In a magnificent display of unity, over 5,000 Christians from across 202 countries and territories gather in Seoul, South Korea this September. Together they will pray, listen, and discuss how Christians across the world can fulfil Jesus’ command in Matthew 28 to ‘go and make disciples of all nations’.
This ‘once in a generation’ event is run by the Lausanne Movement, which exists to mobilise Christians to collaborate in order to fulfil the Great Commission. This gathering, their fourth Congress, is only the fourth time such meeting has taken place since the movement was formed in 1974.
The movement takes its name from the Swiss city of Lausanne, where the first Congress for world evangelisation was held, driven by renowned figures such as the US evangelist Billy Graham and the British theologian John Stott.
Here we talk to Justin Schell, the Director of Younger Leaders Generation for the Lausanne Movement. He shares why this is such a groundbreaking moment, and how churches here in the UK and across the globe can get involved.
en: Tell us a bit about yourself – what drew you to start working with Lausanne?
JS: I’ve been on the staff for 11.5 years. Like so many others, I first became aware of the Lausanne Movement through seminary. In 2006, as my wife and I were preparing to serve as long-term cross-cultural missionaries, I was selected as a North American delegate to Lausanne’s second Global Younger Leaders Gathering in Malaysia. So my first experience with Lausanne was coming together with about 500 of my peers from 112 nations to hear how we, as younger leaders at the time, could be a part of what God was doing globally through the Movement.
I’m passionate about seeing the gospel go from the people and places that have it to those that don’t, and so I love that Lausanne is seeking to help the global church – denominations, mission agencies, NGOs, kingdom businesses, and churches – work together to accelerate the fulfilment of the Great Commission.
en: The first Lausanne Congress took place 50 years ago. Is this fourth Congress any different?
JS: This Congress is similar in two primary ways. First, we share the same commitment to the historic Christian faith as elucidated in the Lausanne covenant, a document written for the 1974 Congress (orchestrated chiefly by John Stott) which has served as a mission statement of faith around the world for the last 50 years. It affirms the exclusivity of Christianity, the inspiration of the Bible, the loss of man, the triune nature of God, among other central doctrines. We still stand on that firm foundation.
We also have the same mission as that first Congress – the mission of God hasn’t changed in 50 years, or even in the 2,000 years since Christ gave the Great Commission. We still exist to see the gospel go from where it is to where it’s not, and there are still thousands of people groups on the planet, whole ethnicities with little to no access to the gospel. Our mission hasn’t changed.
The first Lausanne Congress in 1974
What has changed however is, first, the makeup of the global church. Today, 80% of evangelicals are Asian, African, or Latin American, and the Lausanne Movement and Lausanne 4 will reflect that shift; men and women from every country are participating in this Congress, and that was pretty much impossible 50 years ago.
But perhaps that biggest change is that while the first Congress was helping to clarify God’s mission, Lausanne 4 is focused on helping the church collaborate to finish that mission.
It’s designed to kick off decades of collaborative action. It will not only update the global church on the state of the Great Commission, but also unveil a platform and a process in which Christians around the world can link arms to fill the Great Commission gaps that have been identified through the research.
Lausanne 1 was informational; Lausanne 4 will be all about collaborative action.
en: How has Lausanne been able to get a full picture of what state the Great Commission is currently in?
JS: About four years ago, Lausanne began to research the state of the Great Commission. This included hours and hours of conversations and interviews with leaders around the world. It also included gathering mission-related research from like-minded research institutions.
We were able to take those years of study and produce a document called The State of the Great Commission Report. It really was a labour of love of more than 150 mission leaders and scholars. It includes sections covering all 12 regions of the world, trying to identify and engage with regional challenges.
'The Great Commission isn’t unfulfilled... because we don't know where the unreached are. It’s because we’ve not be able or willing to work together.'
The report considers significant global trends that the church must engage with in mission. Some of these trends are challenges to the Great Commission, such as the way many throughout the world want to redefine something as basic as what it means to be human. Other trends that we consider are possible avenues for advancing the work of mission, including through media and technology.
There’s also a section exploring the polycentric nature of Christianity. In many ways, since Acts 10, the church has been multicultural; even in the first century or two of the church it was one of the most diverse movements ever seen. From the Protestant Reformation until the 20th century, mission was often thought of as an endeavour ‘from the West to the rest’, but due to the explosive growth of Christianity in the majority world, mission is now ‘from everywhere to everywhere.’ Traditional mission fields are now mission forces!
en: Lausanne talks a lot about being polycentric – why is it important we move towards this style of mission?
JS: On the one hand, polycentric mission simply lets us know that mission doesn’t just belong to traditional Christian centres like North America or Western Europe. But, in a much more profound sense, this idea portrays something about the nature of God. The gospel is too beautiful and too marvellous to be contained in a single culture or language. The nations of the world, as they come to know the true and living God, bring their own gifts, their own glory to the feet of Jesus, worshipping Him in new languages and expressing the faith in new forms. The church throughout the world then can partner together, each culture bringing their strengths to the table so that all together we might do more than we can do on our own.
Polycentric mission means that Nigerian Christians and Brazilian Christians may partner to reach North Africa. It means that Chinese Christians and Arab Christians can work together to reach the unreached in the Middle East and Central Asia. It means that Canadians and Koreans might collaborate towards a new reformation and revival in Europe. Every church has a role to play, and we need each other.
en: As well as looking at the present, a big part of the Congress is to look at the future – until 2050. What are your predictions on what future challenges evangelicals globally will be facing?
JS: As we better understand the forces shaping the world today, so we can engage strategically in the mission, and even shape what the world will be in the year 2050. As we identify gaps in the Great Commission, we want to call the global church to fill those gaps. Along the way, we pray and hope the gaps will be filled, and that we will see progress in the mission.
Of course, we don’t have a crystal ball, but the questions that society is asking today gives us an idea of where the future is headed, and how the church can proactively and prophetically answer the questions the world is asking. Questions like:
- What does it mean to be human? In a world where ideas as foundational as gender are being questioned and redefined, and where the line between technology and humanity is becoming blurry, the church is able to say that we know what it means to be human, and what a life of flourishing looks like.
- What is the foundation of trust? In a world at an all-time low in trust in institutions and leaders – including the church – we can declare the absolute trustworthiness of the Bible and the God who is there.
- What is community? In a world where it’s harder and harder to form in-person friendships, and where society has worked hard to tear down traditional centres of community – family, church, etc. – we can invite men and women of all nations into a community centred around Christ.
Evangelist Billy Graham speaking at the first Lausanne Congress 50 years ago
en: Practically, what will this Congress look like?
JS: There will be Bible expositions from the book of Acts, plenary addresses unpacking themes from The State of the Great Commission Report as well as regional updates, testimonies, small group discussions and interaction. The afternoons will also include collaborative sessions where each participant chooses one Great Commission gap out of a list of 25 which will be highlighted at the Congress, and work with other leaders on finding solutions to that gap.
Significantly, there will also be a daily breakout for those in the workplace track. That’s one major area of emphasis and growth for Lausanne, especially since 2019’s Global Workplace Forum – namely, to see Christians in the workplace mobilised and equipped for mission.
There will be dozens of speakers, expositors, round-table participants (we don’t publish speaker lists in advance of the Congress). Morning worship will be led by Keith and Kristyn Getty with a global team; and evening worship will be led by a team composed of worship leaders from a variety of Korean churches.
en: What are your hopes for what this Congress will achieve?
JS: Something that really excites me is the launch of a new collaborative platform. Christians and organisations around the world can register, share about the Great Commission gaps they are working on, and invite others to partner with them. Technology is at a place where we can truly see global collaboration happening. Churches around the world can discover one another, discover that they are engaging the same unreached people group, for instance, and link arms and work together.
The Great Commission isn’t unfulfilled because we lack the resources or manpower. It’s not because we don’t know where the unreached are. It’s because we’ve not be able and/or willing to work together. That will be the key outcome of this Congress – truly collaborative action, truly polycentric mission.
As well as working for Lausanne, Justin Schell is also the US Director for Union, a UK-based ministry that seeks the reformation of Christ’s church worldwide, and the author of two books on mission including Come and See: A History and Theology of Mission and the newly released The Mission of God and the Witness of the Church. He is husband to Megan and daddy to Henry and Evelyn, and they are members at Evergreen Church in Oklahoma.
