What if Every Believer Were a Witness?

Despite centuries of Christian mission, billions of people still have little or no opportunity to hear the gospel. Lausanne’s 2024 State of the Great Commission Report estimates that approximately 3.34 billion people belong to unreached populations. Yet only 3% of international missionaries serve among these communities, even though they make up around 40% of the world’s population.¹ The report also points to a challenge within the church itself. Although the Great Commission is taught regularly in many congregations, surveyed Christian leaders perceive that relatively few believers are actively proclaiming the gospel. The need for evangelism, therefore, is not only measured by those who are yet to hear the gospel, but also by every believer being equipped to become a faithful witness.

Evangelism, therefore, remains central to the Great Commission. Jesus’ command to make disciples of all nations is not reserved for pastors, evangelists, or missionaries alone. It is a calling shared by the whole church. As more believers embrace that responsibility, more people, whether in unreached communities or everyday neighbourhoods, will have the opportunity to encounter Christ.

That conviction was evident throughout the Lausanne 2024 Congress, where participants moved beyond discussions on evangelism and put it into practice. Instead of remaining within conference sessions, many stepped into public spaces to share the gospel through ordinary conversations. Their experiences revealed a common theme: when believers are willing to speak about Jesus, God creates opportunities for lives to be transformed.

Bill Wolfe and Michael Amame experienced this firsthand. Although language differences presented an initial obstacle, they connected with a man, clearly communicated the message of Jesus, and saw him respond by placing his faith in Christ.
[See their video below.]

Greg Stier, together with a team of evangelists, also took to the streets with a simple purpose to tell people about Jesus. Reflecting on the experience, he said, ‘We need to hit the streets. We need to tell everyone, everywhere, the hope of Jesus Christ.’
[See their video below.]

For Werner Nachtigal, founder of the GO Movement, the urgency of evangelism is deeply personal. He spent the first twenty-one years of his life without ever hearing a clear presentation of the gospel. That experience shaped a lifelong commitment to ensuring others would not remain unreached as he once was. Through global initiatives such as GO Day, he now mobilises believers to make gospel conversations part of everyday life, often asking a simple but searching question: ‘What if every believer is a witness?’
[See his video below.]

While each story from the Congress unfolded differently, together they reflected a shared conviction: evangelism is the responsibility of every believer.

Partnership Multiplies Gospel Proclamation

Javier Espinoza | Costa Rica

For more than four decades, evangelism leader Javier Espinoza has seen how partnership strengthens gospel proclamation across cultures and nations. While methods and contexts may differ, one lesson has remained constant: the gospel advances further when believers work together.

At the heart of that partnership is friendship, not simply personal companionship, but relationships shaped by a shared commitment to making Christ known.

Javier recalls praying a simple prayer each day:

‘God, give me a friend who can think and work as I do, one with whom we can take the gospel to the ends of the world together.’

Over time, that prayer was answered. God brought people alongside him who carried the same burden for evangelism. Together, they encouraged one another, mobilised believers across regions, and expanded the reach of the gospel beyond what any one person could have accomplished alone.

His experience reflects a recurring pattern throughout Christian mission. Collaboration does not merely distribute the work; it multiplies its impact. When believers unite around a shared vision, they strengthen one another and extend the reach of the gospel into communities that might otherwise remain untouched.

Every Believer Is Empowered to Proclaim the Gospel

James Park | Canada

If partnership demonstrates how the church proclaims the gospel together, James Park’s story answers another important question: who can share the gospel?

The State of the Great Commission Report found that although many churches regularly teach the Great Commission, surveyed Christian leaders perceive that relatively few believers are actively proclaiming the gospel. James’s story offers a reminder that God often works through the most unexpected people.

Before becoming a follower of Christ, James spent years searching for happiness, purpose, and fulfillment through addiction. Despite everything he pursued, he remained empty.

Then, one afternoon in a coffee shop, a homeless man approached him with an unexpected message:

‘God sent me to you. He wants you to come to him and discover purpose, joy, and meaning in life.’

The encounter transformed James’s life. As he listened, he realised that what he had been searching for all along was found in Christ.

What also remained with him, however, was not only the message itself but the person God used to deliver it.

‘If a homeless man could share the gospel and lead me to Jesus, then every believer has what it takes to share Jesus.’

Today, that conviction shapes his ministry as he equips ordinary Christians to confidently share their faith and make disciples. His testimony challenges the assumption that evangelism belongs only to those with formal training, public platforms, or recognised ministry roles.

The stories shared during the Lausanne Congress point to the same conclusion. Whether through friendships that multiply gospel ministry, believers taking the gospel into public spaces, or an unexpected conversation in a coffee shop, God continues to work through ordinary people who are willing to speak about Christ.

The challenge is therefore not simply the number of people who remain unreached. It is also the need for a church that is ready and willing to proclaim the gospel. As billions of people still lack meaningful access to the message of Jesus, these stories remind us that evangelism advances one conversation, one friendship, and one act of faithful obedience at a time.

Bill Wolfe | Michael Amame | Seoul

Greg Stier | Reid Saunders | Baek Jeoung-yu | Seoul

Werner Nachtigal | Germany

Endnote

1. Great Commission Discipleship and Evangelized Sections