The Fourth Lausanne Congress is underway in Seoul and released “The Seoul Statement” this week.
The congress marks it origin in 1974 in Lausanne, Switzerland when John Stott and Billy Graham gathered global evangelical leaders for an “international congress on world evangelization.” Similar meetings occurred in Manila (1989) and Cape Town (2010). Beginning in 1974, each gathering has produced its own formal document reaffirming the movement’s historical values and stating select contemporary challenges to the Church’s global task. Seoul is no different, as the Introduction makes clear:
“The Seoul Statement does not stand alone. It is significant because it builds upon an amazing foundation of the Lausanne Covenant, the Manila Manifesto, and the Cape Town Commitment. Together, they stand as contemporary reflections of biblical convictions and values. The Seoul Statement addresses contemporary gaps that the Theology Working Group (TWG) deemed necessary to address for the sake of strengthening and sharpening today’s global mission.”
The Statement is an excellent, thorough, and broadly evangelical declaration related to the Church’s Great Commission task. Specific emphases are related to hermeneutics (Section 2), ecclesiology (Section 3), gender, sexuality, and marriage (Section 4), and technology (Section 7). Also, under the Reconciliation Section, grief is expressed over global conflicts and a lament on the rise of nationalism.
The Seoul Statement is a very good document that evangelicals throughout the world should embrace. Such was true of the Lausanne Covenant (1974), Manila Manifesto (1989), and Cape Town Commitment (2010).
While The Seoul Statement emphasizes the proclamation of the gospel numerous times, the work is reflective of the Lausanne Movement’s move away from being an “International Congress on World Evangelization” (1974) and “Lausanne II in Manila International Congress on World Evangelization” (1989), and “Cape Town 2010: The Third Lausanne Congress on World Evangelization” (2010) to an international “Fourth Lausanne Congress” on “Accelerating Global Mission Together.”
Narrow is the way of evangelization, broad is the way of mission.
The Statement and its contributors are to be commended on its declaration that “The mission of the Church is to make disciples of Christ.” The document is clear that the call to the Church is not to make converts, or get decisions for Christ, but to teach obedience. The concern is not with regeneration alone, but also sanctification. As written, “In the power of his Word and Spirit, God sends us out into the world as a holy people to bear witness to the gospel before a watching world. We do this through our Christ-filled presence, our Christ-centred proclamation, and our Christlike practice. (Matthew 28:18-20)” Truly, well stated, with the 3-Ps being a nod to history and right practice.
The Preamble sets the tone for the contents:
“We regret that during the last 50 years of evangelistic harvest, the global church has not adequately provided the teaching necessary to help new believers develop a truly biblical worldview. The church has often failed to nurture new believers to obey Christ’s call to radical discipleship at home, at school, in the church, in our neighbourhoods, and in the marketplace. It has also struggled to equip its leaders to respond to trending social values and to distortions of the gospel, which have threatened to erode the sincere faith of Christians and to destroy the unity and fellowship of the church of the Lord Jesus. Consequently, we are alarmed by the rise of false teachings and pseudo-Christian lifestyles, leading numerous believers away from the essential values of the gospel.”
While this regret should trouble us, the concern is that Lausanne, while acknowledging her foundation in global evangelization, has allowed many important and good things to move to the forefront. The Statement notes her important history:
“Following the First Congress, the global church did more to collaboratively accelerate worldwide evangelization than at any other period in history, resulting in unprecedented growth of the church, as millions in previously unreached regions embraced the gospel and experienced its transforming power.” (Preamble)
“In his mercy, God has worked through the Lausanne Movement over the past half century to catalyse evangelism to unreached peoples and communities around the world and to inculcate a sense of social concern in the face of injustice, oppression, and discrimination.” (Section 5)
“The Lausanne Movement has played a key role in encouraging mission to “unreached peoples” in recognition of the need for individuals of every culturally distinct people to hear the good news of God’s saving rule over all peoples and, hence, over all people.” (Section 6.77)
Several weeks ago, Lausanne released the State of the Great Commission Report. Depending on whether one references Joshua Project or the Global Research Department, the global estimates of unreached people are 3.4 billion or 4.8 billion, respectively. Fifty years ago, at Lausanne I, Ralph Winter gave the plenary address, “The Highest Priority: Cross-Cultural Evangelism” which led to fifty years of global people group identification, missiology, and strategy. It brought attention to global lostness, even though the Church was already throughout the world.
While Seoul is correct that much remains to provide “the teaching necessary to help new believers develop a truly biblical worldview,” she does not show regret given the last fifty years of the Movement four billion remain unreached. Much remains before the majority of the world can be taught a truly biblical worldview as they have yet to embrace the gospel.
The global status of world evangelization is a tragedy–it was in 1974 and in 2024. Faced with a world of global pressure points, the Church will slide away from crossing the cultural gaps to take the gospel to the unreached into other good and important ministries. Whenever the Church makes apostolic labors equivalent to other important ministries of the Church, then the unreached will remain unreached (e.g., Acts 6:1-7).
In 2010, I posted my concerns going into Cape Town 2010. At that time, the congress was still advertising itself as one about “world evangelization.” Shifts have occurred, though the web site explicitly notes the remaining unreached need. Lausanne is a wonderful movement and doing amazing global work. I am thankful for my brothers and sisters who are co-laboring together. My support and prayers are with them.
Ralph Winter has not left the building. . . . He has been given a seat in the back row.