Our Story
World Methodist Evangelism is a connection point for Christians within the global Wesleyan family who are dedicated to becoming channels of transformation through the power of God’s Holy Spirit.
WME is an affiliate organization of the World Methodist Council and works to bring together over 84 million Christians in over 134 countries within the wide range of Wesleyan Methodist traditions. Begun in 1971, our work grew out of the belief that preaching the Gospel and making disciples of Jesus Christ is the supreme business of the Church.
Sir Alan Walker, a distinguished church and national leader from Sydney, Australia was the first World Director of WME and provided inspired early direction from 1978-1988. Under his leadership, WME held the first International Christian Youth Conference on Evangelism – now known as Metanoia – in Truro, England in 1980. These conferences continue to be held, having a profound impact on Wesleyan Methodist leaders worldwide.
In 1989, Dr. H. Eddie Fox became WME’s first full-time Executive Director and significantly expanded the organization’s global impact. During his 25 years of leadership, he established the Order of the FLAME, Connecting Congregations, the Regional Evangelism Secretaries, and Faith-Sharing Seminars, setting a strong foundation for the years ahead. He served in that position until his retirement in 2014.
Rev. Dr. Kimberly Reisman succeeded Dr. Fox in 2014 and continued that legacy of growth and innovation. Under her leadership, WME strengthened existing ministries and launched new and thriving ones, supported by an expanded and gifted staff team. She developed Embrace: Showing and Sharing the Love of Jesus, a holistic evangelism training resource that helps people deepen their faith and share it with authenticity and grace. She also guided WME through the challenges of the COVID pandemic by leading the ministry into the digital space. Through that season, she initiated online evangelism training and launched WE419, a one-of-a-kind online community. The Order of the FLAME also flourished under her leadership, growing beyond the U.S. and introducing the FLAME Fellows mentoring cohorts for pastors. Kim retired and stepped away from her role as Executive Director in March 2026, but will continue to serve the WME family as our appointed Ambassador.
Today, Paulo Lopes serves as the Executive Director of World Methodist Evangelism. Paulo is a missionary with the 6th region of the Brazilian Methodist Church and has been WME’s Director of Emerging Leadership since 2020 after 10 years of ministry in the local church and denominational levels. He has designed and implemented leadership development pathways across WME’s ministry areas, and created WME’s Mission Evangelist Framework, which shapes our training and resource development globally. Through his outstanding leadership and global perspective, Paulo has demonstrated a deep understanding of WME’s mission and a passion for connecting the worldwide Wesleyan Methodist family in the shared work of evangelism.
Timeline Highlights
1971
Denver, Colorado United States – World Methodist Evangelism is launched when the World Methodist Council declares: “It is time for all the people called Methodists to go on World Mission and Evangelism together! We believe that the Lord Jesus Christ’s Commission to His church to preach the Gospel and to make Disciples is the supreme business of the Church. God through the Holy Spirit is calling the Methodist people everywhere to a strengthened and sustained thrust in world mission and evangelism.”
1974
World Methodist Convocation on Evangelism is held in Jerusalem. Over 3,000 Methodists gather in Shepherd’s Field near Bethlehem to commit themselves to spreading the same good news which the angels declared to the shepherds, “A Savior is born.”
Worldwide Conferences on Evangelism are held in every region and continent: Ghana (Africa); India and Singapore (Asia); Australia; Brazil, Bahamas and USA (Americas); and Switzerland (Europe).
1975
New World Mission is launched in North America. These were weekend events where trained lay and clergy would go into churches for big evangelistic/mission celebrations.
1980
Truro, England – World Methodist Evangelism holds the first International Christian Youth Conference on Evangelism. Over 800 young adults gather from 47 countries and for the first time.
1982
World Methodist Evangelism Institute is founded by Dr. George Morris. The Institute is a collaborative ministry of WME and Candler School of Theology at Emory University. Together, the Institute and WME host annual seminars all over the world, with the first held in Africa and attended by people from 32 different countries.
1986
Sir Alan and Lady Winifred Walker, the Australian couple who shared a lifetime of ministry which emphasized moral and spiritual transformation and reconciliation, receive the World Methodist Peace Prize. They both worked as evangelists and emissaries of peace on six continents. Walker preached that peace would not come as long as the world accepted war as a means of settling the human conflict.
1987
Regional Secretaries are selected to advance the work of WME throughout the world and gather for their first world meeting.
1990
WME is invited to meet with Mikhail Gorbachev when he is awarded the World Methodist Peace Prize from the World Methodist Council. Dr. Maxie Dunnam, Chair of WME at the time, along with Bishop Sundo Kim, then WME Regional Secretary in Asia attended a meeting where prayed for Gorbachev. WME did not organize the meeting but was one of several different organizations in attendance. WME’s leadership is and has been part of many significant world events. Mikhail Gorbachev received the award for his creativity as a catalyst influencing massive global changes through new international initiatives, including the introduction of “glasnost” to the world, and for his work to free religious bodies in the U.S.S.R. from laws restricting the free exercise of religion, Mikhail Gorbachev became the third non-Methodist to receive the Peace Award. He reinforced persuasively the notion that dialogue is always preferable to war. He was cited for his contributions to human understanding, international stability, and a changing world.
1991
Prayer and Fasting Community is formed. Weekly messages encourage the Wesleyan Methodist family around the world as they fast and pray in the pattern of John Wesley. Members of WME’s Prayer and Fasting Community take no solid food from Thursday evening until Friday evening, praying that the Methodist movement might become a channel of Holy Spirit transformation around the world.
1992
Rev. Dr. Winston Worrell becomes the Director of the World Methodist Evangelism Institute, taking over from Dr. George Morris.
1994
Tallinn, Estonia – WME partners with the Methodist Church in Estonia to found the Baltic Methodist Theological Seminary.
1996
25th Anniversary - “The ‘wide-opening door’ about which Dr. Eddie Fox often speaks, is a window through which we are seeing the emergence of new congregations, new life, and new hope! When we look at World Evangelism, we can only stand back and say, ‘This is the Lord’s doing, and it is marvelous in our sight.’” (Joe Hale, General Secretary, World Methodist Council)
Order of the FLAME (Faithful Leaders As Mission Evangelists) formed. This annual gathering of young clergy and their spouses has continued, training over 2,500 leaders to be mission evangelists in their communities.
1999
Dawning of the Millennium Based on the international datelines, one of the Tongan islands is the very first place the sun hits when it rises. The event that celebrated the “absolute beginning” of the new millennium on 1/1/2000 was attended by several people, including the Tongan royal family who joined representatives from WME. That afternoon, participants left Tonga and flew across the dateline to Samoa where it was still 12/31/1999. They then celebrated the new year there, too.
2004
Leadership Summits in Asia (Singapore) and the Americas (Cuba). The gathering in Havana, Cuba included more than 120 leaders from 20 countries and 26 Wesleyan Methodist denominations in North America, South America, Central America, and the Caribbean.
2015
Rev. Dr. Jo Anne Lyon, WME Board Member, and founder, and former CEO (1996-2008) of World Hope International receives World Methodist Peace Award.
2018
Embrace – Showing and Sharing the Love of Christ published. A faith-sharing resource to help you share your faith with boldness, confidence, and grace.
Costa Rica – The 10th International Christian Youth Conference on Evangelism gathering was held in Alajuela, Costa Rica after an eight-year lapse. The gathering is now called Metanoia, which means “transformation” and is translated as the same word in all languages
2019
WME invited for an audience with Pope Francis. The Executive Director of WME sits on the steering committee of the World Methodist Council, and the Council is involved in ecumenical dialogues with other religious groups – in this case, the Roman Catholic Church. This event marked the 50th anniversary of the beginning of those ecumenical talks. WME has a high profile in these kinds of international ecumenical happenings.
Residency in Mission (RIM) program launched with the first resident to New Zealand.