Every Christian in the world should have his or her eyes on Capetown, South Africa this week.
The Third Lausanne Congress on World Evangelization started Oct. 17 and continues through Oct. 25. Based on the reports I'm hearing from those attending, it could be every bit as significant as its two predecessors for the global cause of Christ.
Lausanne I, in 1974, began a massive shift in thinking among missiologists and eventually churches from political "countries" to ethnic "people groups". Lausanne II, in 1980, produced the Manila Manifesto, a document affirming commitment to and expanding the Lausanne Covenant, a draft of which was produced through Lausanne I. Most major evangelical associations have affirmed most or all of this document, which was written with the idea of uniting diverse denominations and approaches around core emphases in missions. Lausanne II also challenged missionaries to focus on the "resistent belt" -- what we now call the "10/40 Window". Both previous gatherings came in the context of challenges from within Christianity that the time for missions had ended and a shift needed to be made away from the proclamation of the Gospel message. Both focused on intentionally seeking unity amidst diversity and finding common ground for the comon message of the Gospel.
What will come from Lausanne III? It's hard to say at this point, but the emphasis is on 2 Corinthians 5:19: "God was in Christ reconciling the world to Himself" So far the speakers haven't shied away from calls to seriously engage the world's injustices as part of an incarnational ministry of reconciliation. They have also made strong challenges to continue to hold forth truth and not waver on the importance of proclamation of the Gospel message of salvation through Jesus the Messiah. In fact, one of the keynote speakers observed that we have to do away with "this or that" thinking and see that truth and incarnation go hand-in-hand.
That's all well and good, you may be thinking, but it's not for me to worry about. I'll let the missionaries and missions agency leaders and maybe even my denominational or church network leaders sort those things out. It's even okay with me if my pastor spends some time on it, as long as he doesn't get off balance and forgets to focus on the upcoming harvest party, the Christmas cantata, and his hospital visits. But it's not for me to think about. At the end of the day, why should you pay attention to Lausanne? Let me highlight 10 reasons (in no particular order):
1. What's happening in Capetown is a microcosm of our world today. Did you know that almost 200 Chinese house church leaders were prevented from attending the conference, and that cyberattacks from 66 locations in China hit the Lausanne network which allows the conference a worldwide reach? Did you know that many of the sessions can't be broadcast on Lausanne's extension website due to security concerns for the people and places mentioned? Those are only two examples of the very real issues faced by Christians in the world today. When we pay attention to a global gathering of this scale -- 4000 people from 198 countries -- we can find out a lot about what's happening outside our borders.
2. What's happening in Capetown will probably be coming to an evangelical church near you. No matter how big or small your church is, if it is evangelical (meaning at a minmum that there is a focus on the importance of the proclamation of the Gospel message), what happens at Lausanne will likely filter down to your church. 36 years ago no one spoke of the Hausa people, the Punjabs, the Kui ... except the Hausa, the Punjabs, the Kui, and those who knew they weren't Hausa, Punjab, or Kui. Today it's a rare evangelical church that doesn't recognize its missionaries reach specific people groups or heart languages or some smaller breakdown than we knew about 36 years ago. 25 years ago the 10/40 window was primarily a term that mariners or geography students knew about. Today, even tiny churches have 10/40 Window banners hanging on their missions walls. Whatever comes out of Capetown will work its way into your church -- and when it does, you'll understand it much better if you pay attention to what's going on now.
3. What's happening in Capetown shows the bigness of God. It's hard not to get excited when you read accounts of worship in different styles and languages, when you hear speakers mentioned from places you've never heard of, or when you hear stories of God sending dreams to women in North Korea. Putting aside the missions emphasis for just a moment - if you have a struggle in your life that would be helped by a new focus on the bigness of God, Capetown 2010 is a great place to get that focus.
4. What's happening in Capetown shows the risks others face. Today's summary from Libby Little's story of her husband and his team's death in Afghanistan is a perfect reminder of the realities of spiritual warfare -- and missionaries and believers in hostile countries are on the front lines. In the US we like to "support our troops". Well ... if you are a Christian, these are our troops.
5. What's happening in Capetown shows the importance of Scripture - and the need to present it in ways people understand. Do you love digging deeply into God's Word? There is some great expository teaching going on every day at Capetown ... and that's because Scripture is crucial to doing hard thinking about missions and evangelism. The book of Ephesians if the emphasis for the week. The teaching videos are posted - and so are teaching dramas, a great reminder not only of different learning styles within our own culture, but also of the different ways people learn across our globe. I'm sure there are hundreds in the room that reflect on those dramas as deeply as I would on a study unpacking the Greek of John 1:1.
6. What's happening in Capetown will help you better support your missionaries. Do you ever wonder about your church's missionaries? Do you want to communicate with them, but don't know where to begin? Do you want to ask questions about their work, but don't know what to ask? Do you wish that you knew what they meant when they talk about "chronological Bible storying" or "incarnational ministry" or other types of methods in their newsletters? You'll find that and a lot more at Capetown. Just reading summaries of the sessions will give you lots of conversation starters and help you understand their world a little better.
7. What's happening in Capetown will help you better support your pastor and church. Wherever your pastor and your church happens to be on the missions spectrum - from "highly missional" to "bare minimum" - you'll find ways to support, pray, encourage, exhort, and overall be a better church member. The nature of the church is missional. Many of the problems faced by missionaries are faced by your pastor every day. The challenges of living in a postmodern, pluralistic society are not only realities dealt with by missionaries in western Europe -- your church likely has raised many of the same questions. Urban ministry isn't just for New Delhi and Paris .. it's one of the fastest growing ministry segments in the US as well. Your heart for ministry doesn't have to be halfway around the world to be impacted by what's happening in Capetown. The conversation impacts every Christian.
8. What's happening in Capetown will help you make wise decisions at the ballot box. What? You thought I was only talking about "spiritual" things? The reality is that the Gospel is not a divided message. It impacts all areas of life -- and the thinking about serious injustices in the world should impact not only our churches but how we seek to influence our elected leaders. Participants in the Lausanne global community have produced papers on issues like bioethics, education, globalization, and refugees. This type of serious thinking will cause you to ask different questions than you've ever considered when you are decided how to vote next month.
9. What's happening in Capetown is part of church history. Ever since the Jerusalem Council in Acts 15, periodic gatherings of church leaders have marked significant points in the story of Jesus' church. While the impact remains to be seen, Lausanne is part of the stream of gatherings that Christ has used to have a significant impact on His church.
10. What's happening in Capetown is glorifying to God. Jesus' heart, expressed in John 17, was that His believers be in unity to show the truth of the message. We don't see that often enough ... but it's seen every minute in Capetown. There is so much diversity - of skin color, language, and worship styles, even of terminology and theology. But there is a core belief in the Gospel and the importance of taking it to the world, and an intentional setting aside of things less important. And I believe God is smiling at that unity.
So how can you follow Lausanne? If you're like me, you're working 8-9 hours a day, sleeping 6-8, and taking care of family and other responsibilities the rest of the time. I can't sit and watch hours of videos (although I really, really hope that Lausanne leaves them up for a while so I can get around to several of them!). Here are some of the best "summary sites" that I've found I can check in a few minutes a day. Then I can go back and watch specific videos, read position papers, and study Lausanne III more indepth at a later time.
http://www.lausanne.org/lausanne-blog/ (Lausanne's official blog)
http://www.justinlong.org/ (follow links in farthest left column to find his daily updates)
http://www.outreachmagazine.com/blogs/lausanne/index.1.html
http://www.lausanne.org/lausanne-blog/
Twitter tags: #lcwe and #Capetown2010
Additionally, to make sure I'm grasping a few key ideas every day, I summarize some "top tidbits" on my Facebook page every night. And I pray for Lausanne - often and deeply. I want what comes out of this gathering to be beneficial to the kingdom of God and His glory among the peoples of the earth. They are, after all, His.
include justin's link
include "Yours" video
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