The Lausanne Congresses and Idaho Falls

 

From the Idaho Falls Post Register, October 4, 1974, p. A-8:

Lausanne, Switzerland – The International Congress on World Evangelization with over 3,000 participants from 152 nations meeting here recently reaffirmed the need for more missionaries throughout the world than ever before if the task of world evangelization is to be completed in this century. 

Dr. Billy Graham, in a keynote address, pointed out that great multitudes of people are cut off from their Christian neighbors by deep linguistic, political and cultural chasms.  “For Christians to build evangelistic strategies on ‘near neighbor’ evangelism alone would shut out at least one billion individuals from hearing about Jesus Christ,” he said.  “Churches from every land,” Dr. Graham emphasized “must deliberately send out missionaries and evangelist to master other languages, learn of other cultures and perhaps live there for life.”…

Malcom Muggeridge, noted English humorist, writer and observer of the world scene, called upon evangelical Christians to “tell it as it is” – that Western civilization is in an advanced stage of decline. He blamed the media for so “accustoming us to the gradual deterioration of our values and our circumstances” that another dark age has begun without anyone noticing it…

The Second Lausanne Congress on World Evangelization was held in Manila, Philippines in 1989; the Third Congress in Cape Town, South Africa in 2010 and the fourth is being held as I write this, September 22-28, 2024, in Incheon, South Korea.

I am not aware of any present or former residents of Idaho Falls or surrounding communities that attended any of the Lausanne Congresses, but I have no doubt that the message and vision of the Lausanne movement has impacted and encouraged many Idaho Falls churches. If you know of anyone from this area who has attended a Lausanne Congress please let me know so that I can expand this blog with their stories.

In case you are unaware…

In the First Lausanne Congress, as stated in the above Post Register article, Dr. Billy Graham highlighted the crucial necessity of global evangelism, emphasizing the need for unity among Christians to fulfil the Great Commission effectively. It was at this Congress that Dr. Ralph Winter introduced the concept of unreached people groups, now so common in missions thinking and strategy, as he spotlighting the critical need for focused mission to the least-evangelized peoples of the world, often hidden behind cultural barriers. The Lausanne Covenant came out of this Congress, defining what it means to be evangelical and challenging Christians to work together to make Jesus Christ known to all peoples.

Fifteen years later, the Second Congress focused on the 10/40 window, the region of the world most unreached by the gospel. With increased intentionality towards social responsibility and strategic collaboration, over 800 new missional partnerships were formed in this meeting.  In 2010, 4,000 church and mission leaders from 198 countries came together for the Third Lausanne Congress, making it one of the most diverse gatherings in Christian history. Urban missions, holistic mission, reaching out to diaspora communities, and advancing the gospel among oral learners were explored in this Congress.

To nurture younger leaders, in 2016 the Lausanne Younger Leaders Gathering was held in Jakarta, Indonesia. This event brought together over a thousand younger leaders and mentors from 150 countries. Initiatives come out of this gathering promoting intergenerational friendship and shifting leadership. In 2019, the Lausanne Movement convened the Global Workplace Forum in Manila, Philippines. This forum brought together over 1,000 Christian leaders from 109 countries, representing various sectors—business, government, academia, and the church. By exploring how every believer could be a minister in their workplace this gathering was a catalyst for ongoing initiatives and partnerships that impact every sphere of society.

One aim of the Fourth Congress was to set the agenda for global Christian mission in light of the year 2050, and in preparation, delegates were asked to read a 516-page report, State of the Great Commission, which has a large section “From Today to 2050”.  Over 5,000 men and women from nearly every country in the world, representing every sector of society and work, came to South Korea and thousands more joined through dynamic virtual platforms.  Numerous resources from this Congress can be viewed or downloaded from:

https://congress.lausanne.org/prepare/   [papers, videos and devotionals for 11 steps in preparing to attend the conference]

https://lausanne.org/god-at-work   [2023 Impact report plus audio files and other reports]

https://lausanne.org/resources   [Stories, September 2024 Global Analysis articles, Lausanne Occasional Papers, Consultation Statements, Plenary Session videos]

https://lausanne.org/download-report [State of the Great Commission report]

In harmony with the Lausanne movement, with both celebrating their 50^th anniversaries this year, is the 15-week course, Perspectives on the World Christian Movement.  While it’s estimated that over 300,000 students worldwide have taken the Perspectives class, the first to be held in Idaho Falls will be from January 6 to April 28, 2025.  Six instructors will be brought in to teach the class while for the 9 other weeks of the class, instruction will be by video, and in addition, local guest speakers and activities that enhance the lessons.  Among the instructors who will come to Idaho Falls, at least one participated in the Fourth Lausanne Congress, one is on a Lausanne Committee and one has taught over 30,000 Perspectives students.  If you’re interesting in learning more about this or future Perspectives classes in Idaho Falls, email perspectivesidahofalls@gmail.com.