The World Evangelical Alliance (WEA) congratulated Pope Francis for being elected the new leader of the Roman Catholic Church and said it hopes to continue positive dialogue together.

The Rev. Dr. Geoff Tunnicliffe, secretary general of WEA, which represents more than 600 million evangelical Christians, extended his "warmest congratulations" to the newly elected Pope and affirmed his prayers for the new leader, who will head the Catholic Church "at a time filled with great challenges but also a time of great possibilities...," in a statement released Thursday.

"We look forward to building on some of the good work we have done together in the past, such as the collaboration for the document Christian Witness in a Multi-Religious World: Recommendations for Conduct," said Tunnicliffe. more >>

The Assemblies of God has opted to postpone its decision on whether to continue its partnership with Wycliffe Bible Translators due to controversy over some of Wycliffe's work.

The World Missions Executive Committee for the Pentecostal denomination had initially declared it would make a decision on May 15. But AGWM has now opted to wait for a recommendation by a World Evangelical Alliance appointed panel, which is reviewing Wycliffe's policies on translating terms such as "God the Father" and "Son of God."

"We're grateful to the Assemblies of God for waiting with us while the independent panel convened by the World Evangelical Alliance reviews our translation practices and makes its recommendations," said a Wycliffe spokesman to The Christian Post. "Wycliffe USA has a long-standing relationship with the Assemblies of God. We value that partnership and look forward to it continuing into the foreseeable future." more >>

NEW YORK -- The World Evangelical Alliance's (WEA) representative to the United Nations suggests that Christians and the global agency share similar goals of making the world a better place by working to eradicate hunger, poverty and diseases, and that the wold's poor and most vulnerable could be better served if more Christians support the U.N. in its work.

The WEA has been a member of the U.N.'s Economic and Social Council (ECOSOC), which focuses on international economic and social issues, since the late 1990s. After moving its headquarters to New York City in 2010, the WEA has increased its engagement at the U.N. The Christian organization focuses on promoting peace and reconciliation, advocating for the poor and needy, and also communicating evangelical beliefs and values, Deborah Fikes told The Christian Post in a recent interview.

Fikes, the WEA's representative to the U.N., explained, "My goal is to educate evangelicals around the world and in the United States about what the U.N. does, what mechanisms and entities exist to really help provide for vulnerable people. more >>

Local South Sudanese government officials and tribal elders have gathered in Yei River County in Jonglei state Sunday for a three-day Peace Conference under the sponsorship of the World Evangelical Alliance (WEA) and the Evangelical Presbyterian Church (EPC), to discuss the role of the church in helping end tribal violence and prevent future conflict.

The unprecedented meeting, which lasts until Tuesday, united local officials, U.S. and African Evangelicals and members of four tribes, Murle, Dinka, Nuer and Anyuak, in the Eastern region of the country, which has suffered from tribal violence sparked by disputes over pastoral grounds for cattle, the main local source of income. Fighting between these tribes has resulted in the loss of thousands of lives and thousands of injuries in the past six months, it has been estimated.

Among the conference's participants were the Rev. Dr. Geoff Tunnicliffe, WEA's CEO and Secretary General; Dr. Brian C. Stiller, WEA Global Ambassador; Stephen Tollestrup, WEA Director of Peace and Reconciliation Initiative; and the Rev. Aiah Foday-Khabenje, General Secretary of the Association of Evangelicals in Africa (AEA). Also in attendance were local church leaders, including Bishop John Machar Thou of the Anglican Diocese of Duk and Bishop James Par Tap, Moderator at the Sudan Evangelical Presbyterian Church in Khartoum, part of the Church of Sudan. more >>

WASHINGTON – As many look with concern at the events unfolding in Egypt, an Egyptian human rights activist believes that there is hope in the developments, including for Christians.

Dr. Andrea Zaki Stephanous, general director of the Coptic Evangelical Organization for Social Services, told The Christian Post on Wednesday evening that he did not believe, as others do, that the events in his country were a "Christian Winter."

"It is Arabic Spring and it is not 'Christian Winter,'" said Stephanous. more >>

Top evangelical leaders across North America are joining a special service Monday in Boston to celebrate the 200th anniversary of North America's first ordained missionaries. The event also marked the official debut of Missio Nexus, which will be the largest evangelical mission network in North America following the historic merger of CrossGlobal Link and The Mission Exchange.

The Missions Bicentennial service and celebration is taking place at Tabernacle Congregational Church in Salem, Mass., the location where on February 6, 1812, the first missionaries being sent from a North American mission agency were commissioned.

The ordaining of Adoniram Judson and four other missionaries for overseas service represented the beginning of a new era in history when America joined the global mission movement. After their ordination in Salem, Judson, along his wife Ann and other missionaries, set sail in February 1812 to bring Christianity to India. more >>