More than 100 leaders representing national evangelical alliances from more than 20 countries gathered in San José, Costa Rica, for the 13th General Assembly of the Latin Evangelical Alliance (Alianza Evangélica Latina, AEL), held from 12 to 16 October 2026. Meeting under the theme "Alignment, Advancement, and Mission", the assembly brought together alliance presidents, executive directors, regional delegates and global guests, and set the alliance's strategic roadmap for the next three years. Twelve coordinators represented AEL's 14 technical commissions, alongside representatives of 19 participating entities.
Five organisations applied to become associate members of the alliance, bringing the number of associate entities linked with AEL to 37. AEL's advisory team reported that the alliance's strategic plan has reached 80 per cent implementation after five years. President Juan Cruz Cellammare said the gathering had discussed the mission of the church, the alignment the alliances need, and the advance of the Kingdom in the region, including religious freedom, relations with governments and social action.
The World Evangelical Alliance took part throughout, with secretary general the Rev. Botrus Mansour delivering five presentations, among them opening greetings and two morning devotions on Christian unity. Drawing on the Samaritan woman and on historian David Bebbington's four hallmarks of evangelical identity — biblicism, conversionism, activism and crucicentrism — Mansour argued that core theological convictions unite evangelicals worldwide while leaving room to celebrate diversity in secondary matters. Delegates also visited Costa Rica's Legislative Assembly to meet parliamentarians and discuss the church's role in public life, and President Laura Fernández Delgado attended the inaugural dinner, where she spoke of her commitment to biblical values and full religious freedom for all. The assembly closed by reaffirming the calling of national alliances to engage constructively with state leadership, advocating for religious liberty and the common good while keeping their independent prophetic integrity.
Source: World Evangelical Alliance (WEA) — worldea.org/alignment-advancement-and-mission-13th-general-assembly-of-the-latin-evangelical-alliance-concludes/
