As we prepare participants for the Fourth Lausanne Congress in Korea this September, we have chosen to focus on the fourfold vision of Lausanne with articles illustrating its implications and implementations in different contexts.
The Gospel for Every Person
This includes the religious ‘nones’—those who describe their religion as ‘nothing in particular’. Rebekah Bled explores the possibility of ‘The Gospel for Every Person: Reaching the ‘nones’ in secular cultures’ such as the culture in Uruguay where there has been ‘a long history of anti-clerical secularism, with the Catholic church and Christianity rejected on the basis of perceived coercion and control.’ In the context of Uruguayan secularism, ‘authenticity and autonomy are two important virtues’ which are ‘understood as equivalent to freedom and dignity.’ The author offers some missiological insights on the implications for missions in this context.
Disciple-Making Churches for Every People and Place
‘Disciple Making Movements (DMMs) have gained significant attention in recent years as a missional approach aimed at rapid and widespread gospel growth. ‘These movements . . . emphasize the multiplication of disciples who make disciples, leading to the rapid planting of indigenous churches’, writes David Williams in ‘Disciple Making Movements: Applying a faithful balance’. While recognizing the valuable contributions of DMMs, he warns against the risk in focusing on speed and scope as this makes ‘DMMs vulnerable to patterns of thinking that are influenced by Western secularism.’ His review of some of the critical issues guides us as ‘we navigate the complexities of DMMs and other missional approaches.’
Christ-like Leaders for Every Church and Sector
Christian leaders are ‘called to bear the marks of integrity and to exercise it in both the private and public spheres of life and service’, argues J. Kwabena Asamoah-Gyadu in ‘Be Imitators of Me as I am of Christ’: Integrity as a lifestyle of Christian leaders’. He defines integrity as ‘when our private thoughts, decisions, actions, and claims, not only reflect our outward talk and behavior, but also bring about the public good.’ And ‘the ultimate example of altruistic integrity is Jesus himself.’
Kingdom Impact in Every Sphere of Society
What does the kingdom mean for the church in global missions? C. J. Davison and Dave Benson propose that the church must have a vision ‘For the Kingdom: Kingdom-citizens for global missions’ as ‘the church is called into every space where God’s reign exists to bring shalom.’ In practical terms, there are four key ways the church can work together ‘in global missions and be more kingdom-minded’: Making kingdom-minded disciples; uniting in mission through collaborative leadership; having a clear and holistic vision of the kingdom; and proclaiming the gospel through word and deed, sacrificial love, and sound doctrine. They conclude with a prayer: ‘Father in heaven . . .ignite in us a new vision and passion for your kingdom.’
Lausanne Global Analysis is also available in Portuguese, Spanish, French, and Korean. Please send any questions and comments about this issue to analysis@lausanne.org. The next issue will be released in November 2024.