Media and the Gospel: A Call to the Global Lausanne Community

The Lausanne Regional Consultation on Media and the Gospel was held in Kristiansand, Norway earlier this month and resulted in the following Call to the Global Lausanne Community. Further resources on the topic of Media and Communications were also shared throughout the month, and are listed below.

We affirm the vision of The Cape Town Commitment, that the global church should bear witness to Jesus Christ and all his teaching in every nation, in every sphere of society, and in the realm of ideas.

One vital aspect of this is the urgent need to engage more intentionally with media in all their diversity. The media are the primary means by which news, ideas, and stories spread. They affect every part of society in every part of the world. We need to find appropriate ways of communicating key ideas, new perspectives and neglected stories. We need fresh ways of expressing truth, in order to capture people’s thinking and imagination.

We affirm the three areas of need expressed in The Cape Town Commitment: media awareness, media presence and media ministries.[1] We emphasize the importance of each of these areas, as well as their mutuality, and the need for creative collaboration.

We urge the global Lausanne community to take seriously:

Media awareness. The need for greater understanding of how media messages shape individuals, families and societies; and the need to develop skills of critical evaluation and response.
Media presence. The need for a new emphasis on working in the mainstream news and creative media, from a Christian perspective, with professionalism, creativity, integrity, and courage.
Media ministries. The need for courage, creativity, innovation, and integrity in using every medium to its full potential to communicate the gospel and biblical truth.

In light of this, we urge reflection on, and collaboration in:

Media awareness. How can the church in your country equip and resource Christians to engage critically with, and respond constructively to, all forms of media?
Media presence. How can the church in your country affirm, equip, support, and learn from Christians who work and participate in the mainstream news and creative media?
Media ministries. How can the church in your country equip individuals, churches, Christian organizations and institutions to become effective in using media, including social media, for communicating truth?

This Month: New Resources in the Global Conversation on Media and Communications