The following are excerpts from the interview with the Rev Dr Geoff Tunnicliffe:
I know that there is a lot of discussion and planning right now for a WEA Iraq branch, but is it a sure thing or only an idea at this point?
Tunnicliffe: Yes, we are committed to seeing an Evangelical Alliance launched in Iraq. We have already been working on it for a year and we think it is a very critical time for the Christians there - with the immense pressure that they are under - to have an Alliance.
They are being forced out of Baghdad because of the violence [moving] primarily to the north, into the Kurdish area. But in the Kurdish area, the church is growing and one of the reasons they are growing is because they are reaching out to the needs of their communities although they are still a very small minority.
They sense it as well that as a small minority they need to come together for joint action, to be able to respond more effectively to needs, to help with the growth of the churches, and to begin to develop a voice.
There is already an existing network [in Iraq] and we've been visiting there for the last year - meeting with them, building bridges of understanding, and bringing them together. As an outside body sometimes we have the capacity to convene people and bring them together even though they may be different parts of the evangelical family. We have a whole strategy and training on what it means to be part of the Evangelical Alliance - which includes going through a membership process where you have to meet guidelines.
We would help them understand how to work as an alliance, build skills of working together across denominational boundaries, and then identifying what they can do together. The question is what can you do better together than alone? So what are the key things that you can come together right now that will enhance the whole work of the Kingdom?
Why has there never been a WEA branch in Iraq before?
Tunnicliffe: Probably because of the size of the church. There are quite a few countries that still don't have an Evangelical Alliance. Part of it is because it's part of the Middle East and the churches there are small.
