Ep. 63 / A Palestinian Lawyer and Evangelical Leader with Botrus Mansour

A global movement just turned toward Nazareth for its next chapter. In this episode we sit down with Rev. Botrus Mansour—Palestinian, evangelical, lawyer and lifelong reconciler—moments before his induction as Secretary General of the World Evangelical Alliance (WEA). Rev. Botrus' path runs through a journalist father writing in Hebrew, a mother formed by a Baptist school, a quiet conversion shaped by a teacher’s integrity, and decades of local service in law, church planting and nonprofit leadership. What emerges is a leader fluent in complexity, who sees unity not as uniformity, but as collaboration anchored in the gospel.

Throughout the conversation, we dig into the essentials: what defines an evangelical and why the movement has surged from 90 million to 650 million. Botrus offers a grounded answer—grace-centered faith, the authority of Scripture, and a living witness—arguing that the gospel resonates because it meets the deepest ache of the human heart. That clarity informs how he understands the WEA’s purpose: not command-and-control, but convening and coordination that strengthen national alliances, fosters theological and missional forums, and enables the flourishing of the local church.

All the way from Nazareth, a city many overlook, comes a conversation and reminder that God forms leaders in unlikely places. If you'd like to learn more from Rev. Botrus Mansour, you can purchase his most recent book, and you can learn about the WEA through their website and Facebook. 

And please don't forget to share this episode and join the conversation on YouTube! 

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Transcript

A New Leader Introduced

Brian Stiller 0:10

Hello and welcome to Evangelical 360. I'm your host, Brian Stiller. Today I'll introduce you to someone who has just been chosen to lead the World Evangelical Alliance, the largest network of evangelicals in the world. And where do you suppose they went to find a leader? Oh, they could have come back to powerful North America, but they did not. They could have gone to one of the rapidly growing churches in Latin America. They could have gone to Asia, which is becoming the world's primary economic engine. Or they could have selected the first world evangelical secretary from Africa, with a number of churches being planted and the sheer number of conversions are way beyond the wildest of our dreams. But they did not. Ask yourself what region has suffered the most from political and ethnic conflict in recent years? If your mind wandered over to the Middle East, you're getting very close. Put your finger on the famous town of Nazareth, and you might ask yourself the question Can anything good come from there? Just as people said it about Jesus some 2,000 years ago. The World Evangelical Alliance has selected as its new leader a Palestinian lawyer, an evangelical with an Israeli passport. His name? Botrus Mansour. We met in Seoul, South Korea, at the General Assembly of the World Evangelical Alliance just before his induction as Secretary General. Botrus is a gentleman. He doesn't overwhelm you. His words don't barge in as if he's trying to override your ideas. But he has a lot to say, and you should listen to him closely as he seeks to represent the global evangelical movement.

Nazareth Roots And Family Story

Botrus Mansour 2:14

Thank you. Thank you. You just had a huge appointment. You've been made head of a quarter of the world's Christians. 650 million people. How do you feel? I don't know to put it that way. Okay, I'm overwhelmed. This is for sure. Of course, I applied for the position. I prayed and I applied, but I'm really overwhelmed and still surprised and still sometimes uh punch myself. Is this true? This big change in my life now. I'm overwhelmed, but uh anticipating the future um prayfully, seeing where the Lord is going to lead. The Lord is preparing something good. I hope. I pray, I have faith that he will bring something good.

Brian Stiller 3:07

But you're from Nazareth. Can any good thing come out of Nazareth? Tell us a bit about your your upbringing. What brought you here?

Calling, Conversion, And Law Career

Botrus Mansour 3:16

About the phrase in uh the Gospels, uh the encounter uh uh Philip and uh Nathaniel about this uh can can anything good come out of Nazareth? The Nazaren's joke and say he doesn't come out of Nazareth, he stays in Nazareth. But of course, the the better answer is uh come and see. Come and see. Uh my journey. You want to hear about my journey. I was born in Nazareth in 1965 to a journalist. My father is a journalist, he's still living, he's 91 and a half now. The first Arab is a Greek Catholic, Arab who uh worked for a Hebrew newspaper. 1954 he started. And he's a writer, he wrote nine books and uh very interesting person from a small village in the northern part of Galilee, just near the Lebanese border. My mother is uh a different background, she's a Greek Orthodox, and she's from Cana. They met in Nazareth. My mother was a teacher, she finished high school in the Nazareth Baptist school and became a teacher in the school, and uh she met my father, and I'm the product of that marriage. I'm the firstborn in 1965. So when I was two years old, the Six-Day War uh happened, and uh my dad had to move. So my mother resigned her work in the school, and they moved to Jerusalem because my dad had to cover the East Jerusalem, the West Bank, for the Hebrew newspaper he was working for. And I moved there. My two siblings were born in Jerusalem, a brother and a sister. We're very close. And they're also believers, strong evangelicals, and they're in ministry as well. Then we moved to England. My dad got a scholarship to study in Oxford to do a special diploma for people who do not have formal education. So we moved to Oxford and I did first and second grades primary school in uh St. Philip's and St. James School in Oxford, uh, England. Then we came back to Nazareth Baptist School. Uh my mother insisted that we uh be enrolled in the Baptist school where she graduated and where she taught for 12 years. But she wasn't Baptist? She wasn't Baptist, no. She stayed uh Greek Orthodox, but she was faithful, she was a believer, and she used to teach Sunday school and uh and um and during her years. And the school had a big impact on my life uh through a Bible teacher in the school who invited me through his life in the beginning, the testimony of his uh special uh pure holy life that he lived. And an invitation that he gave to me and my peers in class, I attended a revival meeting in Baptist Church, where a Lebanese American preacher came and preached in uh revival meetings, and there I uh surrendered my life to Jesus. So, yeah, I finished high school uh with good grades and I wanted to become a lawyer. I felt uh this was good. So I studied law in Jerusalem, Hebrew University, and I left Hebrew University with a law degree and also a wife. I met my wife there, she was uh a believer, an evangelical believer from a village in the north, and uh we got married and worked as a lawyer, and uh since the days I was uh became a believer, it be was a natural thing that you're a believer, you serve, you show your faith by serving the Lord. So whenever I had an opportunity, I felt the Lord leading, I would serve. So I was active with uh Sunday school, with our believers from my age, and later on in the university, in the uh student ministry and university in the Jerusalem um Bible Bible study that we had and different things. We did a newspaper, Christian newspaper, lots of things that I was involved in during all these years. Um after I finished and started working as a lawyer, I was um it was sort of maybe a little bit of an attraction for the small evangelical community that is a lawyer now. So good material for boards. So I was asked to be on the board of the school that I studied in the same school, and another ministry and a church. We formed a church and so on. So that's a long story. You know, I'm talking about 30, 40 years of ministry. I was involved heavily in our local Baptist church that I helped start that church, and in different ministries. Later on, I was ordained as an elder. Later on, I served as with the alliance that we have. The new alliance is called the Convention of Evangelical Churches in Israel. It's a convention that marks this year 20 years since its establishment. It's mainly for Arab evangelicals. Yeah, I was the chairman for six years, uh, two terms, three and three years.

Brian Stiller 8:38

What was your specialty in law in Jerusalem?

Botrus Mansour 8:41

I studied law in Jerusalem, but I practiced in Haifa and in Nazareth. After finishing, I was doing torts. Um, I'm not an ambulance chaser, but I was did physical injury, work accident, road accident. I also did nonprofit organizations. I registered a lot of nonprofit, and uh this is very common among uh Christian ministries that they register as nonprofits. So I did that as well. A little bit of labor law as well. During the years, I was also involved in Advocates International, global uh lawyers, judges, and politicians, uh Christian ministry that came out of the Christian Legal Society in America, and uh it went international called Advocates International. I served with them, and as I was on their board, the Global Council, for some time as the representative of the Middle East. So also religious freedom issues was close to my heart, and I tried to serve and help in that area as well.

Brian Stiller 9:45

But you you lived and served in a chaotic world. The Arab-Palestinian, Israeli, Jewish issue was all around you. How did that shape you?

Botrus Mansour 10:00

And for the viewers to know, a lot of people don't know that uh in Israel there's a minority of Arab Palestinians as well. Um in 1948, when the war happened, there were the Arab Palestinian people who were divided to different groups. There were refugees, and then there were people at the West Bank and Gaza that you hear about a lot. But there was also a remnant of 150,000 in 1948, 150,000 Arab Palestinians who, for different reasons, did not leave the country and became uh Israeli citizens. Just for the viewers to know, I am from the Arab-Palestinian minority that are Israeli citizens at the same time. And as I shared before, my dad is an Arab Palestinian also that was working in a Hebrew newspaper in Ha'areth's well-known uh Jewish uh Hebrew newspaper. So, of course, the conflict is still going on. Uh, we just uh had uh blessed ceasefire, you know, just a few days ago of the war, the recent season of war that we had. So I really had this conflict all around me and trying to navigate the whole time between my identity as an Israeli, also as an Arab at the same time. So that was some kind of difficulty. But you become an artist in dealing with it, and you know how to navigate and um not to push too hard either way. God has given us favor in this, despite all the anguish uh that brings my heart that the war is going on, but on the other hand, it gives us the opportunity to be uh peacemakers and to work for reconciliation. So I was also involved in several uh peacemaking uh initiatives. I was on the board of Musalaha, uh reconciliation ministry. I was also part of the uh Lausanne Initiative for Reconciliation Israel-Palestine. I was also student ministries, also uh Arab and Jew together, believers in Christ, and so on. So I tried also not to neglect that that part and not only be uh do my ministry focus my ministry only on my own people, but also to try to bring people together. And so yeah, I tried to do that.

Brian Stiller 12:32

The WEA, almost 180 years old, with the growth of evangelicals over the last few years, from 90 million in 1960, 650 million today. An enormous growth, the most growing part of the world church community. And now as Secretary General of that body. I guess the first question I would ask is who's an evangelical?

Navigating Identity And Peacemaking

Botrus Mansour 12:59

Evangelical is someone that believes the Bible and believes that we are saved by grace alone and by the blood of Jesus, not by deeds. Deeds come as fruit. The Bible is the word of God, and we might differ on the interpretation, different parts of it, but uh it is the word of God without taking anything out or without saying this is not part of it. So I think that's maybe simple, maybe too simple answer, but I think that's uh that's an important way. We are the bearers of the good news as evangelical, as the name itself suggests also. We we take that uh message of uh salvation, redemption, that God himself sent his son to the world in order to die on our uh on the cross for our sins, and that's central, that's uh basic. Of course, we share with other uh uh Christian denominations um about the Trinity, about uh the nature of uh of Jesus, his divine nature, his human nature, of course, these are common things, but maybe what makes us uh special is uh the focus on Jesus, the focus on his work, the focus on the Bible as the word of God, and the bearers of good news. That's my uh quick answer, I think.

Brian Stiller 14:24

And what do you think has created this enormous upsurge of people around the world and believing in evangelical theology? The risen Christ, the forgiveness of sins, the eternal promise. What's going on in our world that would attract such hundreds of millions of people?

Botrus Mansour 14:48

It's the of course there is the spiritual answer that uh this is the word of God that does not come back void. It has a power of the gospel, the the seed that is thrown here and there all around the world, uh, of Jesus' story is as a special um is activated in a if I can say that word in a special way because of it's the word of God. This is his power, his Holy Spirit works, all right. On a more human level, I would say it's this because it's a simple story. The Lord created the story of salvation, it's not one of uh laws and difficulties, and uh but it's something very close to the heart. You know, I'll I'll tell something, I'll I'll share something. I still remember as a kid reading C. S. Lewis's uh The Lion, the Witch, and the Wardrobe. And I don't know why. I really love that story. I kept reading it, and I'm a person that you know gets bored. I don't like to watch a film twice or read a book twice. One time. That's enough. This story was so fascinating. Maybe because uh this this story of redemption, like the story of Aslan, you know, the the lion and the story, of course, the um uh C. S. Lewis's uh lovely, lovely book. Um maybe this is the same reason people are attracted to such a story, simple, but at the same time has a hero who raises from the death and he uh comes to um you know the the witch in the story was taken away. She uh she only had uh because of her, it was only winter, it was always always snowing. But when Aslan came, when Jesus came, of course, we have the resurrection and everything's great. I think it's a fascinating story, and people are attracted, and people uh I think also maybe again with on more on a spiritual side, there's a void inside the human being that is can only be filled by the Lord's love and his redemption and his love for each one of us. I think this is attractive, despite the different races and the different colors of people and the different backgrounds, and even people who are educated and highly academic, they will find it. Wow, this is something special, I tell you. And praise God for this. I'm very happy to hear the statistics about how more people are coming to to know Jesus in a personal way.

Brian Stiller 17:26

So now, as Secretary General of this global body, what's the purpose of WEA? What's its raison d'être, sir?

Who Is An Evangelical

Botrus Mansour 17:35

Of course, we as evangelicals we uh we don't have the uh hierarchy. We're not uh some other denominations. And on the one hand, this is lovely that you know every group of people can form their church, decide their own thing, and go forward. But on the other hand, of course, this is create chaos. Sometimes we see that there is certain chaos happening here and there, but at the same time, when you you have the liberty because you read the word of God yourself, you interpret it yourself. Of course, if you rely on um people wiser than you that have read it, uh that will give you just a bonus. That would be lovely, but a lot of people don't anyway. Uh but the fact that different people maybe interpret certain parts or put emphasis in the Bible in a certain way and then create their own church that has its style of worship, which is different than others, makes it more compatible to more people. Maybe if we were only that way, standard, then maybe it suits you. It doesn't suit me so much. I don't like the style, I don't like this emphasis on this certain doctrine. Well, where I can find my what I'm looking for, what suits me. That's a good thing. Uh sometimes you wonder, you say, well, we do know you need accountability and we need someone, people who will say, This is how we do things, you are going astray, you are going too far on this or that. But on the other hand, this liberty is God given. God gave people the freedom. He he created us on his image. His image is one part of it, is the the freedom that he gave. He did not dictate, do this or that. So so human beings and evangelicals uh uh show that, reflect that a lot in the way that they are uh established in different denominations, different people, different styles, different uh all that. What can the what where is the role of the WEA? We are not Vatican, uh we are not imposing or we're not dictating to different people what to do, but we are a body that tries to bring. Bring all all of us together for common things, for mission, bringing us closer together, helping us walk together, facilitating cooperation, collaboration between different groups. I think bringing harmony as much as we can. You cannot at the end of the day bring harmony to 650 million people. You know, and you and your siblings are different things, and you might fight even or but uh uh we try to just bring them together, closer together, representing them on issues that are common for the vast majority, at least, let's say, maybe not everybody, but the vast majority. I think there is a place, of course, for the WEA it's an important ministry, very important. We need somebody who not in dictation, but in uh facilitation or coordination, uh, try to bring harmony and uh a common cause for for us in different things, in mission, let's say, in uh theology, um, clarifying a few things in uh theology, not as somebody saying this is it, but we bring the people together, we bring the forum for people to sit together, theologian, let's say, people in mission, people in women, and so on, and they sit together and they create something, they uh they do something together. This is how I see it in the broad sense.

Brian Stiller 21:36

As you take on this role, what do you understand our role now to be in a changing landscape? You've got the rise of radical Islam, you've got the rise of humanitarian Islam, you've got the Roman Catholic Church, you've got a whole variety of uh you've got the Anglican Church that is now deeply divided. What do you see the role of WEA being in in that uh in that changing world?

Why The Movement Is Growing

Botrus Mansour 22:05

I think the uh evangelical church as a whole, we have the tenements of faith that we believe in, and the fact that we dialogue or we talk, we have different forums that we speak to Muslims that say, or to the Vatican, or we uh uh this is not a bad thing. I don't believe it's a bad thing. We should not go the other way if in the past there was people felt that we are too much close, and I'm putting a lot of emphasis on the dialogue with uh different groups. So this does not mean that we left our the tenants or our faith or our own conviction. Uh if I wanted to be a Catholic, I would stay a Catholic. I I left the Catholic Church. My father is Catholic. I'm a believer, I'm an evangelical, I'm uh 100% evangelical. I I'm not uh leaving our tenants of faith, the what we believe as reformed, as Protestant, if you wish, as evangelicals, if you wish. So dialogue is good because there are certain issues that are important for us, our voice to be clear and to be shared with other people. And it's also an opportunity to evangelize, to to reach out with the message that you have. You have something very precious. The Lord has revealed to us himself and his message. So when we share with other people, it's a good thing, I believe. We should preserve our group, help, help it not to go astray, not in dictation, but through uh dialogue and uh relationships, that the WEA can do that. I also believe that we have a responsibility for the world as a whole, not just for the 650 million people, but if we can help in the common good in the world that we are in, in the countries that we are in, if they have trouble ecology somewhere, or there's a war somewhere, if we can help humanitarian aid for people, all people, not only evangelicals, that's also a blessing. I think that's part of the mandate that we have been given. So I believe in that. I know this is a wide range of things. We cannot do everything for everybody, but the wisdom of God is how we pick the issues. But uh we have a responsibility beyond just our our own communities and our own evangelical churches and so on. I believe it's uh we need to dialogue more about that uh to know where, but I think it's it's also there. I think the big strength of uh the WEA is the national and regional alliances. I think uh we should do the maximum to try to empower them, to help them as much as we can, not as somebody that we we have all the answers or that we are wiser. No. Um maybe we have better resources, we have context that maybe can help in a certain area, in a certain for a certain alliance here and there, facilitating, bringing bringing alliances together, helping solve problems, things like that. So I think we should give empowerment, to give, to look more into the national and regional uh alliances and to be sure that we have strong ones. We don't want anybody to be left behind or that any alliance should be shaky or or weak, because at the end of the day, they are the ones that have their relationship to the local church. The local church is the most important. And we're not going to go as a WEA directly to the local church, but the alliances are supposed to, they are strong, then the churches are strong. We try to help them whenever we can. So I think this is the main priority that I have on my heart to do. Um religious freedom also is a priority. We see that in different areas around the world uh evangelicals are facing difficulty, persecution. I think the fact that WEA has an office, they are recognized as an um representative for evangelicals in the United Nations is important. I think that office also they're doing a great job, but I think uh we should also focus on that and put uh strengthen the office also in uh Geneva and also uh those that are working in New York as well. Uh these are the main two issues that are on my heart. Other issues as well, but uh, these are important.

Brian Stiller 26:57

Over the last few years, there's been an enormous political activity that in some places have enveloped the evangelical world. In fact, redefining it, I suppose. The political engagement, the involvement of the church, the political bias or particular partisanship. How does the church relate to civic society in ways that don't contaminate the gospel and yet don't try to overrule the political will of people beyond their own community?

Botrus Mansour 27:40

That's a tough question. Uh I think we need to be a prophetic voice. Um if there's an issue of integrity or an issue of religious freedom or an issue of justice, we can take a stand, but without taking a position or taking sides with this party or that party. Um I think those evangelicals who uh become as if they belong, they become part of a party, a political party, or too close to a president, or too close to a prime minister. Um, just you know, getting a blank check for that uh president, you know, that these are my people, part of uh my my uh my people is uh is the wrong one. This is the wrong one. So yeah, I think uh in general, take the position, be a prophetic voice, but don't mingle into the the politics. I know it's a thin line sometimes. How can you take a stand? Because a stand at the end of the day is uh being with someone's stand. Let's say a politician is taking the same stand and you take that stand because you believe this is biblical. So it's seen as if you become too too aligned to that politician. I know it's a thin line there, but we should be careful that we are standing for the principle of integrity for this issue or that issue, and not automatically being part of what one party says, or even if it's a uh Christian politician, to be careful with that.

Brian Stiller 29:17

But humility and conviction are strange bedfellows.

Botrus Mansour 29:23

You mean they have uh difficulty? They don't compete together. Yes, yes, I think that's uh when the Lord said be like lamb and uh wise like serpents, maybe this is the same thing. That's uh it's not an easy thing to be humble like sheep or like lamb, and uh at the same time to be wise. Uh may God give us wisdom how to do that. I know it's very difficult. Um Do you have a light verse? Two verses, one from the New Testament, Colossians 3 23. All that you do, uh do not for men, but as if to the Lord. And I like it because it says everything that you do, not just you know the spiritual side or ministry, but everything that you do as if you are doing to the Lord and not for men. Sorry, I'm translating from Arabic in my mind. And in the Old Testament, uh I like the verse that says the Lord is good and his mercies endure forever. I tried to remind myself, despite all the difficulty, God is good and his mercies are new every morning and they endure forever. These are the two verses, yeah.

WEA’s Purpose And Limits

Brian Stiller 30:42

As our search committee was going about looking for a secretary general, I kept telling them. Got tired of hearing me say it. My line was this on the Old Testament story of David, I said, You've got to go down to Bethlehem and find a David that no one knows anything about, but one on whom the Lord's hand. They didn't listen to me, but they went to Nazareth.

Botrus Mansour 31:14

Yeah, I like that. It's humbling, I tell you. I'm not a David, just a regular believer. I love the Lord, I try to do my best, trying to be faithful.

Brian Stiller 31:27

There's one David from Bethlehem, and there's one Botrus from Nazareth. Mr. Secretary General, it's been an honor to have you here today on Evangelical 360.

Botrus Mansour 31:39

Thank you. Please pray for me. Uh, it's not an easy task, I know. And thank you for having me, uh Brian. I appreciate that.

Brian Stiller 31:47

Joy to have you. Thank you. Thank you. Thanks for being a part of this podcast. Please share this episode and join the conversation on YouTube. Uh, feel free to suggest other guests to me or topics we might include in these global conversations on faith, belief, and the civic public square. If you'd like to learn more about today's guests, just check the show notes for links and info. And if you haven't already received my free ebook and newsletter, just go to BrianStiller.com. Thanks for joining. Until next time. Don't miss the next interview. Be sure to subscribe to Evangelical360 on YouTube.