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 50th 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.
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