Fostering Unity in a Divided World

As you enter a new year, how hopeful are you for global collaboration?

Despite some bright spots, the last 12 months may have left us feeling apprehensive due to wars, disputed elections, or negative newsfeeds. We’re living in a world beleaguered by division, polarisation, isolationism, and dysfunctional governance. The spirit of international cooperation and interdependence witnessed during the 2020 pandemic has quickly faded. What hope can we see for fostering unity?

As Christians, we see Christ: he is our hope. Through his life, death, resurrection, and ascension, we are given a different vision for our divided world:

Nations scattered by pride are reunified through Christ’s Spirit (Genesis 11, Acts 2). People separated by status, culture, and ethnicity are united in Christ (Galatians 3:27-28, Ephesians 2:11-22). Individuals are joined to Christ in humble dependence (John 15:1-17) and serve together with radical interdependence (1 Corinthians 12).

But what should this grand theology look like in daily practice?

The International Fellowship of Evangelical Students (IFES) is in its very essence an expression of that world-transforming vision, uniting over 160 national ministries in a shared mission: “to work together to form a movement of students sharing and living out the good news of Jesus Christ in every country of the world”.

But among this ever-growing family of movements, the need to help each other build capacity and renew ministry is also vital. How can a newly established movement learn from the veteran movements in its region? And how can a 100-year-old movement learn from those that have just begun?

Through cross-cultural relationships, international networks, regional conferences, and global training programs, IFES is fostering such partnerships. In fact, the four words that comprise IFES show us why we can be hopeful for global collaboration in the coming year.

I: INTERNATIONAL (NOT NATIONALISTIC)

Every four years, the IFES World Assembly is a highpoint of international connection.

“It’s beautiful to see so many nations coming together, with different languages and cultures, joyful and excited, united in worship,” says Kehinde Ojo (Program Director for Indigenous Support Development).

But he points out that such international connections also take place every year – through IFES regional events.

“When people ask me about IFES ministry in Africa, I say ‘which Africa?’ because there’s so much diversity even within one region. Like in EPSA (English- and Portuguese-speaking Africa), we have three sub-regions, and common languages are not only English and Portuguese but Spanish as well. The east is very different from the west and the south is different altogether!”

Given this diversity, he says that regional events that bring students and staff together for worship, fellowship, teaching, and training are rich times of learning about each other. In every IFES region, when national movements gather, the program invariably includes a cultural night when participants can share food, dancing, songs, and traditions from their own countries.

Such interactions are particularly powerful when participants come from countries in conflict with one another and meet each other for the first time. For example, in late August, student leaders from movements in the Middle East and North Africa (MENA) region will join together for training and fellowship.

Global collaboration through international relationships also underpins the core IFES leadership team. The responsibility for developing and sharing IFES priorities and resources across the globe is shared by IFES General Secretary Tim Adams (from the UK) with Annette Arulrajah from Malaysia, David Bahena from Mexico, George Ogalo from Kenya, and Olena Welch from Ukraine (see their roles here).

Here’s the “I” of IFES: from global leadership to regional staff and student leaders, IFES brings together – and holds together – people from different nations.

LOOKING FORWARD IN 2025: INTERNATIONAL GATHERINGS

This year, regional conferences in Francophone Africa (PANAF), Europe (European Student Festival), and MENA will draw together hundreds of students from many different countries. Here’s a taster of what’s to come:

F: FELLOWSHIP (NOT ISOLATIONISM)

From the experience of meeting one another and learning together grows the fellowship of partnering together.

Individual interests give way to mutual support.

Annette Arulrajah (IFES Associate General Secretary for Global Fellowship) was impressed by her visit to the Caribbean last year, where she participated in an IFES Caribbean (CARIFES) retreat for national movement board members and the inaugural CARIFES Academy camp, a regional training program for staff and students:

“It was such a joy to see this sharing of resources and ideas for ministry – and how they are promoting a vision for being each other’s keepers.”

She was also delighted to see the global collaboration expressed by TSCF New Zealand when it reached out to movements in the South Pacific region with an invitation to its November staff training. Around 20 participants from Australia, Fiji, Guam, Papua New Guinea, the Solomon Islands, and Tonga joined with TSCF staff. One day, Jonathan from PSFC Fiji was given the opportunity to teach others how to worship in Fijian – a vivid example of what Annette calls the “enabling and enriching” of IFES fellowship.

Over the years, Annette has also witnessed cooperation among movements in East Asia, particularly in pioneering new movements. She notes that it took time and effort to build a sense of ownership across the region. But the fostered fellowship led to graduates from well-established movements – in countries like Indonesia, Malaysia, Singapore, South Korea, and Japan – going to help pioneer work in Cambodia, Mongolia, Timor-Leste, and other (sensitive) countries.

Last year’s IFES Global Giving Day was another truly international expression of such fellowship. Students, staff, and supporters from 80 countries and territories gave over $50,000 to help plant new movements and groups across the world.

For Kehinde – with years of expertise in raising support – the amount of participation on the day is just as important as the amount of money raised. “I’d rather see nine small gifts come in than just one big one,” he says with a smile. Last year, he was touched by the giving of students, staff, and supporters in UGBB Burkina Faso. Giving what they could out of their poverty, he likens this act to the generosity of the Macedonian churches commended by the Apostle Paul in 2 Corinthians 8.

The “F” of IFES means that every movement is committed to looking out for each other.

LOOKING FORWARD IN 2025: FELLOWSHIP IN DEVELOPING LEADERS

On 2 April 2025, participate in the fellowship of Global Giving Day and support leadership development programs across IFES.

Keep an eye out for how you can get involved in coming weeks. For example, you’ll be able to share your thoughts on what makes a good leader.

LEARN MORE

And, later this year, students and staff in national movements should look out for a new fellowship-wide initiative called Mentoring Communities.

E: EVANGELICAL (NOT PARTISAN)

To some ears, the word “evangelical” has sadly become associated with a political party, demographic, or polarised (and polarising) viewpoint. But that’s not the E of IFES.

At its root, the word simply indicates the centrality of the evangel – the “good news” of salvation by grace through faith in Christ, for all who believe.

Set within a biblical framework of foundational beliefs, this gospel unites us across political divides, national boundaries, cultural differences, and church denominations. Indeed, Kehinde stresses that the “beautiful” interactions he described earlier flow from what unites us: our worship of Jesus.

In his work with national movements, Kehinde is realistic about linguistic and cultural barriers: “You ignore them at your peril – a lot of sensitivity is needed!”. But he has witnessed how encountering Christ through Scripture helps build bridges and forge connections.

“When we come together to read the Bible, we must approach with a posture of listening, with the conviction that we can help each other understand God’s Word. That requires humility and a willingness to reconsider what we thought we knew from our own cultural perspectives.”

Over recent years, IFES has facilitated cross-cultural networks that promote engagement with Scripture and shared insightful resources from across the fellowship.

Global collaboration is also promoted through prayer. By humbly worshipping God, seeking his strength and guidance, and interceding for each other’s ministries and contexts, we are more deeply bound together.

Launched last year, the IFES monthly prayer meeting enables students, staff, and supporters from any country to pray together. Annette explains:

“While IFES national movements have always prayed for each other, we’ve never really had a means of regularly coming together face-to-face. But the experience of recent years has shown us that online gatherings can meet that need.”

Since its inception, numbers attending have steadily increased. “It shows me that there’s a real hunger for feeling connected to the wider world,” Annette adds.

The prayer meeting will be held every first Thursday of each month through 2025. But in January, a special “Global Prayer Day” is scheduled to pray for the year ahead (see below).

LOOKING FORWARD IN 2025: SEEKING CHRIST TOGETHER

On 23 January 2025 (14:00 UTC), join the whole IFES family – students, staff, and supporters for Global Prayer Day: “New Beginnings”. Register on Zoom here.

Register here

Another opportunity to participate in global prayer is World Student Day – this year on Thursday 16 October. Please note the change of day/date and sign up for updates and resources here.

Learn more

And pray for the advance of Christ’s good news in the student world every two weeks with Prayerline.

S: STUDENTS (NOT DICTATORS)

The S of IFES stresses the work of planting, strengthening, and renewing student-led ministry.

The founding “together” vision was born through student initiative and remains central today.

In fact, Annette says the diverse personalities and cultures represented in their leadership team are united by their common passion: to empower students (and the staff who support them) in local contexts.

This year, Global Resource Ministry (GRM) teams will continue to facilitate exchanges of experience and expertise from movements across IFES. Through a team of mentors and a hub of resources, they promote collaboration and innovation on a range of needs.

In recent years, under the GRM umbrella of Engaging the University, the Logos and Cosmos Initiative (LCI) has enabled academics and students in Francophone Africa and Latin America to collaborate on science-and-faith projects. Ever since Lisman Komaladi (IFES Regional Secretary for East Asia) heard about the initiative, he’s hoped that a similar initiative could be run in his region – an excitement shared by Prarthini Selveindran (FES Singapore).

In 2025, thanks to a generous grant from ECLAS, made available through Singapore Bible College, their vision is becoming a reality. This month, IFES East Asia are holding an Open House, marking the launch of LCI @EA. Lisman shares how this example of global collaboration can empower students:

“I’m looking forward to our national movements being energised – that students will see their ministry more broadly – as a ministry to the campus, a mission to the whole university.”

Building on the experiences of LCI, their initiative will retain the three core components of equipping, mentoring, and projects. But they plan to adapt specifics for their context, including a broader scope for “science” and a greater involvement of undergraduate students in the leading of projects.

Whether it’s relating faith to study in this way or ministering to international students, supporting graduates, developing governance, or pioneering new groups, the GRM teams and networks represent what are now widely known as communities of practice. It means that national movements – whether 10 or 100 years old – can learn from each other and better serve their students. And it follows that today’s students, cooperating and collaborating with each other, are better equipped to play leading roles in society, churches, and the international community.

LOOKING FORWARD IN 2025: EQUIPPING STUDENTS AND STUDENT MOVEMENTS

Keep following IFES World and IFES East Asia socials for updates on LCI @EA.

Later this year, a dedicated page on the main IFES website will introduce the Global Resource Ministry teams and guide you to more information and helpful resources.

This year, a new round of the Engaging the University e-learning course will begin. Students from across the fellowship will learn together, thinking biblically and critically about the university context and our calling within it. More info here.

In the second half of 2025, the Indigenous Support Development (ISD) team will launch a comprehensive manual that can help national movements build sustainable ministry.

PRACTISING UNITY

Seeing all these opportunities and initiatives, we can feel hopeful for global collaboration in 2025 – at least for the part we can play. In a world of nationalism, isolationism, polarisation, and dictatorships, we can live a different story: one of unity in Christ.

It’s not merely a creedal unity. It’s experienced and strengthened through practice. By being an active part of IFES – whether as a student, staff, or supporter, whether locally, nationally, or globally – you can foster unity in a divided world.

With international connections, the fellowship of partnering together, an evangelical unity fed by Scripture and prayer, and a clear commitment to God’s work among students, we can champion collaboration in polarised times. Together, we can be ambassadors of hope.

Kehinde sums it up well:

“Global collaboration is here to stay! No-one is called to work alone. We all have something to give. Even if it’s just a smile, that can change everything.”