Six years after the Third Lausanne Congress came the Third Lausanne Younger Leaders’ Gathering (YLG2016) in Jakarta.
YLG2016, held in August, was probably the most connected gathering of leaders ever. Its planning was chaired by a Brazilian, Sarah Breuel who, with her young family, is serving in Italy with IFES. In the previous year, an online platform was launched.
Mobile App
Through the Connector mobile app, over 1,000 participants could find others with similar interests and ministries across 140 nations. So friendships and affinity groups were already forming before the event. Strategic alliances, so effective for gospel advance, can now be formed by two or three individuals with entrepreneurial mindsets. The Connector app, launched at the start of the week, was accessed over 170,000 times over the course of it.
A team of 160 senior leaders in a range of fields came to lead Connect groups. These small mentoring groups built on a year-long study programme. Through telling their story, participants shared their lives, helping one another to see the backdrop of God’s sovereignty, and Scripture’s over-arching narrative. The daily schedule left good space for personal conversation, and for meeting with older leaders. This time was well-used. As one mentor observed to me: ‘They go very deeply very quickly.’
Main platform
The three Bible expositors were Richard Chin (Australia), Anne Zaki (Egypt) and Rene Breuel (Brazil/Italy). Vaughan Roberts contributed on leadership, and spoke at an elective on sexuality which filled the main hall. His books sold quickly.
Standing ovation
The reception for older speakers exploded any myth that young people prefer to listen to young people. They loved Ravi Zacharaias, and the serene Marina Silva, twice a Presidential candidate in Brazil. Becky Pippert, too, received warm feedback as she urged that evangelism be ‘biblically faithful, culturally relevant, spiritually empowered and relationally effective’. Os Guinness took the stage with his usual dense and heavyweight social analysis. ‘I need to respect my time, and omit the last point, he said. ‘No!’ roared the entire hall. Mindful of problems caused by speakers exceeding their time, he repeated this. Once more there was a roar of protest. Os was given extra time to finish, and he concluded to a loud standing ovation.
Chinese global vision
Chinese participants had been unable to come to the Third Lausanne Congress in Cape Town. Neither had they taken part in the second Congress, held weeks after Tiananmen Square. But 40 came to Jakarta. Since 2010, Chinese Christian leaders have committed themselves to an ambitious plan. Over the past 200 years, some 20,000 missionaries and Christian professionals have come to China. In response, by 2030, the Chinese Church is planning to send out 20,000 workers from China. Fruitful discussions were held with leaders in several regions.
A small vignette: these discussions helped clarify the future for Annie, an Americaneducated Chinese woman from a house church in Beijing. She will now work alongside the Kenyan church in reaching Chinese people. (There are roughly 1million Chinese people across Africa, some on short contracts, particularly for construction jobs.) Annie will be the first missionary from her church to serve cross-culturally.
Stories
Chipo Muwowo, a young journalist from Zambia/UK and Anja Morven, an experienced student worker from France / Madagascar, gathered stories, specifically from oral cultures. If these are not preserved in writing, the West will not be able to learn from the global south, and will be the poorer.
Stories will keep emerging from this remarkable gathering. Young energetic leaders came and they connected: from the suffering church; from nations at war; from contexts of poverty and of riches. In John Stott’s memorable description of the Lausanne Movement as ‘an exchange of gifts’, each brought their gift to the table to share. At times like this, the usual notions of poverty and riches can find themselves being reversed. For, when unencumbered, there is so often a clearer perspective and believers become ‘rich toward God’ (Luke 12.13-21)
Ten-year programme
Over the next ten years these younger leaders will themselves be taking the leadership baton, in ministry and in the workplace. Everyone has been invited to join a new ten-year programme, Younger Leader Generation (YLGen), led by Nana Yaw Offei-Awuku from Ghana. It offers mentoring, a global small group, and participation in an issue network.
One personal highlight? A Brazilian journalist asked for advice on how to write biography. The request came out of the blue, late in the week, after all slots were filled, but we managed an hour on the final morning, just before he and his interpreter friend left for the airport. I thought of the influential lives of Christian leaders across Latin America: Lissander wanted his own generation, and his children’s, to learn of them. Those who look back give hope for the future.
