NZCN’s global affiliate

NZCN is the New Zealand member of the World Evangelical Alliance (WEA). The WEA was formed in Britain in 1846 and today is one of the three main global bodies representing Christians (approximately 650 million) along with the Catholic Church (1 billion) and the World Council of Churches (400 million). Pentecostals have a global body but their faith position largely overlaps with evangelicals and the two groups often merge together.

NZCN is one of 134 (independent) national evangelical alliances. Many of them, as in New Zealand, do not include the word ‘evangelical’ in their name, even though that does describe their faith position.

National alliances are affiliated with the WEA, and draw huge benefit from being part of such a global fellowship, but are not directed by the WEA.

The WEA has around 20 commissions, initiatives, and task forces. These include theology, women’s, missions, and religious liberties commissions, and task forces on creation care, nuclear weapons, peace, and conflict resolution.

In 2021, Rev Dr Brian Winslade (a member of the NZCN Working Board) was appointed a Deputy Secretary-General of the WEA. In 2019 Rachel Afeaki-Taumoepeau (also on the NZCN Working Board) was appointed the leader of WEA’s South Pacific region – South Pacific Evangelical Alliance.