OUR VISION: To see the Methodist Movement alive, vibrant, growing and yearning to spread the good news of Christ Jesus throughout the whole world through word, deed and sign!

World Evangelism History

The Reverend Sir Alan Walker and Mrs. Walker, kneeling at the consecration of Dr. Walker as World Director of Evangelism of the World Methodist Council. Dr. Walker served as World Director from 1978 to 1988.

World Methodist Evangelism, a Division of the World Methodist Council, began in 1971 when the World Methodist Council declared:

It is time for all the people called Methodists to go on World Mission and Evangelism TOGETHER! We believe that the Lord Jesus Christ's commission to His church to preach the Gospel and to make Disciples is the supreme business of the Church. God through the Holy Spirit is calling the Methodist people everywhere to a strengthened and sustained thrust in world mission and evangelism.

In 1971, the World Methodist Conference passed a resolution which launched the dynamic thrust of World Methodist Evangelism. The chartering resolution of World Evangelism called the World Methodist Movement:

  1. To affirm the relevancy and adequacy of the Christian faith for this age.
  2. To initiate a worldwide mission and evangelism offensive.
  3. To lead persons into a personal experience of Jesus Christ as Lord and Savior.
  4. To encourage within the Methodist Movement a sense of unity of the entire Christian Church and a sense of global consciousness.
  5. To stimulate new strategies of ministries to persons and society.
  6. To give mutual encouragement to the Body of Christ.

The World Methodist Council Evangelism Committee under the leadership of Chairman, Bishop Gerald Ensley, gave leadership to the new thrust in World Evangelism. The Reverend Sir Alan Walker, distinguished church and national leader from Sydney, Australia, served as the first full-time World Director of Evangelism from 1978 to 88.

Building on this historic call of World Methodism, today, World Methodist Evangelism seeks to fulfill this VISION in the following key strategic areas of ministry: To see the Methodist Movement alive, vibrant, growing and yearning to spread the good news of Christ Jesus throughout the whole world through word, deed and sign!

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