Historic Lausanne 4 gathering in Korea made an impact on Vancouver leaders

The Korean church welcomed the worldwide church with open arms last week. Everywhere we went, throughout the whole of the Lausanne 4 Congress at Incheon/Seoul, local Korean Christians smiled, guided and held signs of welcome.

They were there all day long, as we entered the halls of the Songdo Conversia Convention Centre, and as we left. More volunteers were waiting at our many hotels, often with their children, as we arrived home after 9 pm on our shuttle buses.

Lausanne 4 is the Fourth Lausanne Congress on World Evangelization. The first three took place in Lausanne (1974), Manila (1989) and Cape Town (2010).

(I wrote about the Lausanne Movement and my involvement two weeks ago (before I went) and last week (while there).

Jaehoon Lee, Pastor of Onnuri Community Church, welcomed more than 5,000 participants from 200 or more nations on the first evening of Lausanne 4, saying:

This historic city was the entry  point of early Protestant missionaries who brought the good news of the Gospel to this country. And now, here we are.

Join me in prayer throughout this week that God will do an amazing work of His grace as we humbly and sincerely work together for His glory and for the good of the global church.

Let the church  declare and display Christ together.

Vancouver well represented

About 185 Canadians took part in Lausanne 4, and at least 10 of them were from the Metro Vancouver area. Here are some of their comments about the historic gathering, which took place over seven days (September 22 – 28).

• Shaila Visser: National Director of Alpha Canada and the Global Senior Vice President for Alpha International

I went to Lausanne unsure of what to expect and I was absolutely blown away. It was one of the most significant events I have attended in my 25-plus years of vocational ministry.

In the midst of 5,000 people the organizers found ways for us to connect deeply with five others from various parts of the world. My Next Gen co-lab session had ‘random’ people that are now friends for life from Korea, Nigeria, the United States and Kenya.

The networking for the future collaboration of the church in the world was strategic, beautiful and inspiring.

My favourite quote from the congress is “God has turned the global south from a missionary field to a missionary force.” I will be forever grateful that I had the privilege to attend the Lausanne Congress!

• Jeffrey Greenman: President & Professor of Theology & Ethics, Regent College

It was a distinct privilege to share an unforgettable week with an amazing gathering of Christian leaders from every corner of the globe.

L4 was a unique opportunity for me to learn more about what God is doing throughout the world through his people. I was inspired by the depth of passion for prayer and evangelism; challenged by the courage and commitment of our brothers and sisters in the persecuted church; and heartened by a clear emphasis in many sessions on the paramount importance of humility and integrity in leadership.

 A particular highlight for me was the fellowship I experienced with the table group I was assigned for the plenary sessions throughout the week. Strangers from Kenya, South Sudan, Japan, Singapore and Canada became friends as we shared conversation, laughter, tears and prayers. It was great fun and a rich experience.

• Stephen Mulder:  Senior Director for Partner Engagement, Missional Labs

Wow, what a week at the 4th Lausanne Congress in Seoul! Some key takeaways and highlights:

• Non-Western context: It was hugely refreshing to be in a non-Western context and see the global impact and fruit of the Gospel going to the ends of the earth.
• The Gospel is at its purest when suffering is present: Hearing stories of missionary endeavour, the persecuted church and even the history of the Gospel coming to Korea gave me a different lens to understand the world and reframe some of the challenges the church in the West is experiencing.
• The world is changing: Most of the developed world is aging; by 2067, 67 percent of the world’s children will live in Africa (my home continent). At the same time, fewer young people in the West are holding to the faith of their parents. This has implications for how we engage with and share the Gospel with both older and younger generations. Polycentric mission – from everyone, to everywhere – will be critical in this endeavour.
• Diversity: I was encouraged by the diversity of people in the room and those who shared the platform. It is never easy to bring such a diverse group together with different worldviews. This was both beautiful and complex and a good reminder there needs to be room for differences of opinion and space to dialogue around difficult issues in the context of love. 
• Collaboration: One of the most impactful parts of the congress was the signing of the Collaborative Action Commitment (CAC), which calls for intentional responses to the Great Commission, removing silos and enabling a new generation of leaders. It highlights the need to mobilize existing initiatives and form collaborative action teams to address key gaps.” Easy to say, but more difficult to do.
• Relationships: I was reminded once again that the kingdom often moves forward at the speed of relationships. It was a challenging task to engage in all the strategic conversations I wanted to have due to the sheer number of people, the congress schedule, and the network effects. My prayer each day was, “God, bring me into conversation with those You want me to connect with.” This ended up being a transformational way to engage throughout the week. Many divinely orchestrated moments, without a doubt.
• Worship: I loved worshiping with people at the table I was assigned to – men and women from Sri Lanka, Ghana, South Africa, India, Egypt, Canada and the United States.

• Mike Davies: YWAM leader, locally and internationally

What an amazing week that was, to be in a room with over 5,000 believers from almost every nation on earth.

To summarize the week is challenging, but I have come away with a great sense that ‘Aslan is on the move.’ There was so much content it will take me some time to process all that I learnt.

What I did appreciate was the amount of time spent on the persecuted church around the globe. This statement stood out: “Persecution will never destroy the church, but a comprised gospel will.”

Prayer and collaboration were two other areas threaded throughout the conference which resonate with me as I feel both are crucial to see God move in our city. A couple of quotes:

“Prayer is non negotiable for mission, significant impact is always preceded by prayer.”

“Jesus is building His church and it’s one church, working together in unity.“

• Enoch Weng: co-founder & CEO, Rise Above Finance

One of my most memorable moments was participating in a collaboration track, where teams composed of participants from different countries gathered to create global solutions. 

In our group, we saw firsthand the beauty and challenge of working with brothers and sisters from other cultures. Midway into the week, our group delved into an intense debate, where different perspectives and views clashed. Frustrations grew as it felt that we couldn’t move forward.

It was at that moment that one group member spoke quietly that the answer to the problem we were solving was “the love of Jesus.” A simple and obvious answer, but one that made our group fall silent. 

As the group reflected on the deeper implications, we started to chime in with agreement and the tone of conversation completely changed. By the end of the session, we were all laughing heartily as we had refocused on how to love one another and to grow in friendship. It was a beautiful and humbling moment to see the love of Christ in action.

• Murray Moerman: pastor, author, Saturation Church Planting Catalyst

Everyone needs clear orientation. I believe the Lausanne Movement is providing that orientation in a complex and disorienting world.

Lausanne offers a broad picture of the church, a prophetic call to our mission, a meeting place to pray over and wrestle with current realities and challenges, a place to grieve losses and celebrate pointers to the Kingdom, repent and be reconciled where we’ve strayed.

While Billy Graham’s stirring messages are being heard less often, the Lausanne Movement may well prove to be his greatest legacy.

My sense is that the Lord is saying to me and to the church: Love and serve in humility, especially the weak and oppressed, testify to Christ and make disciples, on mission in the face of inexplicable evil, speaking truth to power as Jesus did, suffering with courage and faithfulness, forgiving our enemies.

There is a glimpse of Murray at the 42 second mark of the Day 1 video.

• Several others

Several others from Metro Vancouver also attended. I did not get to meet them all, and some I don’t know. 

I did hear briefly from Izumi Araki: Vice President, International Field, International Student Ministries Canada. She said: 

As an ISM worker, the best part of my L4 was collaborating with other ISM workers from all over the world. It was a great reunion and also seeing new people to join Lausanne’s Worldwide International Student Ministry Network (WIN). I very much appreciated the many meetings which only can happen at such a congress.

And for a Canadian perspective:

• John Franklin, Chair of Lausanne Movement Canada (from Toronto)

It was an extraordinary gathering. Over 5,000 delegates from 200 countries around the world coming together for something like an ancient church council.

In preparation we had received a copy of an extensive study; The State of the Great Commission provides a glimpse into how the global church has or has not taken up its calling. It’s a report that touches on key themes such as polycentric mission, persecuted church, where does our hope lie and what does it mean to be human?  

The book of the Acts of the Apostles served as a biblical anchor for our reflections at the Congress. Early on we were reminded of the coming of the Holy Spirit at Pentecost and the need for the presence of the Spirit for the church to effectively carry out its call to “make disciples of all nations.”

Discussions took place at hundreds of tables allowing for intimate conversations with six at a table all located in a vast arena. Each day also included opportunity to gather with those who share common interests in one of the 25 missional gaps under discussion. 

Among the topics were Next Generation, Church Forms in a Digital Age, Secularism, Integrity and Anti-Corruption, Caring for Creation and the Vulnerable, and Christianity, Radical Politics and Religious Freedom.

Add to this the opportunities where you could be in dialogue with those from the other side of the world who are working faithfully to be the presence of Christ in their own particular context. Conversations at mealtimes, in the hallways and after sessions provided a rich environment to catch a glimpse of the global church.

A key theme at the Congress was ‘Collaboration,’ where it was emphasized that we need one another and that we are stronger together. Lausanne has in the past been instrumental in generating collaborations among parachurch initiatives and church programs and there is no doubt that this Congress will be effective in once again in bringing us together to strengthen our impact as we seek to be faithful to our calling.

I came away from this exceptional gathering enriched and inspired with fresh vision of how the global church is faring and of what needs our attention locally in the coming days. The hope is that there will be a significant ripple effect from what took place at Incheon that will provide fresh momentum for the global church and its local expressions all of which will be fruitful for the work of the kingdom.

More to come

I will post more about Lausanne 4 in the next few weeks – a bit more of a detailed assessment, profiles of a couple of interesting people I met and maybe a history of missions and the dramatic growth and expansion of the Korean church.

In the meantime, some might want to check out the seven-part (thus far) Christianity: A missionary religion series I’ve written about recent mission-related books.