Greetings from a cafe at the “Convesia” hall where Lausanne 2024 is happening. I am having my morning coffee ang getting ready for the third full day here. I thought some of my readers might enjoy a few observations from my experience as a participant.
There are about 5,000 attendees, I am told. The plenaries are impressive, with a huge screen curving across the front of the auditorium. The speakers have emphasized many of the dominant themes in mission, including unity, the centrality of the church, and the rising global south workforce.
This leads to my first big takeaway. Past Lausanne events have typically been idea driven. 1974 produced an emphasis on the remaining task of world evanlization, 1989 focused on the 10/40 Window, and 2010 was the Capetown Committment. This event (which they call L4) seems to be a shift from ideas to collaboration. Each afternoon there are “Gap” sessions about significant gaps in the Great Commission and how we might meet the challenge of those gaps through collaborative action. I don’t think this event, at least up to this point, is going to leave us with a big mssiological idea as past events have. It will be interesting to see if this change from ideas to action takes hold. A key feature will be the use of a single digital platform. Will this be adopted by the global church? Time wil tell.
Yesterday they published the Seoul Statement. What surprised me was not what it said, but what it did not say. There is no significant emphasis on evangelism. Discipleship gets a section (which is great) but not evangelism. I think Billy Graham would be scratching his head on this, as Lausanne has had a historic focus on world evangelization.
There have been breakouts as well. Yesterday I attended Rick Warren’s session on the revamped vision for Finishing the Task (FTT). He is basically resurrecting the PEACE plan from the early 2000s. It was classic Rick Warren. That man can preach when he is holding a microphone. It did seem a little out of context, with Lausanne asking for broad collaboration on gaps while Rick was calling for people to join him in fulfilling the Great Commission through FTT. Well, all hands on deck. I pray that both meet with incredible success.
For me personally the richest portion has been the many people I have been able to meet that I would otherwise not be able to see face to face. From old field acquaintances to new relationships with other leaders, it has been very productive for me. As I finish this post, I am off to meet a Twitter/X friend that I have never in real life.
Please pray for those attending this key event. I feel privileged to be here among a sea of wonderful Great Commission advocates.
I’ve seen a shift whereby evangelism into the disciple making process. I’m not sure if this accounts for this lack of reference to evangelism, however. If it does, a footnote would be helpful.
THANKS Ted, these are helpful reflections. I agree with the shift you mention, to collaboration. Kärin Primuth is helping in the processing of the networking, which increases the chances something might happen!
While most of us will not have a problem with anything in the Seoul Statement, (there are a few corrections that would clarify what they mean to say) I thought the same as you when I read it yesterday morning.
It seems focused like a doctrinal statement (and position statement on Sexuality and Gender). And, I guess they need to be clear (and some “affirming” folks may leave Lausanne.)
Yet they didn’t take the approach I have been hoping would happen to reframe HOW we talk about what we believe the Scriptures teach…getting away from some of the “Christianese” and describing a God who is loving (I assume they did not include the love of God b/c the Cape Town Commitment was drenched in it — for good reason) and drawing all humanity to himself….I don’t think they talked about the generosity of God - (but I need to read it again).
I wish they had done position papers on some of the issues they included, and kept the statement for other things. If it is true (as some have said in provocative fashion) that the greatest stumbling block to the advance of God’s name among the nations is the church (meaning to me, the fact that we don’t easily/ever? consider doing “church differently” and resist new approached (like the elderly pastor controlling the church in So. Korea!) clear new translations (like the main Chinese Bible) it seems like Lausanne could say that in a way that the church leaders who are here might be able to agree.
That’s off the top…I need more time to process these things.