2004 Forum for World Evangelization: A Perspective on the Papers and Ideas Resulting from the Gathering
By Greg H. Parsons
Looking
back at the Lausanne Committee for World Evangelization (Lausanne) compendiums and Occasional
Papers, including those from the 2004 Lausanne Forum
Issue Groups, I was reminded that the spirit of Lausanne
is one of great breadth and depth. The idea of connecting
people with a common vision is not only compelling,
but is also resulting in a unity that is changing our
world. The important issue in the name itself—that
of world evangelization—is central among evangelicals
today. Recently, TIME magazine noted that world evangelism
is "the lifeblood of evangelicals."1 We feel
a burden to reach the lost.
World evangelism is also central in leadership, a concern
Lausanne has sought to take on over the years. Being
a leader means having the ability to rally people to
change something in order to ensure a better future. We are not compelled by—or dependent upon—human
effort and vision. In fact, our task here at Lausanne
is not even our own. It is the Lord’s. Jesus said
that all authority had been given to him. And this God
who is doing the work is a God of purpose. Henry Blackaby
once spoke of "God on Mission," and the concept
that he initiates his work through his people. John
Stott once said the living God that we serve is a missionary
God. Thus, Jesus is not merely a model for what we do.
He is the one seeking and saving today.
The papers which the thirty-one Issue Groups (IGs) produced
from the Lausanne 2004 Forum (see Lausanne
Occasional Papers, seek to both continue the LCWE
tradition and to expand it. The IGs include a vast range
of topics, with plans on implementing action steps which
will make the discussions a reality.
Many IGs processed a great deal of information prior
to the meetings. Some have had subsequent meetings either
in-person or via email. Various ministries, ideas and
case studies have resulted. It is truly amazing what
God has done and is continuing to do.
While there were some IGs that had cross-over meetings
with other IGs, groups were not able to exchange papers,
and thus not able to revise their own work using the
insights of others.
There are a number of different action steps and training
plans proposed in these new Lausanne Occasional Papers.
Most of those steps either require or call for two things:
(1) churches willing to act and (2) believers willing
to commit.
Several questions were proposed by a number of IGs
concerning how to make the above two needs a reality:
(1) How do we see the church established in a given
culture, especially in an area where no church is present?
And (2) How do we help develop Christians who not only
live out their faith on Sunday morning, but live in
a Christ-focused manner throughout the week?
There are also additional types of ministry or outreach
that God calls some to engage in, in order to more effectively
reach a culture, region or nation. It might be helpful
to decide whether the different IGs are to focus on
the first category (churches willing to act) or the
second category (believers willing to commit) as their
primary concern.
We as evangelicals do care about the lost, and reaching
them is our passion. The task God has set before us
is not one in which he has left us to finish the work
alone. Jesus is still moving today. He is still advancing
his Kingdom. We are not involved because we happen to
see a need that must be met in the world, but because
God wants us to be part of his master plan. As we obey
him and are empowered by him to reach the lost, we bring
him glory. This is how we will see world evangelization
advanced.
Endnote
1. Van Biema, David. "The 25 Most Influential Evangelicals
in America." TIME.
vol. 165, no. 6. Feb. 7, 2005, p. 42.
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