This article explores the possible impact on collaboration in global mission through the Fourth Lausanne Congress while defining impact and offering a matrix for measurement.
The Fourth Lausanne Congress on World Evangelization, held in September 2024 in Seoul-Incheon, South Korea, was a pivotal event in the Lausanne Movement’s history. Under the theme, ‘Let the Church Declare and Display Christ Together’, the Congress emphasized unity in proclaiming the gospel and demonstrated how collaboration across generations, regions, and traditions can accelerate the fulfillment of the Great Commission. This served as the ultimate goal of the Congress and everything following was desired to fall under this.
Participants engaged in collaborative sessions, workshops, and discussions, exploring innovative ways to address challenges facing the world and mobilize the global church for the gospel effectively.
We want this Congress not simply to provide attendees with insightful information on the global church and its needs, but also to see our world being reached and global mission being accelerated—for every person on planet earth to hear the good news of Jesus Christ.
And for this we need to pray and work towards the ultimate impact of the Congress on participants’ lives which will lead to actions. We ask the Lord of the harvest to raise up more workers as ‘the harvest is plentiful, but the workers are few’ (Luke 10:2).
What is Impact?
First, we need to define what we mean by ‘impact’.
‘Impact’, according to the Oxford Dictionary, is ‘the powerful effect that something has on somebody/something.’1 Having explored the different kinds of impact made through events, I came up with defining, ‘impact as a powerful effect that something, especially something new, has on a situation or person which will lead to actions.’2
To further understand the process leading from input at the Congress to impact, this graphic is helpful.
It always starts with inputs having impact in mind. In the case of the Fourth Lausanne Congress, input takes place at sessions such as the plenary sessions, the workplace track, and gap sessions. These inputs then lead to activities where we are asked to respond and make a commitment. At the Congress, the participants were asked to sign the Collaborative Action Commitment—committing themselves to collaboration in order to accelerate global mission. From activities we progress to output and outcome. These two are measurable. And it is our work to pray and turn this into impact, which is long-term and sustainable, leading into the next era of global mission.
How to Measure Impact
In my recent training to become an impact consultant with Phineo, I came across this impact cycle which might help us in understanding impact even more. Instead of perceiving impact as a linear process, we can also understand it as a cycle.
It is driven by a need. In our case it is seeing the world lost without Jesus and therefore we prioritise world mission by mobilising the global church and promoting collaboration to fulfil the Great Commission. That leads from a vision to developing strategies and then going through similar points as in Figure 1: from inputs to impact. Once a solution is found, another need will arise and the cycle starts anew.
Figure 2: The impact cycle4
When is Impact Measurable?
It is important that outputs and outcomes are measurable, otherwise you only collect stories randomly and do not know if you have actually reached your goal.
Phineo has developed this results staircase that portrays seven steps to have long-lasting changes. Interestingly, Phineo talks about impact only starting from level 4. Before these are merely numbers—important but not impactful.
Figure 3: The results staircase5
The core Congress team worked towards these seven steps. Level 7 surely is a God thing, but our efforts should be geared more towards reaching impact than applauding ourselves that we have had a successful event with over 5,000 people attending the Fourth Lausanne Congress, which is only level 3. Defining success as leaders is utterly important and is less about numbers.
The impact cycle as well as the result staircase led to the core Congress team exploring what the vision and goals for the Congress were and how these could be implemented into the overall planning of the Congress.
The Result Staircase Adapted to the Congress
Here are some examples of what the Congress team has defined for each step and the results:
Step 1: Activities are carried out as planned
The Congress delivered on its promise of an efficiently organized event. Over 5,000 participants registered and attended the planned sessions, plenaries, and networking opportunities, facilitated by effective logistics, including venue management and registrations. This ensured a smooth, well-executed event.
Step 2: Target groups are reached
The Congress successfully brought together a diverse group of participants from more than 200 countries, representing different denominations, traditions, and professional sectors. Notably, 25 percent of attendees were younger leaders under 40, aligning with the target of including emerging voices in global mission. We wanted to have more female speakers, but did not completely reach this objective.
Step 3: Target groups accept offers
The Congress inspired active participation among its attendees, who expressed enthusiasm for the event’s opportunities. Participants from varied backgrounds engaged with the Congress’s sessions and activities, indicating alignment with their needs and interests. We were hoping that at least 80 percent of attendees would be engaged around the tables in the plenary meetings and attend the afternoon collaboration sessions. A survey afterwards indicated this number.
Step 4: Target groups change attitudes or develop new skills
Attendees reported leaving the Congress with renewed passion for global mission and the global church. They appreciated the value of collaboration and many expressed a commitment to advocate for the persecuted and unchurched, showing shifts in perspective and readiness to act. These examples demonstrate how the Congress moved beyond basic logistical success to fostering deep engagement and equipping participants for future action.
While levels 5-7 require more time to measure, early signs of behavioural change (Step 5) include participants forming collaboration groups and launching initiatives via the Action Hub. We initially had 400 teams registered on the platform but also heard from other initiatives who used the Congress but did not sign up. Over time, these efforts may lead to societal changes (Step 7) as global mission efforts are advanced. As a result, more people will meet Jesus. We know this is not simply because of this Congress but about networks, ministries, and churches globally rallying together. The Congress is one puzzle piece in this journey, and we hope it will be a strategic one.
By carefully evaluating these levels of progress, the Congress team can better understand its impact, refine its strategies, and continue to inspire transformative changes in global mission. What post-Congress follow-up that Lausanne can provide is still being discerned as different issue networks offer activities in 2025, regions are planning to meet, and nations started with post-Congress debriefings sharing what they have learned.
The Congress Experience Promise
Reviewing our intention to measure any impact through the Congress, the team took time one year before the Congress to define the experience promise we wanted to make to participants. The promise outlined key goals, values, and intended outcomes of the Congress, which were shared with every program contributor, serving as a framework for evaluating its impact. It emphasized creating a deeply meaningful and transformative event for participants. This includes fostering a connection to God’s mission, encouraging collaboration, and equipping global leaders to take part in unified actions for evangelization.
Figure 4: Congress Experience Promise of the Fourth Lausanne Congress6
Key Elements Highlighted:
- Core Values: These include being prayerful, reflective, collaborative, and diverse, with a focus on practical application, future-oriented thinking, and sustainable impact. These values aimed to
permeate every aspect of the Congress, ensuring a consistent and purposeful participant experience. - Audience Focus: The Congress targeted a broad range of attendees, including young leaders, global mission practitioners, church organizations, workplace influencers, and donors. It emphasized diversity across age, culture, and vocation to reflect the global church’s makeup.
- Outcomes of the Participant Experience: The goals include deepened faith, a sense of belonging, increased collaboration among global leaders, and actionable strategies to advance the Great Commission. Metrics for success are tied to participants’ ability to integrate these outcomes into their respective contexts.
This structured approach to defining expectations and measuring success demonstrates the Congress’s commitment to accountability and long-term impact. It emphasizes both spiritual transformation and practical outcome.
Furthermore, the core Congress team created several representative Congress event personas, which helped to illustrate the type of participant impacted by the Fourth Lausanne Congress. You can see an example below. Dominique´s story highlights the transformative effect of the Congress on individuals.
Figure 5: Example of Congress Event Persona7
The Congress Promise and the Congress Event Personas helped the program planning to think strategically about people in the room and their needs. And it gives the team now the opportunity to evaluate where we met the values and where we did not. For example, we knew that the program was far too full with all the options given, so did not do well on it being an unhurried experience. This was also confirmed in the survey immediately afterwards.
What Will be the Fruit Coming Out of the Congress?
After the Fourth Lausanne Congress, the team conducted a survey to assess how well the event met its predefined goals. The survey focused on measuring the effectiveness of key objectives such as fostering collaboration, spiritual growth, and practical application for global mission work. Attendees were asked about their experiences with networking, personal growth, and the alignment of the event with its core values, such as prayerfulness and diversity. The results will provide valuable feedback, helping us to understand how successfully the Congress fulfilled its mission and offering important insights. However, the initial results highlighted the transformative impact of the Congress: participants formed new connections, initiated collaborations, and rediscovered a passion for global mission and the global church. The stories that reached us illustrate God’s work through the Congress, even before the final survey data was fully analyzed.
A follow-up survey has been planned for one year after the Congress to measure long-term outcomes, including the sustained impact of commitments made and collaborations begun.
As we reflect on the fruits of this gathering, we are reminded of the ultimate mission—the fulfillment of the Great Commission.
While the immediate effects are evident in the energy, strategies, and relationships ignited, the long-term outcomes will only emerge as participants incorporate these insights into their ministries and serve as multipliers in their communities.
Our prayer remains that God will use these seeds to bear lasting fruit for his kingdom, equipping his people to declare and display Christ together across the globe.
Endnotes
- Oxford Advanced Learner’s Dictionary 2020.
- Evi Rodemann, ‘An exploration of the impact of the Mission-Net Congress’, (Master’s thesis, University of Gloucestershire, 2016).
- Fabian Walter, ‘Welche Wirkungen hat dein Projekt’, Erfolgreich Projekte leiten (2015), accessed 10 December 2024, https://erfolgreich-projekte-leiten.de/output-outcome-impact/.
- Bettina Kurz and Doreen Kubek, ‘The Social Impact Navigator’, 45, Phineo, accessed 10 December 2024, https://www.phineo.org/uploads/Downloads/PHINEO_Social_Impact_Navigator.pdf
- Kurz and Kubek, ‘The Social Impact Navigator,’ 7.
- Congress Experience Filter, Lausanne Movement, accessed 14 December 2024, https://drive.google.com/file/d/1kGkmUgPJlurg4gEsgZsF3Cl7QjAzZlCB/view
- Congress Event Personas, Lausanne Movement, accessed 14 December 2024, https://drive.google.com/file/d/1kGkmUgPJlurg4gEsgZsF3Cl7QjAzZlCB/view.