| Lausanne Connecting Point - March 2008 |
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NO TRANSLATION AVAILABLE In This Issue:
By Sandra S.K. Lee
 From 11-15 February 2008, the Lausanne Theology Working Group (LTWG) convened its working consultation on “The Whole Gospel” in Chiang Mai, Thailand in partnership with the World Evangelical Alliance –Theological Commission. This was the first in a three-year project led by Lausanne Theology Working Group Chair, Dr. Christopher J.H. Wright. This series focuses on three expressions that are used in the Lausanne Covenant: the whole gospel (2008), the whole church (2009), and the whole world (2010), discussing key theological and missiological challenges facing the church in preparation for the Third Lausanne Congress on World Evangelization to be held in Cape Town, South Africa in 2010.Thirty-one participants representing twenty countries (with 60% of the countries represented being from the Majority World) were in attendance for the strategic five-day meeting. Among the thirty-one participants were three members of the Lausanne Strategy Working Group, there to encourage robust communication and cooperation between the two working groups. “The Whole Gospel” consultation followed closely the tone set by the LTWG’s 2007 Limuru consultation on “Following Jesus in Our Broken World”. The group discussed theological issues, missiological implications, and case studies along six main themes:
Participants grappled with identifying what is the whole gospel, where it is manifested, how it is communicated, and above all how it is demonstrated in changed lives and communities. The group affirmed that the whole gospel requires the whole Bible. Every part of the Bible contributes to what makes the gospel good news, though clearly the centrality and objective reality of God’s accomplishment through the cross of Christ must be affirmed as the key to the whole biblical story. Other essential dimensions of the gospel include the powerful work of the Holy Spirit and his demonstrated victory over all other spirits; and the very existence of the church as the community of reconciled sinners, transformed and transforming. The gospel is good news that must also address the unjust and oppressive conditions that perpetuate poverty and all that it entails, for the whole gospel is for the whole person in every dimension of human experience. The group also reflected on the balance of recognizing, on the one hand, that God has done in Christ all that constitutes the gospel, but on the other hand, the fullness of that accomplishment is eschatological and will be seen in all its glory only when people from all ethnic and cultural identities throughout history bear witness to the transforming power of the gospel in their own differing contexts. In that sense, we have the whole gospel in the historical accomplishment of Christ, and we have yet to see the whole gospel in its eschatological fullness. The group also acknowledged the powerful ethical core of the gospel, especially in the clear demands of Christ on what it means to be a disciple, to respond to the good news in radical obedience to his teaching and following his example. This led the group to recognize the need for the Church to be self-prophetic and repent of, the glaring inconsistency between our profession and our practice, our complicity in promulgating incomplete and false expressions of the gospel, our reduction of the gospel to mere assent to cognitive doctrines, the promotion of a prosperity gospel, and the commercialization of spiritual experiences. These considerations will lead naturally on to what it means to be the “whole church”, if we are to be the bearers and the model of the authentic gospel. WEA Theological Commission supports Lausanne Theology GroupThe World Evangelical Alliance Theological Commission (TC) supported the Lausanne Theology Group's (LTWG) consultation on “The Whole Gospel” held in Thailand. The WEA was represented at the meeting by myself, (Dr. David Parker, Executive Director of the Theological Commission), Dr. Justin Thacker, TC member and head of theology for the Evangelical Alliance, UK and Mrs. Rose Dowsett, WEA Missions Commission. Other members of the WEA are involved in the programme planning and participation for the Lausanne Cape Town 2010 event as well as its overall direction. The Chiang Mai consultation listened to the series of plenary papers on major topics, supported by a number of short papers and case studies dealing with particular situations around the world. Case studies covered topics such as working with the poor in Philippines (Athena Gorospe), the Breakthrough ministry in Hong Kong (Philemon Choi), hospitality in USA (Joon-Sik Park), the songs of the Dinka people in the Sudan (Isaiah Dau) and proclaiming the gospel in an Eastern Orthodox context (Emile Bartos). Convenor Dr Chris Wright said about the consultation, “We took a step back to our biblical roots and to the historical roots of the Lausanne Movement. In so doing we were taking significant step forward in recalling the evangelical movement to articulate and demonstrate the wholeness of the gospel as we face the awesome challenges of the present world.” The next LTWG consultation will be held in January 2009 and will feature as its subject “The Whole Church.” By Grace Samson  The Lausanne Movement/MANI Southern Africa Younger Leaders meeting in Johannesburg, South Africa, 17-18 February 2008, was the first of its kind in Africa since the 2006 Lausanne Younger Leaders Gathering in Malaysia. Some 30 young leaders from different areas of ministry and work in Southern Africa were present. The partnership vision between Lausanne and MANI (Movement For African National Initiatives) provided a unique platform for these dedicated and passionate young leaders (between the ages of 25-40) to spend time together to fellowship, connect, inspire, encourage and strengthen one another. As we talked about why we came together we focused on the common things that bind us such as “One commission, One generation and One region.” Emphasis was also placed on two key words: Relevance and Context. Larry Russell, Younger Leader Development Coordinator with the Lausanne Movement, shared with us some stories of what other younger leaders are doing around the world. We also invited Peter Tarantal, who is the incoming Southern Africa Coordinator for MANI Southern Africa to share with us some of the purposes of MANI and the involvement of younger leaders. Esme Bowers, Southern Africa Regional Leader for the Pan African Christian Women’s Alliance and International Chairperson for the Board of African Evangelistic Enterprise, attended the meetings as an observer and encourager.  We had an opportunity to get to know each other on the levels of commonalities through ice-breakers and testimonies of what God is doing through some of the ministries in the Southern African region.Our conversations and interaction deepened as we began to engage with one another on the levels of personal challenges and requests for prayers. We met in small groups where we ministered and prayed together. The strength of connectedness was tangible during the incredible worship sessions. These worship times attracted the attention of some of the early delegates of MANI who could not resist joining in for brief moments to discover what was going on. On the final morning of the gathering, we gathered around tables in a creative forum tagged “Cafe` Conversations.” One main question was posed, “what are the main challenges younger leaders are facing in the Southern Africa region?” As the summary of the discussions came together, some of the key areas raised included the lack of understanding, trust and space to lead along senior leaders and a non-existent network of relationships and support from other younger leaders. It became evident that there was a need for personal commitment to contribute towards bringing solutions to some of these challenges. Individuals reflected and made personal commitments to seeking the way forward from this gathering. Some of the way forward started right away as we discharged ourselves into the main MANI Consultation later that day. Discussions continued among the younger leaders and in some cases led to setting up informal meetings with some senior leaders to talk further. We hope to continue the dialogue that started in Johannesburg, South Africa as we spread the word to other younger leaders within our region who could not make it to the event. We also hope to connect and encourage the other regions in Africa who are planning their own events. Thank you for your unbending support and prayers, we are very grateful for your input and how you have championed us as senior leaders. We look forward to coming alongside you increasingly in the future. We believe that God is a God of all generations and we can together finish the task as we work together. By Brad Smith The Lausanne Movement’s new Care and Counsel as Mission Interest Group (CCMIG), which was launched at the June 2007 Lausanne meeting in Budapest, will hold a 30 participant agenda-building consultation on “care and counsel as mission,” 5-9 January 2009 in Mexico City. The event will be hosted by Saul Cruz, a member of the consultation steering committee and President of Armonia Ministries. The January 2009 Mexico City consultation is led by an international steering committee with members from nine countries. Goals for the consultation include assessing global care and counsel needs, identifying biblically congruent and culturally appropriate responses, developing a long term CCMIG plan leading up to the Lausanne Cape Town 2010 Congress and beyond, and publishing a Lausanne Occasional Paper (LOP). The mission of the CCMIG is “to catalyze a global movement of Christian counselors and caregivers whose work flows from a deep understanding of God’s call to take the whole gospel to the whole world.” At the Mexico City consultation, this challenge will be explored through a paradigm which looks at the global role of care and counsel as three related concentric circles: member care (care for cross-cultural Christian workers), care and counsel for the worldwide Christian community, and care and counsel for the whole world—a world of unprecedented suffering and brokenness. The CCMIG has concluded that this last and biggest circle with all of its challenges and complexity is probably the least studied, developed, and networked area of care and counsel as mission and, therefore, will be a major focus of the consultation. For more information, contact Brad Smith ( Denne e-postadressen er beskyttet mot programmer som samler e-postadresser, du m sl p Javascript for kunne se den. ) ------------- Note: The CCMIG is facilitated by Dr. Bradford M. Smith, a clinical psychologist and President of Care and Counsel International. Brad is a former World Vision staff member who was involved in developing Lausanne’s Senior Associates program and specialized networks prior to the 1989 Lausanne II Congress. Brad also served as the Lausanne II Congress participant selection director. 
The Association of Christians Ministering among Internationals (AMCI) will hold ACMI’08, the 27th Annual North American conference for US/Canadian ministries among International Students, 29-31 May 2008, near Washington, D.C. Leaders and staff of International Student Ministries from other countries are invited to join over 300 ministry colleagues in participating in the 30-plus seminars and sessions at ACMI’08.The annual ACMI conference brings together a broad mix of staff and church volunteers engaged in cross-cultural ministry in the community, and veteran workers from numerous evangelical campus ministries, churches, mission agencies, and denominations are presenters at the practical and resourceful workshops. Many of the churches engaged in outreach among internationals have a “blended” ministry to both international students and permanent resident internationals (immigrants and refugees). ACMI’08 will feature a special plenary option about such “blended” ministries. For information and registration about ACMI'08 and a concurrent International Consultation About Reentry/Returnees (I-CARE), go to www.acmi08.org. By Wendy Strachan In the Children's Issue Group at Lausanne 2004 Forum for World Evangelization, we grappled with the issue “How do we effectively reach 2 billion children with God's Good News?” In 2005, a free-to-download DVD was produced: “The World Congress on How Not to Mess Up the Great Commission Too Much.” Its message was captured in the phrases: Aim Lower, Think Smaller, Give Up and Go Have a Cup of Coffee. It urged the church to consider the strategic position of children as both key recipients of the Good News and also communicators of the Good News. And it encouraged the worldwide church to intentionally engage in sharing people and resources around the globe so that more children could experience the love of Christ. Some 3000 DVDs have been distributed to leaders from 130 countries. In 2006, Max7, a web-based partnership that provides a way to share resources from around the world free of charge, was born. As of January 2008, 50928 resource downloads to at least 97 countries). Max7 writer’s workshops and/or training have been held Middle East, USA, Australia, Cambodia, Thailand and India. Go to www.max7.org for more information (the “Aim Lower” DVD is also available on this site). In July 2008, the first Global Children's Forum will be held in Chicago, Illinois USA. It is designed for leaders of Children's Agencies with a global or regional impact who want to explore new paradigms and new ways of serving each other, as well as building build cooperation for the benefit of the 2 billion children in the world. It is a time of seeking God for strategic solutions that will accomplish this vital task. For more information, contact me (Wendy Strachan, Scripture Union International Children's Ministry Coordinator) at Denne e-postadressen er beskyttet mot programmer som samler e-postadresser, du m sl p Javascript for kunne se den. . By Sarah Plummer “Because of the Lord's Great Love we are not consumed for his compassions never fail. They are new every morning; great is your faithfulness. I say to myself, ‘The Lord is my portion; therefore I will wait for him.’" Lamentations 3:22-23 Praise
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The topic of the March issue of Lausanne World Pulse (www.lausanneworldpulse.com) is the westernization of the gospel. Here is a sample of what you will read:
You will also find articles on:
In the April Lausanne World Pulse, church leaders from the Global South speak on missions and evangelism. |
