3rd February, 2015
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Bishop Efraim Tendero |
Philippines bishop, Efraim Tendero, has been unanimously voted in as the next secretary general of the World Evangelical Alliance, the organisation has announced.
Bishop Tendero, currently the national director of the Philippine Council of Evangelical Churches, will succeed Canadian Dr Geoff Tunnicliffe who announced early last year he would not be seeking a third term after leading the WEA for a decade.
Bishop Tendero, who was in Australia late last year to lobby members of the G20 on the issue of multi-national tax avoidance as part of Micah Challenge’s Shine the Light campaign, said upon his appointment that he was "humbled" by the decision.
"This is an enormous task and I put my whole trust and confidence in the Almighty God who called me into this ministry, believing that He will provide the wisdom, favor and grace needed in carrying out this solemn responsibility."
Bishop Tendero, fondly known as ‘Bishop Ef’, will take up his five year tenure on 1st March.
Rev Ndaba Mazabane, chair of the WEA’s International Council and acting secretary-general of the WEA, said the council was "confident that Efraim is the right person to take WEA into the future which promises to be great".
"His understanding of our global vision and his experience as a national alliance leader will certainly help him connect with our constituency for greater global impact.”
The World Evangelical Alliance represents more than 600 million evangelical Christians worldwide through seven regional and 129 national bodies.
Bishop Tendero has served as national director of the Philippine Council of Evangelical Churches – representing some 30,000 evangelical churches – for more than 20 years.
He is also president of the Philippine Relief and Development Services – the relief and development arm of PCEC, international facilitator for South East Asia of the Asia Evangelical Alliance, a Lausanne senior associate for integrity and anti-corruption and chairman of Back to the Bible Broadcast, Evangelism Explosion (EE) 3 Philippines, Global Filipino Movement, and the Philippine Missions Association as well as executive editor of Evangelicals Today, the longest running Christian magazine in the Philippines.
In an interview with Sight while he was in Brisbane last year, Bishop Tendero said the need for the Philippines to borrow money for reconstruction in the wake of Typhoon Haiyan in 2013 had highlighted the impact of multi-national tax avoidance in his country.
– DAVID ADAMS
