Reflections on Lausanne 4 in Korea

I am writing from Korea (Incheon) at the midpoint of the Lausanne 4 gathering with a few reflections so far on his historic congress.  For those who may not be familiar with the Lausanne movement, it was founded by an initiative from Billy Graham, Leighton Ford and John Stott in 1974 to accelerate and build better collaboration for world evangelism.   The full name of is the Lausanne Committee on World Evangelization, but it is known simply as Lausanne since the first meeting was held in Lausanne, Switzerland.  That first meeting gathered over 2,500 leaders from all over the world.  The most important outcome was the Lausanne Covenant which to this day remains one of the best articulations of evangelical faith and has been adopted by churches and seminaries as their central statement of faith.  The other major outcome of the first Lausanne congress was the identification of hundreds of unreached people groups who had no access to the gospel unless someone crossed a cultural or linguistic barrier.  Today, there remains about 6,000 people-groups in the world with no access to the gospel of Jesus Christ.

Subsequent major global meetings have occurred over the years, including the second Lausanne Congress held in Manila, Philippines (1989) with over 4,000 participants.  This gathering was even more diverse and began to reflect the stunning growth of the church outside the western world.  This congress produced the Manila Manifesto.  Probably the most lasting impact of the Manila gathering was the emergence of the term “10-40” window which highlighted where most unreached people groups lived and the special need to bring the gospel to Hindus, Buddhists and Muslims.  On a personal note, this is what led me to do my own master’s work in Islam and my doctoral work in Hinduism, in order to help accelerate the movement of the gospel in that region of the world.  I have particularly dedicated a significant portion of my life seeking to strengthen the church in India.

The third Lausanne Congress was held in Cape Town, South Africa in 2010 with over 4,000 participants.  I was present in Cape Town and during that season of my life was serving in a leadership role in Lausanne.  Because Lausanne is an “invitation only” event, the big breakthrough of Lausanne 3 was the commitment by Doug Birdsall (international director at the time) and others to make Cape Town truly reflective of the constituency of the global church.  Cape Town was dramatically more diverse and dramatically younger than any of the previous Lausanne gatherings.  This was also the first time that delegates were seated around tables to foster discussions, and more time was given for the delegates to network and talk with one another, as opposed to only listening to speakers from the platform.  The congress produced the Cape Town Commitment which made an enormous impact on world evangelization by focusing on the global diaspora which has transformed our world.  It also helped to highlight the urbanization of the world.  This is also the congress that gave birth to the orality emphasis in world evangelization. There are many people-groups with no written language and must be reached through oral means.  Our own daughter, Bethany, has spent 14 years working among the Alagwa in Tanzania who have no written language and the entire Bible must be rendered orally through listening devices rather than through the traditional print media we are so accustomed to.

I am now here near Seoul, Korea for Lausanne 4.  This congress has also produced what is known as the Seoul Statement, though it is too early to tell what the long-term fruit of this Congress will be.  I was blessed so much by the program on Wednesday which dedicated the entire day to the persecuted church around the world.  This day, alone, could become the most important outcome of Lausanne 4.   I was also delighted to see an entire day (the first full day) dedicated to the role of the Holy Spirit in world evangelization.   We are sometimes, rightly, criticized for focusing too much on huge global plans and strategies and organizations to evangelize the world, but fail to rely upon the empowerment and work of the Holy Spirit.

I do have a few serious questions about Lausanne 4.  First, has it become so “issues” driven that the central emphasis on world evangelization has been buried down to just one emphasis among many?  Is the driving purpose of Lausanne still the driving purpose?   The first two Lausanne Congresses had only two working committees:  theology and strategy.  This kept the focus on producing solid, biblical and theological reflection on world evangelization and the necessary strategy to do what God has called his church to do.  However, by the third Lausanne Congress those two committees were replaced by a range of “issues” or “gaps” which are keeping the church from effectively evangelizing the world.   Once you start identifying “issues” then there is never an end to that as more and more people want to see their particular ministry focus included as an “issue” or a “gap.”  I have seen a significant drop in the emphasis on unreached people groups and those who are currently without access to the gospel.  Second, has the biblical/theological foundations remained as strong as in the past?  While there is no doubt that Lausanne has the accent and ethos of a thoroughly evangelical movement, there have been things said from the platform which were, shall we say, a bit sloppy, even if said from a good heart.  But, when you are in a global platform situation, you cannot afford to not be precise and fully informed historically, theologically and biblically.

Let me be clear, I am writing as one who loves Lausanne and remains fully committed to its success in the decades ahead.  I am confident in the fruit of this Congress.  I have made innumerable global contacts which will enrich and strengthen my own ministry for years to come.  The worship has been amazing.  The global fellowship is the closest thing to heaven you will see this side of eternity.  So, keep up the good work, Lausanne!  Don’t forget your first calling!   Let’s keep pressing forward towards the upward call of God in Christ Jesus.

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