Leaders of eleven faith communions met recently in Anderson, Indiana, to form the Global Wesleyan Alliance (GWA), a unique partnership to amplify the prophetic voice of Wesleyan-Arminian, holiness ministries and increase their effectiveness in spreading scriptural holiness throughout the world. According to Wesleyan Church General Superintendent Dr. Jerry Pence, who was elected as the organization’s first president, “This alliance will enable holiness denominations to achieve a historic level of cooperation and unity for evangelism, discipleship, church multiplication, compassion and justice. Our passion is to pursue the Great Commission in the spirit of the Great Commandment—making Christ known through words and deeds and millions of lives filled with perfect love.”
Other members of the GWA board of directors are Dr. Tom Hermiz, vice president (Churches of Christ in Christian Union general superintendent); Dr. David Graves, secretary (Church of the Nazarene general superintendent); Dr. Ronald Duncan, treasurer (Church of God-Anderson general director); and Dr. David Kendall (Free Methodist Church USA bishop).
The Alliance is designed to increase interdenominational cooperation without the necessity of formal, corporate mergers. Its initial objectives include:
- Creating greater community through intentional relationship building;
- Collaborating to pool resources, share best practices and ministers, and generate new ideas and tools;
- Convening events to promote the personal experience of holiness and collective ministries for discipleship, church health and multiplication, leadership development, prayer and networking;
- Communicating with one another more intentionally and addressing contemporary issues and public concerns with a more united voice.
Several early “big wins” are anticipated for the Alliance. The GWA’s first joint effort will be a call to prayer for spiritual awakening and revival. A major effort will be made to establish procedures for the mutual recognition of minister’s credentials among the Alliance’s covenant partner organizations. An online, free library of classic holiness literature is already available at www.holinesslegacy.com. In addition, the GWA will sponsor regional “Holiness Summits” (www.holiness-summit.org) as interdenominational, grassroots-organized events to introduce others to the personal experience of entire sanctification.
The December 2-3, 2011 organizational meeting for the Global Wesleyan Alliance included the general superintendents, bishops and general directors of the Church of the Nazarene, The Wesleyan Church, Free Methodist Church USA, Church of God (Anderson), Churches of Christ in Christian Union, The Evangelical Church, Evangelical Methodist Church, Congregational Methodist Church, Church of Christ Holiness (USA), and The Missionary Church. Although each denomination or movement’s governing body must ultimately approve Alliance partnership, these and several others are expected to participate in the GWA’s first official assembly when it is held in Circleville, Ohio, November 30-December 1, 2012.
