Ep. 84 / The Gospel Mission of Island Nations with Rachel Afeaki-Taumoepeau

The South Pacific sits far from most global power centers, but Rachel Afeaki-Taumoepeau argues it should never sit on the margins of the global church. Rachel is a New Zealand-born leader of Tongan heritage who currently serves as Regional General Secretary for the South Pacific Evangelical Alliance, part of the World Evangelical Alliance. Our conversation is part personal story and part big-picture map of what God is doing across island nations that are often overlooked in world evangelicalism. We start with Rachel’s journey: family roots, identity and how genealogy and belonging shape leadership in places like New Zealand and Tonga. From there we get practical about faith that lasts beyond Sunday, why she talks about Jesus as Lord and Saviour, and what it means to move from cultural Christianity to a deeper, day-to-day relationship with Christ. Then we zoom out to the South Pacific region itself. Rachel explains why many Pacific believers effectively live out evangelical faith without using the word, and how strengthening National Evangelical Alliances can equip leaders across Tonga, Fiji, Papua New Guinea, and beyond. We also touch on the realities of the region: climate change, rising seas, creation care, and political campaigns in small nations where church life and public life overlap. If you'd like to learn more from Rachel Afeaki-Taumoepeau and the South Pacific Evangelical Alliance you can go their website and follow her on Facebook and LinkedIn. And please don't forget to share this episode and join the conversation on YouTube! ____________________▶ Watch Interviews on YouTube ▶ Sign Up for FREE Dispatches From the Global Village▶ Free Downloadable eBook "Here's Hope"▶ More Info: evangelical360.com#evangelical360