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However, quoting the opening line of the 2011 joint document on Christian Witness in a Multi-Religious World produced by the WEA, the Roman Catholic Church and the World Council of Churches, Schirrmacher said that “all churches agree now that mission is the very being of the church,” even if some Christian traditions may not be putting it into practice as much as evangelicals often do. We all submit to the Word of God, no one is above it.” This foundational principle and conviction then also allows a diversity of traditions – from Calvinist Reformed to Pentecostal and Charismatic – to unite in one movement.īp Dr Thomas Schirrmacher speaks about the DNA of Christianity during his inaugural speech as the new Secretary General of the World Evangelical Alliance.Īnother essential characteristic of evangelicalism is the emphasis on mission and proclaiming the Gospel message. Schirrmacher explained that this principle of a so called ‘Paper Pope’ “assures that none of us, including me, are above the Word of God. He went on to describe the Bible as the “confession of the Church” that stands above everything and everyone, and pointed out that the very idea of a paper document – rather than a person – having the ultimate authority originated in the Old Testament where the Torah was regarded as higher than even the king. Schirrmacher emphasized the conviction of the historical authenticity of the Bible, saying “we believe in the resurrection of Jesus and we believe in Pentecost when the Holy Spirit filled the believers, the members of the church.” And while some people question whether these were real events in history, “we stand for the historicity of our faith.” But even today, when the more than 600 million evangelicals globally are more diverse than ever, there are common essential beliefs that hold the movement together. Schirrmacher thanked the many contributors for the well-wishes and delivered a brief inaugural speech, in which he touched on some of the cornerstones of what it means to be an evangelical, raising the question whether this is not in actuality equal to what it means to be a Christian.Ĭelebrating the increasing diversity of evangelicalism from “churches in the Brazilian rainforest where they worship ten meters above the ground in high trees” to “churches in skyscrapers in Malaysia where you have a church on the 20 th floor of a high building,” he shared that even at the time when the WEA was formed in 1846, people questioned whether believers as diverse as Anglicans, Methodist, Lutherans and the Salvation Army could in fact work together. Outgoing Secretary General Bp Efraim Tendero (left) handed over a globe and a Bible to Bp Dr Thomas Schirrmacher who assumes leadership of the WEA. It was followed by greetings, prayers and blessings from evangelical leaders who joined the 90-minute digital event from every region of the world, representing the 9 regional and 140 national Evangelical Alliances that make up the WEA. Speaking from a studio near Bonn, Germany, Schirrmacher was joined by outgoing WEA Secretary General Bishop Efraim Tendero who handed him a globe and a Bible symbolizing the heart of God for the world and the Word of God as a guide for his leadership of the WEA.

In his inaugural speech, Schirrmacher responded to the frequently asked question “what is an evangelical?” by highlighting what evangelicals believe to be the DNA of Christianity: the diversity of the family of believers around the world, the historicity of our faith, the authority of Scripture, the mission of spreading the Gospel message, speaking up for religious freedom and the unity of believers who hold onto these core convictions. Bonn, Germany / Deerfield, IL – February 27, 2021Īt a live-streamed leadership handover event today, the World Evangelical Alliance (WEA) inducted its new Secretary General & CEO Bishop Dr Thomas Schirrmacher opening the next chapter in its 175-year history.

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