Standing in the worship hall of Somang Prison in South Korea, watching men in uniform sing alongside their guards, I was reminded of Paul’s radical declaration: “But now in Christ Jesus you who once were far away have been brought near by the blood of Christ” (Ephesians 2:13).

Here were criminals, people society had written off, worshiping together with their guards as one body. It was a living picture of what the gospel does: it brings the far near. It breaks down walls of hostility, isolation and division through the unity that can only come through Christ.

This October, as evangelical leaders gather in Seoul for the World Evangelical Alliance's General Assembly under the theme “The Gospel for Everyone by 2033,” we will be anchored by this same Ephesians text. Paul’s vision of Christ destroying “the barrier, the dividing wall of hostility” and creating “one new people” is not merely ancient history—it is our present calling and future hope.

The questions before us are urgent when we think of those who have yet to hear the Good News: If Christ has broken down the walls that separate humanity from God and each other, how do we live out this reality in a world more divided than ever? And how does evangelical unity serve this gospel mission of bringing the far near?

Local expressions of global unity

For nearly two centuries, the World Evangelical Alliance has sought to unite evangelicals across theological, ethnic, and national lines by elevating Christ and the Good News of His Kingdom.

When 800 evangelical leaders from eleven countries representing fifty-two Christian denominations came together in London in 1846, they did something unprecedented. They confessed “the unity that is inherent in the church of Jesus Christ as His body” while maintaining their distinctive convictions. As evangelicals, we wanted to be recognized by our allegiance to the Word of God, the Bible, revealed in the very person of Jesus. The Kingdom of God that we sought was decentralized, progressing through the faithful work of individuals, local congregations, and denominations.

This principle of unity without uniformity and cooperation without compromise has proven prophetic for our current moment. We are living in a time when people tend to trust their neighbors more than they trust institutional authorities. There is a growing desire for authentic community. As the evangelical church, there is an incredible opportunity to model and offer the fellowship we have together in Christ. The WEA’s approach is to support these local connections with biblical unity that strengthens rather than supplants local expressions of faith.

When unity opens doors

In recent years, I have witnessed firsthand how evangelical unity creates opportunities that fragmentation cannot.

Consider Qatar, a wealthy, moderate Muslim nation where few evangelicals spend much time thinking about the status of Christians. We do. Twenty years ago, we helped form the Evangelical Churches Alliance Qatar (ECAQ), which represents the interests of that nation’s sizable community of expatriate Christians. When the government reclaimed ECAQ’s original land allocation for strategic reasons, they reached out to us for help.

In November 2023, shortly after our then-secretary general, Thomas Schirrmacher, visited the Qatari minister of foreign affairs, ECAQ received a new land award, twice as big as the original one. A groundbreaking ceremony took place this past January. ECAQ leaders indicated that the intervention of the world's most established global evangelical organization elevated the issue within the Qatar government and enabled a successful result.

Or consider Myanmar, where a devastating earthquake struck in March amid ongoing civil war. The ruling military junta was selective in its openness to aid and continued bombing some areas. However, it welcomed assistance from the Myanmar Evangelical Christian Alliance. Evangelical Christians in other countries, through their evangelical alliances, sent aid through the WEA because of their confidence in the spiritual quality and integrity of our in-country contacts. Those who were “near” using their access to serve those who were “far away,” all united by the same Spirit that gives us access to the Father.

These are not stories of compromise or political maneuvering. They are testimonies to the power of unity, the kind Jesus prayed for, creating space for gospel witness in the most challenging circumstances.

Unity without compromise

Some question whether unity leads to doctrinal compromise. Our 180-year heritage suggests otherwise. The WEA has maintained a consistent statement of faith while working across denominational lines. We have learned that we can cooperate fully while maintaining our distinctives completely.

Others worry that global organizations become bureaucratic and controlling. This is why our decentralized model matters so much. We exist to support and strengthen national evangelical alliances, not to direct or control them. In recent years, we have facilitated improved relations among evangelical groups in Nepal and Pakistan, assisted developing evangelical organizations in Burundi, Iran, and Armenia, and held the first-ever regional conference for evangelicals in South Pacific nations this year. In each case, we have sought to strengthen indigenous capacity rather than impose external solutions.

Others point out that different contexts require different approaches. This is why we celebrate the diversity within evangelical unity. The gospel remains the same, but its local expression can take various forms. Our mission is not to standardize these expressions but to strengthen them.

The Gospel for Everyone

This October’s General Assembly in Seoul represents more than organizational planning—it embodies our theological conviction that the gospel creates unity for mission.

Under the theme “The Gospel for Everyone by 2033,” evangelical leaders, national alliance representatives, youth, and women’s leaders will gather to collaborate on a shared vision that no single denomination or organization could accomplish alone. The theme is not triumphalistic slogan-making, but a sober recognition of what the Great Commission requires.

What excites me most about Seoul 2025 is what it represents: a global family of believers committed to Christ and His Gospel. When young leaders from Latin America dialogue with seasoned pastors from Africa, when ministry leaders from South Korea share insights on their missionary efforts with church planters from North America, we glimpse something of the kingdom Jesus prayed for.

We will also address the urgent challenges that require a unified response. Global religious freedom is under increasing assault, with Christians facing restrictions and violence in dozens of countries. Cultural pressures on Christian witness continue to intensify. Artificial Intelligence (AI) is set to be a major disruptor, offering both opportunities and threats to the advancement of the gospel.  The generational handoff is upon us, with young evangelicals hungry for authentic community and a global vision that transcends denominational boundaries. Only together as the body of Christ can we begin to overcome these challenges.

Living in unity

For individual Christians, evangelical unity can start with prayer, specifically praying for believers around the world whose names you may never know but whose faith strengthens your own. It means resisting the divisive spirit that social media algorithms reward and instead cultivating the Spirit of unity that Christ prayed for.

For church leaders, it means participating in the evangelical alliance work in your region, supporting global evangelical mission, and modeling for your congregation what loving God and your neighbour looks like. It means teaching your people that they belong to a worldwide family of faith that transcends national, ethnic and denominational boundaries.

For Christian organizations, it means looking beyond institutional self-interest to the larger evangelical movement. It means contributing your expertise to the global evangelical cause while maintaining your distinctive calling and identity.

For the World Evangelical Alliance, it represents the commitment to foster unity through engagement at all levels. In accepting the role of the Secretary General, Advocate Botrus Mansour highlighted his intention to reach out to all. “Our beloved Savior, Jesus Christ, is worthy of us glorifying Him. His Gospel of peace, justice and righteousness is the true solution for our aching world. Let us allow nothing to stand in the way of proclaiming this life-changing message.”

The Center that holds

In our fractured world, what makes the gospel credible is not our perfect theology but our visible unity in serving the least, the last and the lost. When the world sees Christians working together to bring hope to hopeless places like prisons, they begin to believe that our message might be true.

When theological debates threaten to divide us, we remember that our unity is not based on perfect agreement on secondary issues, but on shared commitment to the person and work of Jesus Christ.

The evangelical movement at its best has always understood this. We are not united by institutional authority or cultural identity but by Jesus and His gospel. We are not bound together by human organization but by divine calling. We do not seek uniformity but unity - the kind of unity Jesus prayed for on the night before He died for our sins.

The world is watching. There are many yet to hear the gospel. What Jesus prayed for millennia ago stands for today: “That they may all be one... so that the world may believe.”

May it be so. And may it begin with us.

Peirong Lin serves as Deputy Secretary General of the World Evangelical Alliance, representing over 600 million evangelical Christians in over 148 countries through national and regional evangelical alliances. She holds a Ph.D. in theology and religious studies and has served in pastoral ministry, theological education and global evangelical leadership for over two decades.