Dr. John R.W. Stott personified The Lausanne Movement and the spirit of Lausanne. Just last month, I joined with hundreds of his friends and colleagues at St. Paul’s Cathedral in London to honor and celebrate the life of Uncle John. We came from around the world to pay our respects, to share stories, and to draw inspiration from the life of this great man of God.
The tribute that I prepared for The Times of London is available here.
My frequent visits with Uncle John over the last six years allowed me to keep him current on Lausanne developments, and also receive his wise counsel and encouragement. I thank God for Uncle John’s life and the many things he taught me about leadership, and about living a life of integrity and commitment to the gospel.
Let me share with you Lausanne news that I think would have made Uncle John happy. I trust you will be encouraged as well.
During my first full month back to work following sabbatical, the most frequently asked question I hear is, “What’s next?” I always answer by saying, “There are many exciting things on the horizon but the most compelling thing is, ‘What’s Now!’”
As Evangelicals, we must resist the temptation to always be looking forward to the next big event. Instead we should discipline ourselves with a sustained and intensive commitment to the work of world evangelization that has been entrusted to us.
Cape Town 2010 ushered in a Century of Global Partnership. Every week I learn of new initiatives under way as a result of connections that were made, and the ideas that were shared in Cape Town. African leaders are building on the Congress as they encourage unity, bring hope, and strengthen the witness of the Church. Next month, Lausanne leaders in the Middle East and North Africa will meet in Cairo for the same purpose. Last month, several of us met with Orthodox bishops and missionaries who want to be more involved in The Lausanne Movement for missiological and doxological purposes. Last week, leaders from Southeast Asia and East Asia met in Seoul, Korea. Younger leaders in the Western World are meeting together to share vision and ideas they have received from leaders in the Majority World.
God is on the Move!
Currently we have leaders working on new mission partnerships and consultations on the following issues: Islam; Theological Education in the 21st Century; Nominalism; Prosperity Gospel; Ethnicity and Identity; Gospel and Media; Theology of Work; Creation Care; Global Executive Leadership Forum (GELF); and Scripture Engagement.
Details on these initiatives and more will be posted and updated regularly on the Lausanne website - www.lausanne.org.
In May at Gordon-Conwell Theological Seminary, 54 seminary presidents, representing top schools globally, will deal with the topic, “The Changing Role of American Seminaries in Global Theological Education”. This consultation which is sponsored by the Lausanne Theology Working Group is being convened in collaboration with Langham Partnership, Overseas Council, The International Council for Evangelical Theological Education, The Fellowship of Evangelical Seminary Presidents, and the World Reformed Fellowship.
The Cape Town Commitment (CTC, www.lausanne.org/ctcommitment) is gaining ownership around the world. Great progress is being made on two curriculum projects. The first is being developed for seminary and graduate school levels. The second will be for local churches, and for adult study groups. Both will be available later this year. They will provide an amazingly rich resource of videos, papers, study guides, and bibliographies for studying and engaging in world evangelization priorities for the coming decade.
We’ve also begun a monthly Communications focus on the CTC issues. Our emphasis during February is on the Diaspora, and CTC Part II Section C5, Love Reaches Out to Scattered Peoples, with Dr. Sadiri Joy Tira, Lausanne Senior Associate for Diasporas. I encourage you to join the conversation today at www.lausanne.org/conversation.
In the year following Cape Town 2010, one of the most encouraging developments I have witnessed is the caliber of people who have been drawn to work with one another in the Movement.
The twenty-two men and women who serve on The Lausanne Movement Board of Directors represent a virtual “Council of Elders” for global evangelicalism. These leaders represent influence for the cause of Christ from every region of the world and from the major streams of world mission, the church, and the academy. Please be praying for me and for these leaders as we seek the wisdom of God on our priorities for the years ahead.
Next June, Lausanne will convene a meeting of 350 world evangelism innovators, scholars, and strategists for five days in Bangalore, India. The purpose will be to assess progress in world evangelization with respect to The Cape Town Commitment. This select global gathering represents our commitment to hold ourselves accountable for priorities and goals articulated at Cape Town 2010. It also acknowledges our need to continually identify emerging leaders, discover new resources, and learn from each other as we wrestle with new challenges in a world of dynamic change.
Mrs. Grace Mathews, Lausanne’s Vice Chair, serves as the Consultation Director. Dr. Ivan Satyavrata, International Deputy Director for South Asia, along with our South Asia Lausanne leadership, and the Regional Advisory Council, will be our hosts.
Lausanne International Director Lindsay Brown served for 16 years as General Secretary of IFES. During this period, IFES work grew from 100 to 150 countries. Lindsay, at heart an evangelist with a passion for the gospel, has recently returned from three weeks of university mission and meetings with Lausanne leaders in Australia. Currently, Lindsay is in the midst of university mission in the U.K. joined by Cape Town 2010 plenary speaker Tim Keller, and Lausanne Senior Associate Becky Pippert.
We are pleased to announce that Lindsay and his wife, Ann, became grandparents recently when their son, Owen, and daughter-in-law, Rhian, had a little girl. She was born twenty-five years after Lindsay and Ann lost their only daughter. You can imagine that she has been welcomed with great joy as a gift of God.
Congratulations!
"As the President of World Vision Canada, I would like to express my appreciation to the Lausanne leadership for the impact of Lausanne Cape Town 2010. The quality and substance of presentations, the music, the worship, the diversity and breadth of the speakers and the overall organization was an experience of a lifetime.
Most of all it engaged us so vibrantly as an organization with our evangelical foundations and the ongoing vitality of the evangelical movement. As an organization with a broad Christian humanitarian mandate there is always substantive pressure from the secular world to bifurcate our Christian message from the actual work we do. It was a wonderful affirmation to be with Christian sisters and brothers who embrace both social action and the public witness of our faith in Christ. My own spirit was provoked and strengthened by the daily sharing in my small group.
Finally, I feel honored to have been selected to be part of this extraordinary event. It was such an encouragement to see WV colleagues and Board members attending and presenting. May God help me to continue to reflect this experience and make it an ongoing contribution to my daily life and ministry.” David Toycen
Thank you once again for your partnership in the work of “the whole church taking the whole gospel to the whole world”. May God continue to bless you!
I went to a Farmers Market near Atlanta, GA recently. While I live several hours away from the market, it’s become my new favorite place to shop for food.
Why?
Visiting the market is like taking a stroll through a food bazaar in all your favorite countries wrapped into one. It can be a bit overwhelming when the market is full and your senses are assaulted by the crush of people and the smells that are sweet, spicy and pungent. While I’m not a gourmet cook by any means, visiting the market always makes me feel like just mayyybbbee I could make something delectable out of that piece of goat, or those legumes and spices, or even that Durian (okay, maybe NOT the Durian).
But what is even more fun is people-watching and people-listening at the market. One person says there are more than 100 languages spoken by just the workers at the market. While I have no solid proof of that I tend to think the number is fairly accurate and soars even higher when customers are factored into the figure. As my husband and I walked around the market we heard Amharic, Russian, Spanish, Arabic and others, along with all manner of accented English. (I know I know as an American I have the accent.)
Rubbing shoulders with so many different people was amazing and exhilarating but also frustrating. They didn’t sound like me. They bumped into me. They were loud.
I was once again pushed out of my “white bread” comfort zone and I loved it. I came face to face with the reality of the changes taking place in population - not only in the United States but in nearly every large city and country. My experience near Atlanta is replicated around the world as we find ourselves in a true melting pot - a beautiful symphony of colors, flavors, languages and customs. “Those people over there” are now here – working and shopping alongside us, going to school with our children and living next door. No matter where you are in the world, you’re likely experiencing the same phenomenon of interacting with people from other cultures now on your “doorstep”.
Getting to know our new friends and neighbors - the Diaspora - can sometimes be uncomfortable for both them and us as we learn how to live and work together. Yet our perspective on this should be influenced by what are now unprecedented opportunities to share our faith in Jesus Christ without jumping on a plane and handing over our passport.
And it’s not just a one way street. Many of the Diaspora are Christian brothers and sisters who can teach us much about humility, integrity and sacrifice for the gospel.
This month we’re focusing on the Diaspora - “people from everywhere moving everywhere”.
Dr. Sadiri Joy Tira, Lausanne Senior Associate for Diasporas, helps us explore why so many people are on the move and challenges us to rethink familiar terms like “missionary” and “unreached people groups”. Are these terms still relevant in light of the vast changes in our world?
I encourage you to read his article, the responses from three other leaders and join in the discussion:
You may also watch Diaspora-related videos from Cape Town 2010 and see the full conversation on Diaspora through the Lausanne Global Conversation.
This discussion on what mission is today becomes even more relevant this month as we mark the 200th anniversary of the commissioning of the first missionaries to be sent from a North American mission agency. You’ll recognize some of the names of these pioneers . . . Adoniram and Ann Judson, Samuel and Harriet Newell, Samuel and Roxana Nott, Gordon Hall and Luther Rice. The world these men and women sailed into in the 1800s is a different world than the one we open our eyes to today. Yet, the message of the gospel, the love of Jesus Christ and the urgency of our task remains the same. As we pray, plan and work together to share Christ, let’s remember the sacrifice of the men and women who have gone before us and the awesome responsibility that God has given us to share the Good News here, there and everywhere.
I’m looking forward to my next visit to Atlanta and the market and maybe I’ll see you there!
I can’t help myself. Every year I make New Year’s resolutions. This year mine included both small and large goals. I want to spend more time in prayer, be more extravagant in extending grace and mercy to people around me, be a better wife, mother and friend, practice more hospitality and send more personal handwritten notes.
I know, I know. Some people say these things are a waste of time. They scoff at resolutions, knowing that most people can’t keep them for more than a day or two. It’s almost the end of January. If you made any resolutions, are you keeping them? Are you any closer this month than last month to that personal goal or to reforming that bad habit? Or have you been sidetracked?
Our pastor is preaching a series this New Year called “F.I.R.E.D. UP”, with the emphasis on resolving to live a life that brings glory to God and leads us to serve Him more fully. Here’s the quick outline:
F reedom from bondage (John 8:34-36)
I nvesting in others (Hebrews 10:24-25)
R esourcing God’s work (Luke 6:38)
E veryone doing their part (1 Corinthians 12:4-7)
This past Sunday, the focus was on investing in others. As believers, God gives us His power along with unique gifts and a place of service where we can encourage, equip and evangelize others.
How is God using you, your organization or your church in these three areas?
As a Movement, Lausanne is focused on “making the most of every opportunity” (Ephesians 5:16a) to mobilize evangelical leaders to collaborative for world evangelization. Lausanne is convening national, regional and international leadership gatherings, facilitating resource sharing among the body of Christ and communicating strategy and action on mission and evangelization.
One year ago this month, Lausanne released The Cape Town Commitment (CTC). Framed in the language of covenant love, the CTC is a biblical affirmation of evangelical faith and provides 33 Calls to Action on world evangelization. These Calls To Action serve as the blueprint for Lausanne’s work for the coming decade.
With its 33 Calls to Action and dozens of Bible references, the CTC can seem a bit daunting. Where does one even “dive” into such a comprehensive document?
Here’s some advice. Over the three weeks I challenge you to read the CTC each day, underlining particular phrases that stand out to you and writing down any comments about what you’re reading:
(A downloadable version of the CTC is available in several languages. A Didasko Files version of the CTC may also be purchased in print.)
Day 1
Day 2
Day 3
Day 4
Day 5
Day 6
Day 7
Day 8
Day 9
Day 10
Day 11
Day 12
Day 13
Day 14
Day 15
Day 16
Day 17
Day 18
Day 19
Day 20
As you read each part of the CTC and then the entire document, I hope you’ll see the beautiful mosaic of faith and action expressed in the document and how important one is to the other. As we approach the CTC prayerfully let’s not only look for a greater understanding of the document itself, but more importantly seek what God would have each of us do in response.
What issues in the CTC are you already involved in and what issues do you feel drawn to learn more?
Over the next few months, we’ll be systematically “unpacking” the CTC by providing a monthly focus on one of the issues. As we move through this next year we’ll hear from leaders around the world who are actively and creatively involved in these issues and you’ll have a chance to interact with these leaders and share your thoughts.
The February focus will be on the Diaspora (Cape Town Commitment, Section II C 5, Love Reaches Out to Scattered Peoples).
Who are the Diaspora and how can we minister to and with them?
In March we’ll look at Business as Mission (Cape Town Commitment, II A 3, Truth and the Workplace).
Can business and mission goals really be integrated?
I encourage you to begin today reading The Cape Town Commitment and exploring the conversation on the issues already taking place in The Lausanne Global Conversation (www.lausanne.org/conversation).
Have suggestions on ways to improve how we’re doing this? Post a comment below. (And feel free to include any advice on how to keep my New Year’s resolutions, too!)
