| Lausanne Connecting Point - December 2006 |
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NO TRANSLATION AVAILABLE In This Issue:
Here is a sample of the articles you will find this month:
You will also find the following articles:
Questions or comments about Lausanne World Pulse may be sent to Dit e-mail adres is beschermd door spambots, u heeft Javascript nodig om dit onderdeel te kunnen bekijken . For more information on how to submit an article, please visit www.lausanneworldpulse.com/submit.php.
Dr. Hoke was the Director of the 1974 International Congress on World Evangelization in Lausanne, Switzerland (Lausanne I). He also served as treasurer of Lausanne and as Deputy Chairman of the Second International Congress on World Evangelization, Manila, Philippines (Lausanne II).
30 September – 7 October 2006, Hong Kong
Through our sessions we confirmed the continuing development of an emerging new paradigm for a Christian engagement with the adherents and practitioners of NRM and NS. This paradigm begins with and builds upon the insight of the 1980 Thailand report (LOP 11) that adherents of new religious movements are unreached peoples. The development of the NRM and NS affirms this insight in light of the spiritual reality of the Western world which calls for mission and Christian witness as a priority of the Western Church and Evangelical Christians. Furthermore the process of globalisation brings this development to the Two-Thirds world, especially in the big cities. Since NRM and NS represent unreached peoples, they should be encountered missionally as any other unreached people group, i.e. the gospel should be contextually communicated to adherents and practitioners of new religions, This new paradigm calls for an abandonment of the atmosphere of fear in the relationship with adherents of the NRM, of the automatic demonization of their spiritual practices, and of the typecasting of them as spiritual enemies. The new paradigm looks upon the adherents of NRM and practitioners of NS as people whom God loves, potential disciples of Jesus Christ, and as neighbours for whom Christ died on the cross. This does not mean that the discernment of spirits is abandoned in relation to NRM and NS, but it means that Christians should not be afraid of establishing friendships, of studying and understanding their beliefs, their practices, their hopes, their hurts, and their fears, and we recognize in and among ourselves the same beliefs, hopes, and fears shared in our common humanity and imago Dei. In ministering among the people who comprise the NRM and NS, we are dealing with a group of people who many times have been deeply hurt by Christians, and who have suffered from rejection and suspicion from Christians. In the same group of people we find many who have misunderstood Christian teachings and practices, and who are unaware of the message and viability of Christianity in the post-modern world, but who nevertheless in their search for a spiritual dimension and meaning have found inspiration in new expressions of East Asian religions, in nature-based spiritualities such as Contemporary Paganism, Neo-Pagan movements, Wicca, and in various esoteric traditions. A new paradigm includes learning from the NRM and NS, since their practice and beliefs may reflect the unpaid bills of the Church (LOP 45, par. H), or failures of the church in engaging significant issues, and in so doing, creating a vacuum filled by NRM and NS. This reflection, as well as the discerning of the points of contact and the areas of potential conflict (LOP 45, par. G), may help the Church to understand the questions of post-modern men and women, and this in turn may help Christians to proclaim the gospel by meeting actual concerns instead of answering questions which may be of interest to the Church but which are often not raised by the people we seek to engage. The recognition of these unpaid bills and points of contact may help the Church to find new expressions of its life and spiritual practice, which may contribute to an atmosphere and the creation of a revitalized Christian community where the spiritual seeker and the new follower of Christ may feel more at home in Church and accepted in Christian fellowship. In addition to these positive aspects, the new paradigm also recognizes the reality of syncretism and therefore attempts to exegete religious and spiritual cultures, critically reflects on religious practices in light of historic Christianity, and develops culturally relevant Christian practices. The consultation participants shared experiences and insights from American, Australian, and European settings and discussed religious phenomenology and a missiological models for cultural engagement. The participants decided to continue as a network of missiologists, practitioners, and scholars from the 2004 Forum IG as well as from this consultation, and from an invited group of participants over the course of the near future. Goals and Conferences The network plans a conference in 2008 at Trinity International University in Deerfield, Illinois, USA entitled “Post-Christendom Spiritualities: The New Unreached People Groups.” The aim of this conference will be to continue to define and develop the new paradigm of Christian witness to NR and NS. In the time leading up to the conference a call for papers from scholars and missional practitioners will go out that will solicit suggestions for academic papers. Some suggested topics of praxis, theology and missiology include:
Co-authoring of papers will be encouraged, and critical responses will be sought to papers from experts in the appropriate fields. In the time leading up to the conference, models and case studies of Christian witness to and presence among NRM and NS will be shared and prepared for workshops at the conference. The models and case studies may deal with subjects relating to the topics of academic papers and subjects such as:
The conference is envisaged as taking place from a Thursday afternoon registration through Sunday lunchtime. The accepted abstracts will be used to produce a brochure for the conference with intention of attracting participants from a wide spectrum of academics and practitioners in the field. The issue group will meet before and after the conference to ensure the material from the conference is taken forward to fuel progression in both learning and practice in this area. One of the outcomes of the completion of the conference will be a book and other materials that will be produced as a record and collection of resources from the cutting-edge of theology and praxis in this area. 2010 Lausanne Congress
We therefore believe that the importance of this issue requires representation in the main plenary sessions for Lausanne as part of the programme for the 2010 conference, and this issue group offers to work with the conference organisers to enable this to happen. The participants of the consultation extend their thanks to Areopagos for providing scholarship support for the attendance and participation of several members of the network at this consultation. The network shares its insights in a discussion forum established as a Yahoo! Group of which membership is by invitation only. By Federico A. Bertuzzi, Department of Publications
Sacrificial Spirit It is estimated that there are nearly 10-thousand Iberoamerican missionaries in the world, sent by a great variety of agencies and local churches. According to field research presented during the congress, many of those missionaries have suffered due to the lack of preparation and adequate support and the inherent difficulties that are part of the work. Dr. Levi DeCarvalho, who led the research, emphasized that “In spite of the fact that the majority of those interviewed expressed the lack of the minimum resources to accomplish their ministries, all of them remain firm in their calling. If there is something praiseworthy in our Iberoamerican missionaries is it their sacrificial spirit to do the work that the Lord has entrusted in their hands.” COMIBAM III offered ample time for participants to hear and personally dialogue with the invited missionaries through discussion tables in the dining room, in forums or panel discussions. The well known Latin-American missiologist, Samuel Escobar, who led one of these panels expressed that “one of the important components of the program was what we could call ‘critical reflection of the practice of missions,’ which took up a good part of four mornings.” Escobar believes “the congress (was) an enriching experience and it has provided a vision of hope by giving us a glimpse of the great thrust of the missionary movement of the evangelical churches of Latin America. The feeling of celebration, without a sense of overconfidence, was very comforting.” Carlos Scott from Argentina, the incoming president of COMIBAM International, highlighted the risks and challenges that the missionary work faces including “a real understanding of the unity of the people of God, a greater participation in the global missionary movement by making ourselves participants of the universal church, sharing in the global challenges with a complete integration and a search for cooperative models as well as understanding missions as a process and not a project.” Carlos Madrigal from Spain, whose work led to the first legally registered evangelical church in Turkey, was grateful for the congress and is convinced that “much fruit will be harvested as a more efficient and responsible work in missions is done by the Iberoamerican movement.” COMIBAM Leadership Update The first Iberoamerican Missionary Congress took place in 1987 in Sao Paulo under the presidency of Luis Bush. The second Congress was held in Acapulco, Mexico in 1997 when Rudy Girón handed the presidency over to Bertil Ekstrom (current executive director of the Commission of Missions for the World Evangelical Alliance). During the next two years Comibam International will continue the mission investigation and analysis already in place, focusing during this stage on senders and receivers in the mission field. By Chacko Thomas, Missions Mobilisation Network It was no small privilege to attend and interact with so many in Granada, Spain at the third international gathering of the missions association of Latin America, COMIBAM (Spanish for Cooperation of Missions of Iberia and Americas). I felt I was transported back in Latin America. “Granada was chosen not only for its conference facilities for such a large gathering but also to bring the meeting closer to the missionaries,” most of whom were serving in the Indian Subcontinent, Europe, Central Asia, Middle East and North Africa regions according to David Ruiz, President of COMIBAM. Ruiz, from Guatemala, added that “This also enabled many of the participants from Latin America to visit their missionaries before or after the conference. Grenada being the last Muslim fortress of Islam in Spain, after 900 years of Muslim occupation, was a bold reminder of what God can do.” Experiences From The Field There were three Egyptians in the conference, one of them a speaker in an evening session. After a presentation on the vibrant and in some places persecuted church, he pleaded with the conference to work closely and in consultation with the national church. “It is a lie of the devil that we can do it alone,” he said. A married couple form Morocco participated in one of the Panel sessions. In one of the panel sessions, a pastor from Albania represented the missionary receiving churches. Both of the latter, incidentally, were converted through Latin missionaries, and are now serving the Lord full time; one through radio ministry the other pastoring a significant mission-minded church. Experienced mission leaders like Bill Taylor, Samuel Escobar, David Ruiz and Bertil Ekstrom led the panels, on themes such as Training, Sending, Missionary Care and etc. History and Future of Latin Americans in Mission Today, after some 25 years of Latin American involvement in the world mission force, there are 400 mission agencies sending out 9000 Latinos into missions. Some leaders believe the actual number is probably closer to 12000 missionaries, as many have gone out on their own outside of a traditional missionary sending structure. Of the 9000 only 2000 are serving outside of Latin America. This is partly due to the fact that many have to serve cross culturally in Latin America before they are considered for Asia or Africa. 780 Latinos serve among the Muslims, 246 in India and 128 among the Buddhist people. Altogether there are about 1440 serving in the 10/40 Window. Pastor Waldimar from Brazil who attended the conference told me that his mission (Kairos) will celebrate its 20th Anniversary in 2008. His beginning in missions was sparked by the ministry of the Operation Mobilization ship M.V.Doulos in his country in the early 1980s. An American Christian leader advised me, “Informally and on a smaller scale Latin America has been sending out missionaries for a long time.” I agreed and remembered seeing a Latin Missionary in 1979 in Buenos Aires who had returned to Argentina after serving 20 years in India with his wife and family. American missionary Dr. Don McCurry came by and sat next to us three (East) Indians for the opening session of the conference. Don was a missionary to Pakistan and has spent much of his life serving among the Muslims in many nations. When I asked him for his link with Latin America, he said that he is training Latinos in being effective in missions to the Muslim world. I noticed that during the evening many Latinos waking by us and stopped to greet Don. He has been in all the Latin American nations conducting training programmes for them. He assured me that his counterparts are also there training Latinos for the Hindu and Buddhist worlds. After the session by Dr. Ted Limptic in which he reported that there may be up to 3,000 Latin missionaries not accounted for, I sat at lunch with a young, middle class couple that fit Dr. Limptic’s comments. This couple came from a small church (60 members) in Brazil to work in Spain and narrated to me their long and difficult journey into missions as a young couple and new converts with no financial or other support. Their difficulties included a six months separation from their little boy who was sent to the grandparents (to spare him the troubles on the mission field), and the wife’s miscarriage. The husband said that he could not even afford the bus fare and had to walk 8 KM daily to see his wife in the hospital. I said to the American mission leader sitting on the other side of me that “it is a miracle that they are still in missions, still in the faith and still married.” To which the mission leader agreed. But God’s hand was upon them and the wife said “all the difficulties have drawn us together to each other and to the Lord.” They have seen a small church plant where they work (one of the most difficult parts of Spain) and part time employment to put bread on the table. Their son is back with them and enjoys life in Spain. God is gracious and sovereign. The Congress also addressed the issue of religious persecution with a presentation by Dr Rajendran Krishnamurthy, General Secretary of the India Missions Association, and Dr. Bob Fu, from China. Dr. Fu’s topic was “Missions in the midst of martyrdom,” based on II Timothy 3:12, “everyone who wants to live a godly life in Christ Jesus will be persecuted.” He had three points:
He told us that there are 60 million Christians in China who are not persecuted because they tow the Government lines. But, he said, if a Christian stands up for Christ, for truth, “the whole truth and nothing but the truth,” even in America they will be persecuted. Dr. Fu gave the illustration of a young lady who was imprisoned and terribly tortured but refused to betray her pastors or other believers. He said in China, people are giving thanks to God not for their second car or something similar but for the honour of suffering for Christ. The closing ceremony which followed was as spectacular as the opening ceremony with flags of many nations and a speech by David Ruiz who gave the leadership of COMIBAM over to Carlos Scott from Argentina. Ruiz has been at the helm of the movement for nearly seven years, as its president and stressed that the “Latin American mission movement will continue.” His years of service were very much appreciated and it is clear that as “a pastor with a heart for the unreached” he left his mark on the mission movement. In his acceptance speech, Carlos Scott gave a fiery message entitled “A New Chapter of the Acts of the Holy Spirit,” from the book of Acts and similar passages in the New Testament. Scott made it clear that Latin missions is a movement of the Iberia-American Church, but even more than that it is the movement of the Holy Spirit. Scott wants mission as a result of looking to God and mission that is obedience-centred rather than centred on the need of the people. Many felt confidence in Scott, with his deep commitment to the Lord, His word, His church and His mission along with his business background and having played major role in a local church he planted as a missions pastor. Scott has also served roles in the nation’s National Missions Movement and in the regional leadership of COMIBAM for the Southern Cone of South America. Maybe a Korean Mission leader speaks for all of us as he expressed it to a Japanese lady who asked him “what would you take back form this conference?” After a short pause he said “Koreans are not the only ones doing missions.” We all, including Latinos, can add the name of our nation to this reply. While “Standing on the shoulders of Giants” gone before them, the Latin mission has its own distinct identity. There are many things we can also learn from them, however long or short we have been in missions. Latino Churches are blessing the world by the design and power of the Holy Spirit. With more than 85 million evangelical in this region, they have a major role to play in Missions. May the huge church growth in Latin America spill over into the rest of the world. I was blessed at the airport as I was waiting to check-in, seeing a Mexican lady reading a book on Bihar, India. I traced it to a Mexican couple who is returning to Patna (capital of Bihar) after the conference. They have been Bihar for six years. God is using them there in the whole state sometimes known as “the graveyard of missions.” This is a state that is very close to my heart having given the region seven years of my life in my teen and twenties. Today the graveyards everywhere are turning to be vineyards of mission. Let us rejoice and give God thanks for the Latin flavour entering World Missions today. The Whole church taking the whole Gospel to the Whole world is becoming a reality.
Conference speaker Clive Calver, Senior Pastor of Walnut Hill Community Church in Connecticut, USA and former General Director of the Evangelical Alliance, said that God is a sending God; the Father sent the Son; the Son sent the Holy Spirit; the Holy Spirit sends the Church. Sue Jackson, Lecturer in Mission at the London School of Theology commented that “My thinking was taken in new directions to consider how each person of the Trinity was completely involved in the task of mission and this must work out in our practices.” Martin Lee, Executive Director of Global Connections, said “It was great to rediscover the missional heart of God and that mission cannot be on the edges of church life but is actually in the very nature of God and so should be at the core of who we are.” Calver’s message to the conference reflected the mission statement of Global Connections, which is “Mission at the heart of Church; Church at the heart of Mission.” The conference was attended by 170 delegates, including church leaders and Bible College principals; and leaders from organisations including Tearfund, BMS World Mission, Interserve, FEBA Broadcasting, CMS and WEC International also attended. Photo Courtesy of Global Connections. By Ryan Shaw, Co-founder and Executive Director of the Student Volunteer Movement 2 The great need in this hour is for the people of God to see themselves as His message bearers and light bearers and through the Spirit be aflame with that light. That light only remains bright and vibrant to the degree that it is consistently consuming the oil of the wick, as it bears no light in and of itself. This is a great focus of this call to prayer. God is waiting for a generation which will do whatever it takes to see the gospel planted in today’s most unreached areas by long-term message bearers. A generation who throws off all that so easily entangles and runs the race with perseverance and sacrifice. Those who wait upon Him and are ravished with affections for Him and who dwell in the secret place. Those who are ready to pay the price in ongoing and committed intercession to see entire people groups prepared to receive the gospel. By Sarah Plummer, Intercessory Working Group Chair Christ’s birth has revealed the nature of our God, the God who comes to us. The incarnational character of our Lord who breathed a word and it was so, who was worshipped by millions of angels, came to us, as a fragile vulnerable baby. We also know that Jesus said he would return. This Christmas I’d like to encourage all of us to grapple with the incredible magnificence of both realities. May this impact our prayers, our hospitality, and our speech over this Christmas season. 1 Peter 4:7-11 Praise God for: Pray for: May the peace of God be with you afresh this Christmas! |
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The Billy Graham Center Archives has established a memorial page to mark the important contributions of Dr. Donald Hoke to the cause of Christ. Dr. Hoke went to be with the Lord on 14 November 2006 after an extended illness. 
The November/December issue of Momentum magazine is online, featuring an in-depth presentation on the State of the Gospel developed by Jason Mandryk (editor, Operation World) and Justin Long (editor, Momentum). This presentation, first presented by Jason at the Lausanne Younger Leaders Gathering in Malaysia, is now posted with in-depth background on each slide so that the presentation can be used by others.
The consultation was a follow up on IG 16 of the Lausanne 2004 Forum in Thailand. The participants of IG 16 (
“Results and Challenges among the Unreached” was the theme of the Third Iberoamerican Missionary Congress that took place in the historic Andalucian city of Granada, Spain on 13-17 November 2006. The congress was summoned and organized by 
Delegates at the recent Global Connections' conference in the UK heard how mission is central to God's very nature.
We are living in critical times indeed! Never before has the possibility of seeing the literal fulfilment of the Great Commission realized been greater. As a result, never before has the spiritual warfare around such a possibility also been more intense. Jesus calls us to live in a perpetual state of being awake, alert and watching (Luke 12:37) as we anticipate His return. Part of this is understanding the spiritual nature of the times we live in and responding accordingly with vibrant faith, uncompromising righteousness, and a wholehearted commitment to act and partner with God to bring forth His Kingdom purposes among the unreached. 
