Director Elfed Godding will leave the Evangelical Alliance in September

Elfed Godding will step down as national director for Wales and coalitions at the Evangelical Alliance at the end of September to embark on a new phase of ministry.

After a three-year period seeking God's will for the next chapter in his life and service, Elfed announced in May that after 19 years at the organisation, he will stand down to focus on local church leadership and a national ministry which will see him share his wisdom and experience with church leaders across Wales.

As the longest-serving member of the Evangelical Alliance's leadership team, Elfed will leave behind a remarkable legacy, which includes partnering with CARE, Cornerstone Church Swansea and Tearfund to set up Gweini, the government-recognised council for the Christian voluntary sector in Wales.

Another one of the numerous accomplishments of the Evangelical Alliance in Wales under the leadership of Elfed was the launch of the Cymru Institute for Contemporary Christianity (CICC) in 2010, with the backing of several organisations including CARE and the Bible Society. CICC helps Christians in Wales understand their environments and engage biblically with contemporary issues and people.

Elfed commented, "It has been an honour to serve at the Evangelical Alliance with such great people, staff members and volunteers; we have a deep respect for each other. I'll miss sharing valuable insights. I'll also miss the banter, fun and staff conferences. But, as a personal member for more than 30 years, I'll continue to offer the team my support and prayers.

"God's call on my life a long time ago was to serve the nation of Wales through mission, and the Evangelical Alliance has been a means to fulfil this. God has blessed the team in Wales by working through us to create and catalyse indigenous movements and coalitions to make Jesus known in the nation. Now God is moving me into another phase of that call being fulfilled, through the encouragement and mentoring of local church leaders across Wales."

Steve Clifford, general director of the Evangelical Alliance, commented, "For the last 19 years, Elfed has provided inspired leadership to the Evangelical Alliance in Wales. During this time, he has become the respected 'go-to' leader, not just to the evangelical church, but of the wider Christian community within the nation. His wisdom and faithful service have meant many have sought out his council and guidance.

"Personally, I will miss Elfed enormously. He has been a source of tremendous encouragement and support during my time as general director. As he goes, we pray for him and his wife, Jackie, that they will know incredible fruitfulness in their next season of ministry."

Before Elfed joined the Evangelical Alliance in 1999, the Nazarene Theological College alumnus, who holds a Masters Degree in Theology, served as pastor of Carreg Llwyd Church in Oswestry, Shropshire, for 10 years, and Cranleigh Community Church in Bournemouth for eight.