This week is the Fourth Lausanne Congress on World Evangelization! This global cooperative movement of mission-minded Christians was birthed when Billy Graham sponsored the World Congress on Evangelism in Berlin in 1966, drawing 1,200 delegates from 100 countries. In 1974, the first Lausanne Congress on World Evangelization was held in Lausanne, Switzerland with 2,700 participants from 150 nations. The Second Congress was held in Manila in 1989, and the third in South Africa in 2010.
With each congress, the movement grew and continues to grow today. Seminal documents and ideas have come from the Lausanne Movement, such as the Lausanne Covenant, which outlines a commitment to global evangelism, and Ralph Winter’s discussion on hidden peoples sparking a new approach to mission where strategies are tailored to people groups instead of political boundaries.
This week, Sep. 22 to 28, more than 10,000 participants are attending the Fourth Congress in Seoul, South Korea. The list of speakers can be found here – the list is a who’s who of Christians in every sphere of influence from all around the world. The schedule of programs can be found here. The event is live-streamed and can be watched at https://congress.lausanne.org/live/.
For those interested, this is opportunity to get a pulse on various initiatives and new ideas in the realm of global mission.
One area that may be of interest, as we navigate a changing social and cultural norms, is the 25 “Collaborate” Gaps, which seeks to advance the Kingdom in 25 diverse areas, such as urban communities, digital communities, AI and transhumanism, and least-reached peoples.
Lausanne Congresses only come around once in awhile but their influence is far reaching. The Tide launched its first international program Southern Africa in 1975, one year after the global missions call from Lausanne 1974. We eagerly await what comes out of this year’s meeting.