On December 6-7, 2013, national leaders of several churches in the Wesleyan tradition of the global Christian community met for the third time as the Global Wesleyan Alliance (GWA). Organized in 2011, the GWA seeks to unite in prophetic voice and missional engagement in service to the grace of our Lord Jesus Christ that brings transformation to persons and societies by the power of the Holy Spirit.
At this year’s meeting, Alliance members celebrated the beginning of new initiatives, such as regional meetings of leaders from member churches to become acquainted, identify critical needs of their region, and begin to explore ways to address them cooperatively.
In the coming year, the Alliance proposes similar gatherings in more locales that would facilitate sharing and action around a number of specific concerns, including connecting and collaborating with young leaders, urban ministry strategists and practitioners, global mission engagement, and advocating and activating our churches in order to work for the abolition of human trafficking.
Clearly the most stimulating discussion and prayer times rose out of ongoing consideration of the special contributions the Wesleyan tradition offers the wider family of Christ-followers in serving the present age by sharing the whole gospel with the whole person and world.
During this annual meeting, the GWA elected its officers for the coming year. They are as follows:
President: David Graves, General Superintendent of the Church of the Nazarene
Vice president: Jo Anne Lyon, General Superintendent of the Wesleyan Church
Secretary: David Kendall, Bishop of the Free Methodist Church – USA
Treasurer: Brian Eckhardt, General Superintendent of Evangelical Church of North America
Member at Large: Vernon Kennebrew, Bishop of the Churches of Christ Holiness, USA.
Notably the GWA also took action to hire an executive director who will oversee the work of the Alliance in between its annual sessions. Then the Alliance named Dr. Ronald Duncan, past General Director of the Church of God Anderson, as its first Executive Director.
Churches participating in this year’s meeting of the Alliance, wonderfully hosted by the Salvation Army at its national headquarters in Alexandria, Va., include: The Association of Independent Methodists, The Church of God Anderson, The Church of the Nazarene, The Evangelical Church of North America, The Evangelical Methodist Church, The Free Methodist Church USA, The Methodist Protestant Church, The Missionary Church, The Salvation Army, and The Wesleyan Church.
The 2014 meeting of the Global Wesleyan Alliance will be held at the World Ministries Center of The Free Methodist Church-USA in Indianapolis, Indiana, on December 7-8.
Inquiries may be sent to Dr. Ronald Duncan, Executive Director of the Global Wesleyan Alliance at: gwaduncan@gmail.com (or 765-208-1075).
