Third Lausanne Congress on World Evangelization

4,000 people from
200 countries will gather for
10 days to discuss
6 issues threatening the church

The Third Lausanne Congress on World Evangelization will be held in Cape Town, South Africa, October 16-25, 2010 in collaboration with the World Evangelical Alliance –This Congress will bring together 4,000 leaders from 200 countries to wrestle with the great issues of our time as they relate to the future of the church and the future of world evangelization.

The road to Cape Town 2010
Six core issues at the Congress
How the vision was born: meticulous preparation
International in scope – African in flavor and nuance
Desired outcomes

Learn more about the Lausanne Movement at www.lausanne.org and read the Lausanne Covenant (1974) and Manila Manifesto (1989) that resulted from the previous two congresses.

Also read the online articles previewing the discussions that will take place at the congress on topics including Poverty, Prosperity and the Gospel; Muslim-Background Believers; Whole Gospel, Whole Church, Whole World; and Partnership in Mission .

Why a Third Lausanne Congress?

We are at a point in history where the church faces a world with challenges that we have never seen before. The truth claims of our faith are under attack by intellectuals and the media who have grown increasingly hostile to the Gospel. The resurgence of religious fundamentalism is a development that few anticipated when Billy Graham convened the first Lausanne Congress in 1974. At that time, it was feared that secularism would sweep the world. We must also respond to the impact of globalization, particularly the challenge of mega-cities, the reality of Diaspora people migrating around the world, and the loss of a moral framework in the historically Christian cultures of our world.

Fortunately, evangelical leaders from around the world recognize the need for a concerted response to these challenges. Lausanne is providing the context in which the issues can be addressed in terms of profound theological reflection and in terms of courageous and strategic action.

The four thousand carefully selected participants at Cape Town 2010 will deal with six core issues of paramount importance for the future of world evangelization. Simultaneous to our gathering in Cape Town, people around the world will be able to participate through the Cape Town Global Link. This use of interactive technology will make it possible to have global conversations unlike anything in Christian history.

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The road to Cape Town 2010: A Growing Community of Global Leaders Rally Together

In June of 2007, the plans for Cape Town 2010 were officially sanctioned by three hundred and fifty evangelical leaders who gathered from sixty-five countries.

A growing company of evangelical leaders have joined in support of this once-in-a-generation global congress. This global community includes the best minds in the church – leading apologists and scholars, as well as evangelists and leaders from the realms of business, government, education, medicine and the media. It also involves the most gifted leaders – pastors of major churches and leaders of great mission organizations.

In February 2009 a group of 75 Christian leaders from the Twin Cities, including pastors, college presidents and seminary leaders, and evangelism leaders met with Executive Chairman of the Lausanne Committee, Doug Birdsall, to be briefed on the multi-year planning that has led up to Cape Town 2010 and to hear about the incredible collaboration of Christian leaders around the globe who are praying and working together to convene this congress.

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Six Core Issues

The Lausanne global leadership has identified six core issues that they believe are the global issues of our day. The first subject focuses on the foundational question, “How do we make the case of Truth in a postmodern, pluralistic world?” In turn, “How do we make the case of the Uniqueness of Christ?” This is a question that must be answered for the next generation. We cannot afford to lose the battle for the mind.

The second issue is considered the most important strategic issue before the Church, namely “How do we respond redemptively to the fundamentalisms of Islam and Hinduism?”

The third issue focuses on the church. It may be that the biggest obstacle to the progress of world evangelization is the church itself. Chris Wright, Chair of the Theology Working Group and International Director of Langham Partnership (John Stott Ministries) has challenged participants to think of nothing less than a 21st Century Reformation.

Issues number four, five and six focus on “Celebrating the New Realties of the Global Church – A New Face and a Fresh Voice;” “Developing a Robust Theology of Suffering and of Reconciliation;” and, “Establishing Priorities for Partnership with Respect to the Unfinished Task of World Evangelization.”

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Meticulous Preparation

The vision was birthed in 2004 at Pattaya, Thailand at the Lausanne 2004 Forum on World Evangelization where participants discussed research of 4,000 senior Christian leaders to identify the most important issues concerning world evangelization in the 21st century.

The vision and need for a third global congress became more apparent at meetings in Hong Kong, Malaysia and Kenya in the 2005, 2006 and 2007 that included theology working groups, younger leaders forums and Lausanne work group leaders.

In February 2007 the Lausanne III Exploration Committee traveled to Cape Town, South Africa to explore an invitation from local church leaders to host the congress there and to meet with the Cape Town International Convention Centre. There was overwhelming and miraculous confirmation of this opportunity.

Joined by the World Evangelical Alliance– a network of national alliances in 128 countries representing 420 million evangelical Christians — the Cape Town 2010 Leadership Team began a three year series focusing on 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 Cape Town 2010.

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International in Scope – African in Flavor and Nuance

The composition of the Congress participants will reflect the demographic, theological and cultural realities of the global church. Nearly 70% of the participants will come from the majority world. One-third of the participants will be women. As a forward looking congress, 50% of the participants will be younger leaders – men and women in their late 20s, 30s and 40s. Fully 400 of the participants will come from the realms of business, government, education, medicine and the media.

Lausanne III will naturally be global in its scope and intentionally younger in its ethos. At the same time, we trust that the Congress will reflect the spiritual dynamism and cultural flavor of the host continent of Africa.

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Desired Outcomes

The Leadership Team trusts that Cape Town 2010 will shape the agenda and the ethos of the global church for the next generation in three profound ways. First, they believe that the church will be united and strengthened through the shared experience of this congress, which will serve both as a “church council” and as a “global catalyst” for world evangelization.

Second, they believe that the church will move from a sense of increasing ambivalence about the truthfulness of the Gospel to a position of bedrock confidence in the Gospel.

Third, it is their prayer that participants will have a clear sense of priority in addressing challenges and opportunities that require new partnerships and renewed commitments to advance the work of world evangelization.

Indeed, if Cape Town 2010 creates unity, clarity, and priority for world evangelization – along with a new generation of global leaders who are united in shared vision and values in the “spirit of Lausanne”- then the Congress in Cape Town in 2010 will equip the church take a great forward step in the work God has entrusted to this generation’s care.

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