches across Presbyterian, Pentecostal, and other denominational lines, the Committee has mobilized thousands of volunteers and intercessors in what they describe as an opportunity to “pay forward” the gospel debt to the global church.
This assembly marks a symbolic moment demonstrating the South Korean Church’s commitment to serving as a bridge between established and emerging evangelical movements worldwide.
2033 Milestone Mobilizes Every Believer as Gospel Witness
The assembly’s theme, “The Gospel for Everyone by 2033,” coincides with Christianity’s 2000th anniversary of Christ’s resurrection. Dr. Shana notes, “There has been a growing consensus among Christians to mark 2033 as a year in which the Christian communions can unite behind the mobilization of all believers to proclaim the Gospel to all the world. God calls everyone. This isn’t reserved for pulpits. Jesus calls farmers and financiers, artists and entrepreneurs—every Christian to embody their vocation as Gospel witness.”
While serving as the WEA’s constitutional business meeting, the assembly aims to inspire and guide a united effort to accomplish the vision of “The Gospel for Everyone by 2033,” with sessions designed to innovate in evangelism, deepen discipleship, and strengthen global partnerships. Special features include an art exhibition by Akaine, an internationally renowned artist.
The assembly will also mark a historic transition with the formal inauguration of Reverend Botrus Mansour as the WEA’s first Middle Eastern Secretary General, who will officially assume office during the gathering. There will also be the election of a new International Council (IC), the WEA’s governance board.
In anticipation of this General Assembly, Dr. Shana emphasizes the deeper significance of this season: “Unity requires more than formal membership; it demands authentic partnership centered on the Gospel. As the General Assembly celebrates the realities of a shifting evangelical landscape, we aim to further inspire delegates to go and share the transformative Gospel across geographical, cultural and digital boundaries.”
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