Evangelical Group Begins to Engage Wider Culture, Other Churches

January 25, 2001

Source: The Baltimore Sun

On January 25, 2001, The Baltimore Sun reported that the National Association of Evangelicals (NAE) "recently moved its headquarters to Southern California, a shift that reflects changes in its outlook and mission. 'Our location sends a huge signal as to what we see NAE becoming,' says Kevin W. Mannoia, its energetic president. What it is becoming, says Mannoia, a bishop in the Free Methodist Church of North America, is a group that actively engages a culture and society that is increasingly multiethnic, globalized and urbanized, not one that shuns them as sinful and secular... The membership of 30 million claimed by the NAE, when combined with 15 million Southern Baptists (who are evangelicals but not members of the NAE), nearly equals the 50 million who are affiliated with the National Council of Churches, which includes the more liberal mainline Protestant denominations and the Orthodox churches. There are 61 million members of the Roman Catholic Church in this country." Mannoia describes the new goal of the group as "'not to overwhelm culture and not to put our agenda in place of an agenda culture has, but to gradually transform it by being salt and light.' Salt and light, a favorite Mannoia refrain, refer to Jesus' urging his disciples to be the 'salt of the earth' and the 'light of the world.'" He believes Hollywood is one place that Evangelicals could have great influence. "'The church has not had an advocacy presence in Hollywood since the mid-'60s,' Mannoia said. 'If we truly want to influence our culture, not through forcing our agenda, but rather by engaging and letting salt and light do its work, then we need to be present.'" Mannoia "feels called to open it to the world and to other Christian organizations. He has said he is open to dialogue with the National Council of Churches. 'They have asked if we are willing to come to the table and talk about issues of common interest to us,' he said. 'Our answer is 'yes,' as long as the condition is clearly established that there is no intention to alter our identity or alter our statement of faith.'"