Engaging in the Realities of Global Missions

The leadership team of the Lausanne Movement took the initiative to hold listening calls, inviting evangelical leaders of the world, in preparation for the Fourth Lausanne Congress (L4) to be held in Seoul, South Korea in September 2024. 

The first round of listening took place through 36 group meetings, including those of 12 regional and 23 issue networks and the Younger Leaders Generation (YLGen) network between September 2020 and July 2021 when churches and organizations were under the heavy influence of the COVID-19 pandemic. The analytical report of those listening calls was prepared by the Global Listening Team of the Lausanne Movement and released in September 2021. 

The second round of listening was planned and conducted by the Global Listening Team for a listening and analysis at a deeper level. A total of 30 focus group interviews were conducted between September 2022 and February 2023 in 12 countries representing eight regions of the world: East Asia (Japan and South Korea), Europe (Spain and the United Kingdom), Francophone Africa (Cameroon), the Middle East (Israel and Lebanon), North America (the United States), South America (Argentina), South Asia (Pakistan), and Southeast Asia (Malaysia and Singapore), in alphabetical order. The medium language for the interviews was the official language of the country, which facilitated discussions at a deeper level. 

The following are the sets of questions used to facilitate discussions in the focus group interviews:

1). What are the most significant gaps or remaining opportunities towards the fulfillment of the Great Commission? And how can we fill the gap(s) or overcome the limitations in ministry towards the fulfillment of the Great Commission?

2). What promising breakthroughs and innovations do you see that can accelerate the fulfillment of the Great Commission? How would you describe the characteristics of those breakthroughs and innovations? And how are they facilitated and driven? How can such breakthroughs and innovations be followed up towards further developments in ministry?

3). In what areas is greater collaboration most critical in order to see the fulfillment of the Great Commission? How can we facilitate collaboration in those areas effectively? How can we strategically mobilize or motivate Christian leaders to be more involved in collaboration?

4). Where is further research needed? How can we facilitate mission research well to address those issues? Who should tackle those issues in research?

5). To whom else should we be listening as part of this process? We are considering conducting a questionnaire survey in the future. How can we invite all those people to respond to the survey effectively? Do you have any particular questions or issues to be asked through the survey?

The second round of listening generated 30 reports on the focus group interviews, with the total word count reaching 278,753. The methodology used in the data analysis was a constructivist version of the grounded theory approach, and a software called NVivo for Mac was used in the initial stage of line-by-line coding as well as in the second stage of focused coding and the subsequent comparative analysis of themes. A process of theoretical coding and integration as the third and final stage followed the previous procedures to reach a conclusion. 

Global Dominant Themes

Eight themes recurred in more than ten groups out of the 30 groups from which the data was gathered. The dominant themes at the global level were ‘cases of breakthroughs in ministry’, ‘importance of discipleship’, ‘need for training’, ‘listening to young people’, ‘need for contextualization’, ‘churches need to engage in the external realities’, ‘reaching the Unreached People Groups’, and ‘need to understand the meaning of the Great Commission clearly’. 

The shared cases of breakthrough balance our perspectives about what is going on in the world. The shared stories help us to stay away from a pessimistic overview of the state of world evangelization. There are many cases of dynamic developments of mission movements, and breakthroughs are visible and recognizable in many contexts of God’s global missions.

There was a recognition that discipleship is not just the responsibility of pastors and Christian leaders, but also the mandate of the young people in their family relationships, workplace, and other social arenas. Discipleship is indeed a commitment of all believers that demands participation of all with their different gifts. Conversations in Spain and other countries included this point clearly. 

In Malaysia there was a recognition that quality theological training is much needed, with the level of quality questioned in theological education in some theological institutions. There are many theological educational institutions in the region, but what is important is to safeguard their quality. A Pakistani focus group addressed the need for the churches to provide quality training to ordinary Christians. The issue of leadership training was raised in a discussion of the Argentine focus group. There was a consensus that it is a key issue and a real need for the ministers in the country at different levels. 

Different types of people were suggested for further listening: young people (emphasized in 15 focus groups), unbelievers (7 groups), marginalized people (7 groups), women (5 groups), people on the ground (5 groups), migrants and diasporas (5 groups), ordinary people (4 groups), people who left the church (3 groups), new believers (3 groups), foreign missionaries (3 groups), the community (2 groups), specialists (2 groups), professionals (2 groups), academic leaders (2 groups), and others. Listening to young people was repeatedly emphasized. It is a theme globally dominant with 15 focus groups in 11 countries of seven regions making 20 references to it. 

One of the most important commonalities seems to be the question about and interest in the relevance of Christian ministries. Many participants of the focus groups raised questions and showed interest about the issue of contextualization. Groups of leaders showed a certain level of commitment to the relevant issue of ministries by churches and organizations, recognizing the diversity of cultural contexts. Almost all of the participants shared a foundational understanding about this issue of cultural relevance although remaining committed to the uniqueness of Christ and His Gospel. 

One Korean pastor put it that churches are concerned about their own existence too much and unable to radiate the Gospel externally, thus there should be more efforts from the churches to engage in the external realities. Caring for the marginalized families in the community could be one example of such efforts, but there are other communal problems that need churches’ intervention. Churches should not remain passive but be proactive in engaging in the external realities. The Spanish participants drew our attention to the reality that churches are more or less isolated, remaining distant from what is going on in the world. Because of this distance, the preaching in churches cannot properly address the daily problems and issues of their members. In this case, churches cannot influence the external world significantly. 

The strategic vision of reaching the Unreached People Groups with the gospel has North American roots as it came about first in the US. An analysis of the theme in light of what the current North American evangelical leaders are saying basically affirms the value and relevance of the original strategy. Some affirm that it remains a core part of the vision of the Lausanne Movement. They also affirm the orchestrated efforts for finishing the remaining task as an example of unity in Christ.The Cameroonian focus group, being on the same line, suggested running educational programs such as mission seminars to raise the missional awareness among the churches and Christians teaching the meaning of the Great Commission clearly and equip them to carry out the Great Commission in actual contexts. The European focus groups of the UK pointed out the need for clear statements in articulating what mission is biblically and how that could be explained in the contemporary world. This kind of articulation and statement could be fleshed out in detail considering diverse missional agendas and tasks in different parts of the world.

Regional Dominant Themes

East Asia

There was an important emphasis on practice rather than teaching in this region. The participants of the focus groups thought that genuine practice of Christian teaching is essential in overcoming the challenges of secularization in society and the church as well. Demonstrating the Word in actual life or, in other words, the practice of the Christian worldview in society is important and needs to be emphasized in the lives of Christians. Being on the same line, the practice of repentance and reconciliation was also repeatedly emphasized among the evangelical leaders in this region. The East Asian focus groups claimed that there should be an intentional practice of repentance and reconciliation among Christians, for which there should be a safe environment where people can share and express their failures. 

Cases of ministry breakthrough were actively shared in five focus groups in this region, which means that the evangelical leaders do see the progress of the kingdom movement and do not have a pessimistic outlook. The impressive cases of breakthrough in church ministries and missionary outreach were illustrated by the Korean participants. A common characteristic of the impressive breakthrough cases was that the leaders overcame the stereotypes of ministries, attempting new approaches with fresh ideas. In many cases they pursued partnership and collaboration among churches and leaders interdenominationally. In sharing the cases, a genuine missional spirit and commitment were valued over numerical results.

Europe

The importance of discipleship was most emphasized in the European focus groups. All five European focus groups addressed the issue in detail, making 19 references all together. The tone of discussion surrounding this issue was rather serious, and some comments were insightful not only for European churches but also for the whole global church. The basic line of understanding about discipleship is that being a disciple necessarily implies the proclamation of the Gospel in one’s life. The discussion went on to include the question of how to facilitate the discipleship process and teach others to make disciples. There is a recognition behind this observation that contemporary evangelical leaders have not been good at making disciples. There seem to be many resource materials on discipleship, but good practices are desperately needed, according to the conversations.

The European leaders underscored the importance of relationship again in pursuing collaboration, overcoming the tendency of task-orientation that could actually be a hindrance in many cases. The limitations of task-orientation among some mission leaders could be reviewed in light of this emphasis on relationship in the European conversations. They argued that the time for a great collaboration has come, considering collaboration as an essential part of the original vision of the missionary mandate.

Francophone Africa

One impressive emphasis from the discussion group of Francophone Africa was laid on the work of the Holy Spirit. Even when talking about the importance of discipleship, the group put it clearly that it is the work of the Holy Spirit that enables disciple-making in the true sense. Human teachings, educational programs, cultural understandings, and other rational approaches are helpful but not enough. We need to follow the leading and guidance of the Holy Spirit more than anything else. It is impossible to think about discipleship and disciple-making without presupposing the work of the Holy Spirit in our lives and ministries. This dominant theme is helpful in terms of balancing our perspectives not only on discipleship but also on other issues and challenges facing the global church. We are reminded of this important part of Christian faith from this regional conversation.

The Middle East

Overall, the focus group interviews of the Middle East region emphasized the biblical essentials that transcend cultural or regional boundaries. The participants touched on the foundational yet essential teachings of the Bible in their conversations.

In one Israeli conversation, there was a call to live out the original Gospel with a genuine spirituality. Along the same line, the spirit of love was underscored in the Israeli focus groups. Love brings about unity among the churches and Christians. The emphasis on love and unity is the basis for the health of the community and healthy relationship in it. All these essential teachings of the Bible lead back to the emphasis on our relationship with God. As one Israeli participant posited, we are doing what God wants us to do as we are in a good relationship with Him. 

In the Lebanese conversation, there were concerns expressed for the Muslim Background Believers who are an important part of the evangelical community. Collaborating with non-evangelicals was also emphasized as an important agenda for the evangelicals in the region. 

Both Lebanese and Israeli participants expressed that we need to go back to prayer. They hoped there would be more people praying together, especially to pray with Christian friends who may be different in background or generation. A national prayer movement was prayed for in this region.

North America

The participants of the focus groups found North American churches more united and collaborating than before. More partnerships and collaborations were being formed among mission agencies. The participants illustrated how North American specialists and supporters are serving with their expertise and endeavors to provide hubs for member care for missionaries who are coming from all over the world to some strategic locations. Multi-agency teams are there, working together, overcoming cultural barriers and differences. In many cases, missional leaders and workers are not working in silos anymore.

Concerning research, the North American leaders valued field-based empirical research as a research approach. They generally affirmed that what is needed is to do the research empirically based in the fields. Through these field-based processes, the research results or the resource materials based on them could be practical and contextualized. They believe that the real information is on the field.

The North American conversations seem to reflect interactions and intersections of the global and the local dimensions of evangelical ministries well. The participants addressed their domestic issues of ministries in their actual local settings while not forgetting the global dimensions of interactions in foreign lands. When they discussed their overseas roles and outreaches there, they simultaneously considered the related parts in their home contexts. Their perspectives show how the realties and consciousnesses of the two sides of the glocal dynamics are considered as the givens in the ministries of the evangelical churches.

South America

The problem of duplication was considered a significant gap in ministry. Churches and organizations seem to spend too much money on doing the same work separately. This problem shows the tendency of lack of unity among the churches and organizations. The participants believed that a complete unity matters in Christian ministries.

The significant gap in reaching the UPGs was well recognized in the discussions. The group thought the remaining task of reaching the unreached must be on the agenda of churches. Also, the disparity in missional spending was well recognized, and the participants thought that there should be more spending in ministries to reach the UPGs. 

The regional discussion of South American leaders spent a significant portion of their discussion time on the issues of gaps and research. They did not show any idiosyncratic characteristics in approaching these issues but came up with concrete suggestions. The leaders shared important perspectives on many issues with the leaders of other regions, showing a posture of active networking and collaboration with others. There was a general sense was that they were consciously and realistically considering the global realities and trends in their reflections and conversations on the issues facing the churches and Christian organizations in their local contexts. They were also open to new opportunities and possibilities of collaboration and innovation.

South Asia

Wrapping up an analytical summary of the listening calls of the South Asia region, the issue of discouraged believers and leaders is lingering as a challenge to remember and pray for the diverse ministries happening there. Discouragement has been pointed out as an issue among the ministers in one European conversation highlighting some of the issues of poor fruits in ministry. In the context of Pakistan, the issue was somewhat different surrounding the issue of persecution and fear, which has not surfaced as a dominant theme in some other regional contexts. 

One South Asian focus group emphasized the theology of suffering and persecutions. The participants thought that leaders, pastors, young people, newcomers, and others need to be equipped with biblical perspectives on suffering and persecutions. This perspective could be shared globally crossing various barriers.

The remedies of the evangelical leaders seem to be consonant across regions. The Pakistani leaders emphasized love and unity in Christ. They considered those virtues essential in the Christian teaching. Christians need to come together deeply united in the love of Christ, which was underscored as a core message recurring in the conversations of this regional group. This message carried weight as it was channeled through the regional context of South Asia.

Southeast Asia

The overall impression of the conversations in the regional listening calls of the Southeast Asian groups was that they underscored the importance of and needs for research and listening. They reflected a diversity in the issues and the types of people considered in their discussions. The scope of their discussions was global, and the regional contexts were considered in their interactions with the global realities and also future prospects. 

While addressing the complex realities and issues of both the region and the world, the Southeast Asian leaders did not forget to highlight the foundational and essential emphasis of the evangelical church and movement. One important recommendation from this region was to “build an inclusive community of faith” based on a recognition that more and more people do not look like the typical profile in the model church community. Another significant message was that revival and revitalization of movements come through prayer, as experienced presently in Sarawak. These normative challenges seem to be prophetic and need to be heard in the global evangelical circle.

Conclusion

The conclusion is composed of suggestions for future Lausanne programs at both the global and regional levels. These suggestions are based on the previous processes of analyzing dominant themes at these two levels. The suggestions on the global missional issue will be explained first, followed by suggestions on the regional missional issues.

1). Concerning the cases of breakthrough in ministry, the Lausanne Movement’s regional networks could offer regional forums to share and learn from the breakthrough cases. Ministry leaders from various fields could be invited to learn from other successful cases and discretely applied in their ministry settings.

2). The importance of discipleship could be dealt with at Seoul 2024 as one of its main themes. The essential needs of discipleship as viewed from diverse perspectives of regional contexts could be presented and discussed in a major way at the plenary and selective sessions at Seoul 2024.

3). The need for training could be addressed at various regional forums hosted by the Lausanne Movement’s regional networks. The training needs could be different depending on the realities of churches and other Christian ministries in the region, for which regional forums rather than global forums could address the issue more concretely.

4). Listening projects could be planned that focus on the young people at the regional and national levels of the Lausanne Movement. The issues of young people could be different not only regionally, but also nationally. Different kinds of young people could be invited to small groups of 5-12 people to discuss various issues they face. The results could be shared at both the national and regional forums.

5). Pertaining to contextualization, a research project and a forum could be planned to share the results at the regional level hosted by each regional network of the Lausanne Movement. The issues are most likely different from region to region, so it would be appropriate to process the research and the forum at the regional level. In approaching contextualization, contemporary issues of cultural relevance need to be addressed along with those of traditional worldviews.

6). The need for churches to engage in the external realities could be considered one of the main themes for Seoul 2024. The challenges should be addressed by sharing positive cases in search of common factors for successful engagements. This theme could be addressed at both the plenary session and the selective seminars. 

7). The important need to reach the Unreached People Groups could be addressed at a global forum focusing on the question of redefining the remaining task. The Lausanne Movement should feel responsible to update the original vision to fit the changed global realities of the UPGs. The Lausanne Movement at the global level needs to plan such a strategic forum on redefining the remaining task.

8). The significant need to understand the meaning of the Great Commission clearly calls for a focused attention to the issue. This theme could be one of the main themes for Seoul 2024. One plenary session could be devoted to this, and one set of selective seminars planned as well. 

Engaging in the realities of regional missions

In addition to the global missional issues, there are other regional missional issues. Some of the regional issues overlap, but there are other region-specific issues. Sometimes the same issues have different facets depending on which region is the context. The following suggestions need to be considered in engaging regional missional issues in each region of the world.

1). Each regional network of the Lausanne Movement could host a set of forums to share cases of ministry breakthroughs. Breakthrough cases of a particular sector of ministry would be introduced each time, i.e., a forum of breakthrough cases in church ministry inviting pastors and church leaders. 

The actual cases of breakthrough identified so far are as explained in the regional analysis of the main report. These are important, but there are many others that need to be shared.

2). Each regional network of the Lausanne Movement could hold strategy meetings to crosslink different entities of ministry and facilitate collaborations among them. This could also be done at the national level of the Lausanne network.

Diverse cases of collaboration while emphasizing essential postures needed in collaboration need to be shared in the regional strategy meetings. Some of them are as explained in the regional analysis of the main report.

3). Each regional network of the Lausanne Movement could facilitate listening programs at various levels. The listening efforts must be understood as an on-going process. Different types of people could be invited to come and share their opinions and feelings about important issues facing the evangelical church in their region.

The listening efforts need to be more specific in the regional listening programs. The group needs to be small (between 5-12 people) and preferably of the same type of people to take advantage of the atmosphere favorable for the free flow of ideas in a homogeneous group. The regional networks of the Lausanne Movement need to have a long-range plan for this listening process.

4). Each regional network of the Lausanne Movement could address the regional gaps in ministry through research projects. Combining the discussions on questions 1 and 4 of this listening process, the regional gaps or needs should be dealt with through research projects and forums initiated by the regional leadership. 

The regional networks could form different task forces to research different ministry gaps. The ministry gaps tend to be different from region to region, so the regional leadership teams need to prioritize, conducting one research project at a time.

5). The gaps in ministry need to be addressed through research studies and forums. The list of gaps or barriers in each region need to be considered a priority. There are also many other issues and problems that need to be addressed through research processes. The answers to discussion question four had many good suggestions for research, but they need to be tackled after the priority issues of gaps in ministry have been covered properly. That is because mission research should primarily address realistic problems that are in the way of fruitful ministry. There was a repeated emphasis on the need for field-based empirical research, which needs to be directed to many real problems of ministry, as identified and suggested in the main report. A true incarnational posture in listening will take a down-to-earth approach in various forms. However, it also needs a realistic prioritization among various issues.

The different bodies of Christ Jesus in different parts of the world had mutually complementary voices rather than dissonant ones. In many cases, the differences were at the surface level, but the commonalities at a deep level were increasingly evident as the listening continued in a spiral process. The commonalities were concerning the essence of the evangelical faith in biblical truths. This phenomenon is not simply the result of globalization, but for the same rootage in the eternal truth in the Lord Jesus Christ. Amen.