The World Evangelical Alliance has appointed Advocate Botrus Mansour as its recent Secretary General and Chief Executive Officer, marking the primary time an Arab Christian leader will head the worldwide body representing greater than 600 million evangelicals in over 148 countries.
Mansour, an Arab-Israeli of Palestinian heritage from Nazareth, will formally assume office on the WEA’s upcoming General Assembly in Seoul, South Korea, scheduled for Oct. 27–31, 2025. The gathering, held under the theme “The Gospel for Everyone by 2033,” will probably be the primary global assembly since 2019, when the WEA last met in Indonesia.
The appointment concludes a six-month international search process that began with 25 applicants and narrowed to 3 finalists before Mansour was chosen by a majority vote of the WEA’s International Council. The WEA has been with out a everlasting Secretary General since March 31, 2023, when former leader Thomas Schirrmacher resigned for health reasons. Since April 2023, Council Chair Dr. Goodwill Shana has served in an interim capability.
Shana described the method as “a journey marked by diligence, transparency, and prayer” and said Mansour would bring “servant leadership and strengthen collaborative efforts” across the evangelical movement.
Mansour, whose first name Botrus is Arabic for Peter, said he was “deeply humbled” by the appointment and committed to advancing the WEA’s vision.
“I’m deeply humbled by the IC’s alternative and trust in me and I’m aware of the immense responsibility it carries. I’m keenly aware that it will need hearts, minds and hands to hitch together across the worldwide WEA family,” he said.
“With God’s grace, I’ll work relentlessly with others to remove any obstacles which will seek to hinder our unity. I will probably be reaching out to my brothers and sisters around the globe in order that together we may rally behind the vision ‘The Gospel for Everyone by 2033.’ Your prayers and support will go a good distance in making this vision a reality. Our beloved Savior, Jesus Christ, is worthy of us glorifying Him. His Gospel of peace, justice and righteousness is the true solution for our aching world. Let us allow nothing to face in the best way of proclaiming this life-changing message.”
Born in Nazareth in 1965, Mansour lived as a toddler in Jerusalem, Oxford within the United Kingdom, and later again in Nazareth. He got here to Christian faith during his highschool years. After graduating from Nazareth Baptist School, he studied law on the Hebrew University in Jerusalem, graduating in 1991. He was admitted to the Israeli Bar Association in 1993 and practiced law in Haifa and Nazareth. In 2009, he accomplished an MBA in nonprofit management at Haifa University.
Since 2004, Mansour has served as director of Nazareth Baptist School, continuing in that role to the current. He co-founded the Local Baptist Church in Nazareth in 1996 and was ordained as an elder in 2001. His leadership roles include chairing the Convention of Evangelical Churches in Israel, serving as secretary and chair of the Alliance of Evangelical Conventions in Jordan and the Holy Land, and acting as deputy chair of the Nazareth Village board. He has also been a member of the Global Council of Advocates International and co-chair of the Lausanne Initiative for Reconciliation in Israel-Palestine.
The Convention of Evangelical Churches in Israel, which Mansour once chaired, is one in all three national member bodies of the WEA within the Holy Land, alongside the Evangelical Alliance of Israel and the Council of Local Evangelical Churches within the Holy Land, which represents the Palestinian territories.
Beyond administration and advocacy, Mansour has lectured widely in churches, universities and conferences worldwide on faith and Middle Eastern issues. He has published articles in Arabic, Hebrew and English in outlets similar to Christianity Today and Haaretz, and authored several books, including When Your Neighbor is the Savior (2011) and Looking from the Precipice (2021), in addition to titles in Arabic.
He and his wife, A’bir, have three adult children and live in Nazareth.
Founded nearly 180 years ago, the WEA serves as a platform for evangelical unity, mission and advocacy, uniting national and regional alliances and partner organizations around the globe.
