Engaging in the Realities of Global Missions

Introduction

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 report of the round one listening, entitled ‘The Evangelical Church interacting between the Global and Local,’ is posted on the website of the Lausanne Movement (https://lausanne.org/l4/global-listening/the-evangelical-church-interacting-between-the-global-and-the-local).

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 participants of these focus groups may not demographically represent their regions or countries in their attributes, but their perspectives and opinions can be logically generalized through a systematic analysis of the qualitative data. 

The medium language for the interviews was the official language of the country, which facilitated discussions at a deeper level. 

The questions used in this round two listening included some ‘How’ questions in addition to the previous ‘What’ questions of the round one listening. 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. Figure 1 visually summarizes the words frequently used by the participants of the focus group interviews. The word ‘people’ was one of the most frequently used words in the focus groups. The words such as ‘church’, ‘know’, and ‘think’ were also used more frequently than others.

The reports from South Korea and the US were lengthiest with word counts being 69,811 and 60,112, respectively. 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. The first stage of data analysis enabled to identify the dominant themes at both the global and regional levels, while the second stage focused on their description and explanation, and the final stage devoted to an integrative summary with some highlighted suggestions at the end. The whole process of data analysis and writing for the first draft were done by Steve Sang-Cheol Moon, the co-leader of the Global Listening Team. The early process of data gathering through interviewing before this and later process of editing the first draft were done with the active participation of the members of the Global Listening Team. The following summarizes and highlights important findings through the listening efforts. 

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 numbers of groups, countries, and references related to the dominant themes are as shown below in Table 1. These themes will be explained one by one in the order of their recurrence in terms of the number of groups primarily, but also considering the number of countries represented by those groups.

Table 1. Global Dominant Themes

Theme	Focus Groups	Countries	References
Cases of breakthroughs in ministry	21	10	68
Importance of discipleship	18	11	66
Need for training	15	10	31
Listening to young people	15	10	20
Need for contextualization	13	9	35
Churches need to engage in the external realities	13	8	22
Reaching the Unreached People Groups	12	6	25
Need to understand the meaning of the Great Commission clearly	11	6	15

Cases of breakthrough in ministry

The theme of breakthrough cases in ministry was most talked about by the participants of the focus group interviews. It was the most dominant theme in 21 focus groups in ten countries of seven regions, with the total references reaching 68. It was discussed in the regional discussions of East Asia, Europe, Francophone Africa, the Middle East, North America, South Asia, and Southeast Asia. The main content of this theme is that breakthroughs in ministry happened despite challenges and setbacks in the ministry environments. The characteristics of such breakthroughs were different from context to context, but what was common was that promising and hopeful breakthroughs actually happened, overcoming the negative conditions of the ministry.

Among the Korean cases of breakthrough shared in the focus groups were ministry breakthroughs by reaching the Afghan diaspora in Korea with the gospel; Korean missionaries coordinating house churches for Jewish evangelism in Israel; interdenominational prayer meetings spreading from Busan and Daegu; a local church’s holistic care program for the children in its city of Dangjin; a wonderful breakthrough ministry through team ministries of Korean missionaries in Albania; the wide scope of evangelistic and educational impacts on the world through the innovative satellite broadcasting by CGNTV; collaboration of business leaders through CBMC network; planting of 108 local churches by Korean Baptist missionaries in Central Asia; cases of extension growth or multiplication of churches through planting daughter churches; a breakthrough in theological education through full scholarship programs for students from developing countries; a specially designed ministry program for the children of migrant workers; sharing church spaces and facilities by multiple churches; and united efforts of churches in the same city to reach their local people. 

In Spain, one group talked about the opportunities of breakthrough by using new technologies, taking advantage of the currents of globalization. The participants specifically discussed the impact of the preaching workshop for preachers offered by Langham Partnership, and also about the willingness of leaders to work together that enables collaborations and breakthroughs based on it. Another Spanish group shared the successful cases of podcasts for the youths and of some evangelistic talks in easily accessible spaces such as a cafeteria or a pizzeria. 

In the UK, the breakthrough cases shared included those of researching fruitful churches in Wales and other parts of the country; the cooperation of churches through Friends International for the past 30 years or so; and the emphasis of the whole-life discipleship by the Church of England and by the Evangelical Alliance of the UK. The interview participants thought these breakthroughs happened in a variety of ways. In this focus group interview, one of the important points made was that “learning has refined through fieldwork with church leaders from a variety of denominations.” In another UK group, the huge potentiality of ministry to foreign students was talked about. Also shared were the actual cases of multiplication through teaching ministries, connecting the British natives and diaspora communities, and the special ministries to refugees, including the recent Ukrainians due to Russia’s invasion of Ukraine. Another UK group pointed out the importance of collaborating with non-Christian entities to make an impact on the communities.

In the Cameroonian focus group, there was an emphasis on the importance of new media for evangelism. The participants viewed that recent communication technologies are helpful in innovating evangelistic ministries. The concentrated efforts of prayer were also noted in that the prayer movements have a focus on the Great Commission in the Cameroonian context. The technological innovation makes it possible to incorporate other messages coming from other cultures and continents, which is a phenomenal breakthrough in the ministry of the global church, according to the participants of this focus group.

In one Israeli focus group, the collaborative efforts between the Jewish and Palestinian believers were noted as an important case of breakthrough. Based on this collaboration, working together with international believers is facilitated further. This kind of breakthrough is brought about primarily through the young people. The openness of the younger generations is the background of the efforts to overcome traditional barriers of ethnicity in Israel. Such openness also finds an expression in using means of virtual conversation among young people.

In the focus group of Lebanon, the participants pointed out that the church is more aware of its surrounding environments and trying to respond to it effectively. Churches are overall becoming better equipped in communicating the Gospel message, taking new approaches that harness advanced technologies. This group generally observed that churches are increasingly better equipped for the Gospel ministries, which is not just a good foundation for a ministry breakthrough but also a sign of maturity in the sense that churches are engaging in the communities more actively. 

The North American focus groups introduced important cases of breakthroughs in their interview sessions. Some churches in the South Texas area, with a mature missional passion, are playing crucial roles in their ministries to migrants overcoming cultural prejudices. There was an observation that churches are increasingly recognizing the ownership of the global missions. Also noted was a trend of post-denominational missions in the mainstream of churches in North America, which could be considered as a breakthrough in terms of the missional awareness of the churches because such awareness finds an expression in actual collaborations crossing denominational barriers. Many cases of breakthrough were illustrated in the discussions, including the collaboration for theological education; collaboration for Bible translation; renewed interest in diaspora groups and refugees in cosmopolitans; united efforts and collaborations for finishing the task of reaching the Unreached People Groups (UPGs) with the gospel, including the cases of Finishing the Task and Jesus Film; use of new media for frontier missions to the UPGs; new awareness for creation care and environmental stewardship; strategic alliance and collaboration of African American pastors for Bible translation in African countries; innovative evangelistic programs such as the storytelling of the Bible; collaboration of academic professionals; and the case of breakthrough in information sharing for the UPGs through the Joshua Project. 

In South Asia, the Pakistani focus groups recognized the trend of many young people committing themselves to ministry and entering seminaries. Many of these young people are forsaking good secular jobs to become an indigenous evangelist and missionary responding to the call of God. Theological educational institutions are intentionally offering practical programs such as media training for them so that they can feel comfortable utilizing social media and other technological tools for their future ministries. Some of the students are already preaching through social media. The efforts for unity and collaboration among the theological institutions in Pakistan are bearing fruit by helping one another through faculty exchange and other programs. They also design educational programs together. With these collaborative efforts continuing, enormous opportunities and fruits of joint efforts could be created in the years ahead. 

In Southeast Asia, both Malaysian and Singaporean groups illustrated important cases of ministry breakthrough. The Malaysian focus group illustrated how they organized digital mission trips in addition to in-person trips. They wanted to make sure that each participant of the mission trip makes a phone call to one person as a short-term missionary. They found digital mission trips cost very low yet are effective in terms of creating missional awareness. A Malaysian seminary offered a field-based short-term mission program for three months involving about 100 youths from different parts of Sarawak each year before the COVID-19 pandemic. For the past two years of the pandemic period, the seminary carried out this program online. Each year for three months, about 100 youths have been trained to learn about missions. 

In the Singaporean focus group, there was a recognition that digital resources are effective for disciple-making ministries and Bible studies among the UPGs in terms of communicating the Gospel in their own languages. The participants of the discussion also posited that the conditions for urban ministries for disciple-making are ripe in the sense that the UPGs can gather in cities. On the other hand, it was also observed that increasingly more and more young people are interested in social justice and concerns than the previous generations were. Some of them are going forth to volunteer to serve Ukrainian refugees. 

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.

Importance of discipleship

The importance of discipleship was another dominant theme emphasized globally. A total of 18 focus groups in 11 countries of eight regions discussed it in a major way, with the total references reaching 66. Particularly, almost all of the Western countries’ discussions dealt with the issue at a deep level. There were also other focus groups of the Majority World that considered the issue an important theme of the global church.

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. That is because the church we see in the New Testament was a church where everyone was a participant and multiplier in the sense that these disciples were able to disciple others as expressed in 2 Timothy 2:2. A conversation in Spain included this point clearly. 

Another Spanish focus group expressed a recognition that the present structures, forms, and liturgies of contemporary churches do not facilitate the discipleship process enough. During the COVID-19 pandemic period, both the problem of activism of churches and the spectator mentality of their members became explicit because of the weak emphasis on discipleship. 

The focus groups of the UK made the same emphasis on the need for ordinary Christians to do the basics well. People have not been discipled nor seen it modeled through actual living, according to these groups. Therefore, the need to help people to communicate their faith in a sensitive way in today’s secular environments is urgent and significant. The biblical truth is meant to be heard by other people and must be applied in every sphere of life. In the opinion of these participants, the important issue is to help people to understand what it means to be a disciple of Christ as related to the Great Commission of making disciples. Some of them would like this issue of deep-level discipleship to be a key challenge in the upcoming L4 Congress in Seoul. However, the suggestion also included the need for contributions to this discussion to come from the Majority World, not assuming that the West has worked examples to offer. The learning experience through field-based research on this issue in a UK setting is worthy of sharing with other faith communities of the world.

The Cameroonian participants underscored the need for preaching to go beyond the exhortative and be intentional on doctrinal education. It was recognized that there is the need to equip ordinary Christians with biblical knowledge and challenge them to engage in defending their faith in their spheres of life. To do this properly requires good structures and systems that can organize the learning. This perspective disclosed the realistic need to offer discipleship training programs that are organized in such a way to focus on training ordinary Christians.

The Middle Eastern participants also talked about the significant issue of discipleship considering their contexts. The Israeli participants stressed the huge need for discipleship and mentoring that are lacking in many local churches. The Lebanese participants turned our attention to the need for discipleship for the Muslim Background Believers (MBBs). One realistic suggestion for the MBBs was that they need to start their own churches for discipling even though that could take a lot more effort.

The North American participants addressed the issue of discipleship in a major way as well. Like other groups, they expressed concerns on the depth of discipleship. Many of these issues were addressed in a North American context, but they also considered discipleship training among the UPGs an important need. Discipling young people with a missional perspective was also considered a vital issue. Cases of breakthrough in church ministry highlighted discipleship as a key element, although the general emphasis was on the lack of discipleship focus and training in the church ministries, suggesting the need to mobilize churches in light of a proper understanding of the Great Commission. 

The Argentine focus group specified that the key concept of the lordship of Christ is missing in churches. The general ignorance of ordinary believers about the missionary mandate had to do with this weak sense of the lordship of Christ. 

The South Asian focus groups represented by some Pakistani leaders shared a similar view with the other groups in the sense that a solid understanding of one’s identity as a disciple of Christ is required to go out and spread the message of salvation of the Lord Jesus Christ. There was a confession that Christian leaders do not teach the Gospel in light of this relationship. Many believers think that fulfilling the Great Commission belongs to special institutions, which needs to be corrected with a renewed awareness among ordinary believers who have a clear vision of discipleship. Like the Cameroonian participants, the South Asian group viewed that they should organize seminars and educational programs to teach the ordinary Christians effectively. 

The Southeast Asian participants, including Malaysians and Singaporeans, shared a common burden with the evangelical leaders of the rest of the world. They also thought that Lausanne leaders need to address discipleship as a key issue. The problem of individualism was in the way of pursuing discipleship, particularly in a community setting. The participants thought that discipleship must be done together in communities, for which church leaders need to move forward. Reaching out to the poor is another critical issue surrounding discipleship. Also stressed repeatedly in this region was that with more efforts to disciple younger people, these young people should be able to emerge as leaders in different capacities. 

The Singaporean participants called for mental models in understanding the Christian worldview, recognizing it as a huge gap. They put emphasis on the need to respond to the external dynamics with the mind of Christ and not of the world. This will take more effort for Christian education or discipleship in essence, in their view.

Need for training

The need for training was another globally emphasized theme that was talked about in 15 focus groups of ten countries in eight regions, making 31 references. In virtually all continents the theme was a major issue among the evangelical leaders. 

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. One of the country-specific issues was that of fear, including fear of persecution and oppression from the majority religious forces, which churches need to confront with more efforts to teach believers correctly. By teaching the way of discipleship, the church leaders need to encourage believers not to be intimidated. The role of the theological institutions is clear here, that is to provide support to the churches, especially the younger generations. A training program focused on social media was requested to meet a real need practically. This group raised the issue of leadership training in their context, which can begin with bringing Christian leaders together.

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. The participants thought seminaries need to provide more options for the mission workers.

The need for training was a vital issue among the evangelical leaders in the US. More training programs were required in pastoral ministries, urban ministries, intercultural ministries, discipleship, and others. One important suggestion for this need was to build partnerships for such training programs. Another suggestion was to pursue cultural relevance through efforts of contextualization in providing such training programs. 

In a discussion of the Lebanese focus group, there was a call for raising up leadership from within the MBB communities, which requires contextualized training programs to empower them. A specific request was made that the Lausanne Movement should develop special programs for the MBBs. 

A similar issue was raised in the Palestinian focus group in Israel. The participants pointed out the distinctiveness of the MBBs which requires a contextualized approach in programs of discipleship and leadership. Many resource materials are available for evangelism and discipleship training, but it is necessary to teach how to use them in actual programs. Overall, this group generally thought there is a need for more training programs at different levels.

In a Cameroonian discussion, there was a suggestion for a training program in management and leadership after going through a theological training program because many of the real issues are those of administration and leadership. This real need may require an interdisciplinary training program that incorporates aspects of theological training and managerial leadership training in a balanced way.

The need for training was a real issue among the evangelical leaders in the UK where many resource materials and educational programs are readily available. That is because they see that many leaders are discouraged and need further training to equip ordinary Christians to be mature disciples of Christ. This group thought the programs should be designed in such a way that is relevant for whoever is coming for it. There is again the issue of contextualizing training programs in this ever-changing world. The group saw the need to overcome the financial and other realistic barriers of the ministers from ethnic minorities, which is a real issue of contextualization for an incarnational approach.

In a Korean discussion, the need to train church ministers was raised. The Japanese focus groups addressed the issue of equipping ordinary Christians for missional engagement. There was a specific focus on the Christians in their 30s and 40s for their responses to the divine calling through biblical education. It was recommended that such training programs use digital resources to be effective. 

Listening to young people

The fifth and final set of discussion questions had to do with to whom else we should be listening to as part of the listening process. Specific suggestions were made about the methods and modes of listening as well as about who should be invited by the listening team. Responding to this set of questions were many answers and suggestions during the focus group interviews.

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. 

The Southeast Asian groups, including Singaporean and Malaysian focus groups, commonly made suggestions along the same line. The Malaysian group pointed out the need to go beyond the inner circles of leaders and pay attention to those who are not in the ministry such as teenagers. The Singaporean group highlighted the importance of listening to young people or the next generation.

The Pakistani group also underscored the importance of filling the gap between Christian leaders and young people. The issues of youths and children need to be understood and addressed properly in churches and institutions. 

The South American focus group of Argentines specified the importance of adapting to the preferences of Generation Zers and younger generations in the ministries of churches and organizations. The overall preferences for events and experiential learning programs for younger generations need to be considered in reaching and engaging them in Christian ministries, although there should be a proper sense of balance in trying that. 

The US or North American participants specifically discussed how to structurally integrate young people into Christian organizations. The Youth For Christ International recently started a Youth Leader Advisory Board at one of the highest levels of the organization, through which the management teams brought in youths for inputs from various parts of the world. Other participants considered the Lausanne Movement a very good platform for younger leaders, particularly younger leaders from the Global South. There was a consensus among the participants that these kinds of efforts are important and rewarding for the advancement of the kingdom movement.

The Middle Eastern focus groups of Lebanese and Israeli participants, affirming the importance of listening to younger generations, also suggested doing research on them. The needs for research and listening are not separate but intertwined. Research is a specific way of listening to and learning about the young people. 

The European focus groups of the UK and Spain also noted the importance of understanding the cultural characteristics of the young people in Europe and inviting them to a conversation with the evangelical leaders. In the UK context, it was observed that young people tend to love small community churches and would love to talk with leaders of churches and organizations. 

The East Asian focus groups of Japan and South Korea were not an exception in underscoring the importance of understanding the cultural characteristics of younger generations and inviting them to a conversation with Christian leaders. A Japanese focus group specified the age groups of 20s and 30s to be invited. One Korean focus group specifically suggested inviting more young people than before to attend and speak at Seoul 2024 in 2024. In another Korean group, there was concern about the decreasing number of missionary applicants among young people. The importance of challenging young people to be more concerned about their generation was noted in the discussions as well.

Many participants pointed out the importance of listening to young people specifically reflecting their regional and national backgrounds. The theme emerged as a globally dominant theme with a lot of common concerns, although these concerns also have distinct contextual particularities as well.

Listening to young people should be an agenda for evangelical leaders on a constant basis. There should be ongoing efforts to do this even after Seoul 2024. Different approaches need to be applied to optimize the way and method of listening to younger generations. Ethnographic research projects on Gen Zers could be tried in different cultural settings. A global-level questionnaire survey could be attempted applying the same or similar categories for analysis to figure out what is common and what is idiosyncratic among them. Focus group interviews with homogeneous groups of Gen Zers need to be planned for our understanding of their preferences to be more specific.

Need for contextualization

The need for contextualization was another theme with a global emphasis that was talked about in 13 focus groups of nine countries in six regions, making 35 references. With regard to this issue, a proper curiosity can be directed to the commonalities and differences in understanding it between evangelical leaders of the Majority World and the West. A comparative analysis of data between the two groups came up with both commonalities and differences. 

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. Both 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. 

Despite the common understandings shared among evangelical leaders, there were some noticeable differences between the two groups of the Majority World and the West. These differences may not be ontological at the worldview level but could be understood more properly as differences of contextual understandings or results of different environmental scans of ministries that tend to be different depending on the ministry context.

To the evangelical leaders of the Majority World, at the core of the contextualization issue lies the problem of dependency on Western traditions, heritages, and resources. These leaders view that this dependency should be overcome to pursue contextualization in a serious way. The discussions in the focus groups of Japan, South Korea, Pakistan, and Singapore explicated this point. They pointed out that Western influences get in the way of relevant messages and teachings in the ministries of churches and mission organizations. 

The Japanese focus groups emphasized the point that churches should not downplay Japanese cultural tradition and think outside the box, applying ministry strategies more flexibly. The Korean discussions called for restructuring missiology to gain relevance in their context, remaining committed to the biblical principles. In a Pakistani focus group, the dependency on Western resource materials was identified as a problem in producing more indigenous resource materials and literatures reflecting Pakistani realities and contexts well. The Singaporean group raised a question on the theological curricula as well as the relevance of church ministries. The participants thought that theological curricula and resource materials needed revision to transform Christian ministries. In a specialized area of member care for missionaries, there remains the issue of contextualization in making policies and programs for such ministries.

To the evangelical leaders of the Majority World, the issue of contextualization was considered a realistic issue to be approached practically as well as theologically. It was a core ministerial issue that should be addressed in an integrative way. The nature of this understanding may suggest the need for an orchestrated approach by many leaders involved, including theologians, pastors, lay leaders, and ordinary believers.

The evangelical leaders with a Western background shared a lot of points in common with the evangelical leaders of the Majority World. The Western leaders were as much committed to the issue of cultural relevance as the Majority World leaders, but they had different agendas relating to the issue. The Western leaders showed a high level of openness to the traditions and cultural heritage of the Majority World but presupposed the cultural diversity in different contexts. 

The evangelical leaders in the West seem to approach the issue of contextualization more as a theological and/or missiological task instead of a practical and realistic agenda. This point implies that there is a distance in understanding and approaching the issue between the leaders. This kind of gap in approaching the issue is understandable considering the backgrounds of Christendom in the West that could vary in its degree even between the European continent and the North American countries. In approaching the issue of contextualization, the Western leaders tend to approach it in terms of cultural diversity and relevance instead of the problem of dependency. 

The Western leaders were explicit in their concerns for the younger generations and cultural shifts being made with them. They are approaching the phenomena as a relevant issue that is also a task of contextualization. Their primary contextualization task is to make the Christian ministries more relevant and meaningful to the new generations. The Western participants of the Spain, UK, and US focus groups commonly pointed out this significant need.

The participants of the Spanish focus group showed a concern about reaching the highly media-focused generations relevantly with the Gospel. They argued that the differences in preferred media among the young people suggest the need for different contextualized approaches. There was even a serious recognition that young people are suffering a lot from the non-contextualization of the expressions of churches. The UK participants observed that the issues of creation care such as global warming are considered more seriously among the younger generations. The young people are also more committed to the social justice issue which also demands a good contextual approach. The US participants affirmed the heritage of American missiologists such as Harvie Conn and Paul Hiebert who both addressed the issue of contextualizaation profoundly and with a sense of balance. The participants also emphasized the importance of research on this issue of contextualization. However, their overall emphasis on adapting to the cultural characteristics of the younger generations was integrated with the notion of contextualization.

These contrasts are not clearcut, however. Particularly the evangelical leaders with a diaspora background, although living in a Western country, were somewhere in between the Western and the Majority World perspectives in their line of thinking. The participants of the Israeli focus groups would not fit in either of the two perspectives. Generally, there were both commonalities and differences between the two groups with Western and Majority World backgrounds in their outlooks on the issue of contextualization, although the differences seem to be derived from different understandings about different contextual realities and agendas.

Churches need to engage in the external realities

It was recommended by the focus groups that evangelical churches need to engage more actively in the external realities. A total of 13 focus groups in eight countries of six regions discussed the issue, making 22 references. There are a lot of commonalities among the focus groups in dealing with the theme, but the kinds of external realities to be engaged could be different from region to region.

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. Younger generations have their own expectations about what needs to be done by the churches within their reach. Therefore, 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. There seems to be a wall between the church and the world so that when believers enter the church building on Sunday, they feel like that they are entering a world of their own. Churches need to adapt to and engage with the times and realities of the world to be relevant and influential in it.

The UK participants also claimed that to engage in the external realities is a must for churches to really be faithful to the Great Commission. Young people have their own expectations about churches as they interact in their society because they expect the church to be a role model out in the world. For this role, churches need to collaborate even with non-Christian entities.

The Israeli participants also brought to light the problem of churches isolated in society. In the Muslim majority areas like Palestine, Christians do not interact much with Muslims, influencing them little. There is a fear that works to intimidate such an interaction with Muslims or the majority groups, which needs to be overcome with the courage coming from the faith in God. A mutual trust with the Muslims will be helpful and desirable in many cases. The younger generations tend be more open to such engagements and interactions, but they need more encouragement from the church leaders.

In the Lebanese context, the Syrian refugees need a more open and welcoming spirit from the Lebanese churches. The discussion participants observed that many churches do not open their doors to the MBBs nor allow them to take on an important leadership role. There are, however, some churches that are helping the Syrians since the start of the refugee crisis, engaging in their realities meaningfully.

One US participant observed that churches see even a numerical growth when the members are properly trained to actively engage in the external realities of their neighboring communities. The core part of this phenomenon was that church members were trained to think out of the church walls to go and serve the greater community. The role of the pastor is important in facilitating this kind of attitude and outreach.

The Argentine participants also emphasized this point, challenging that church leaders should not wait for people to come to them. Rather, they should start going out to people, engaging in their realities more closely. This takes a more active missional posture on the part of the church leaders and their members as well.

In a Pakistani discussion, the responsibility of the leaders was emphasized in fulfilling the Great Commission. They thought the biggest obstacle to fulfilling the missional mandate of Christ was the church itself. The responsibility of every believer for this mandate should be emphasized more, in their view. Along the same line of thinking, the participants challenged that evangelical leaders should rethink looking beyond the church boundary to engage in the external realities. Serving the people without discriminating among them is a real task for the church to seriously commit to the fulfillment of the Great Commission.

It is a core part of the missional DNA for the churches to meaningfully engage in the realities of the world. The evangelical leaders generally affirmed the need for a consistent commitment of the churches, although the kind and nature of their realities vary from one another.

Reaching the Unreached People Groups (UPGs)

Another dominant theme at the global level concerned reaching the UPGs, the original strategic vision of which was eminently presented by Ralph D. Winter at the First Lausanne Congress in 1974. The strategy concerns the existence of the hidden or unreached people groups in which there is no indigenous and viable church, demanding the missionary engagement of external efforts such as a church-planting movement to reach them with the Gospel. A total of 12 focus groups in six countries of six regions pointed out this significant gap, making 25 references.

This vision 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. Reaching the unreached continues to be a significant gap in finishing the task of world evangelization. Some affirm that it remains a core part of the vision of the Lausanne Movement. They are concerned about the one third of the world population who are beyond the reach of indigenous mission movements due to the barriers of culture and acceptance. They also affirm the orchestrated efforts of Finishing the Task as an example of unity in Christ and also the lasting impact of the Joshua Project as a clearing house of information.

One participant of the conversation talked about the strategic viability of city-based approaches for the UPGs, which is an advanced strategic suggestion considering the changed dynamics of migration of the unreached populations to megacities. This suggestion is actually updating the original version of the strategy, reflecting changes and developments in the environment of the ministry to reach the unreached in many parts of the world. 

When it comes to researching the UPGs, the contribution of the Joshua Project is remarkable, but other efforts for further research are much needed. The research efforts must pursue in-depth analysis of the social dynamics within and outside the unreached unimax groups to figure out the best ways to approach them from a missiological perspective. 

Another important suggestion that originated from the North American conversation was that the notion of diaspora missiology should be integrated with the notion of frontier missiology for the UPGs to advance the strategic development. This suggestion seems to be realistic considering the phenomenal migration of people groups at both the national and global levels.

The Korean churches have maintained a zealous commitment to the strategic vision of reaching the UPGs for the past 30 years or so. Some Korean mission leaders are still passionate about moving forward with the vision, but there are also observations that this emphasis and zeal have been waning over time among Korean churches. One of the reasons for this weakening focus is the loss of momentum in networking and collaborating for the UPGs among the churches and mission agencies in South Korea. There is also an amended suggestion that more efforts to collaborate with indigenous churches are desirable in the mission fields to reach the UPGs more effectively. This observation seems to reflect the realities of the mission fields where there are a growing number of indigenous churches not necessarily within the heartlands of the UPGs but in neighboring regions of the countries.

The vision of reaching the unreached was clearly affirmed in a UK focus group. One opinion was shared that we should not lose sight of the need to reach those who do not have any opportunity to hear the Gospel unless there are people who would go there to preach the message, the mind for which is so central that it should not slip off the radar when other issues come to the forefront. Another suggestion was to redefine the term of Unreached People Groups and emphasize reaching the unreached population in Europe.

Some countries address the issue of the UPGs as an immediate missional task because they have such groups within them. Cameroon is one example of this. A Cameroonian leader stressed the important need to teach Christians about this missional task in churches. The Argentinian conversation had a comment on the allocation of resources to reach the unreached because there was a recognition that too little resources are available for this immense need. They wanted to make sure that the financial investments of churches are strategically distributed according to missional priorities. The Singaporean discussion expressed a hope and desire that more digital resources will be made available to the UPGs. 

The evangelical leaders were affirmative on continuing the original vision of reaching the UPGs primarily, but there were some realistic suggestions made by way of updating or upgrading the original vision. If the vision of reaching the unreached is biblically based, it should be continued as part of missional essentials. And if there are contextual elements in the original vision, there should be bold efforts to make it relevant and realistic in our times.    

Need to clearly understand the meaning of the Great Commission

The meaning of the Great Commission is simple and straightforward to some people but needs explication and explanation to many in a specific context. This theme emerged as a globally dominant theme referred to 15 times in 11 focus groups of six countries in six regions. The main point of the theme is concisely but profoundly phrased in the Singaporean conversation: “Define the Great Commission and the Gospel of Christ so that churches can recover historic Christianity rather than perpetuate popularized packaged and reductionistic version of our faith based on user-friendly tools.”

In the Pakistani discussions, the dimension of discipleship was emphasized in the process of understanding the meaning of the Great Commission. The point is that unless a follower of Christ has become a better disciple himself, it is not possible for him to go out and spread the message of salvation through the Lord Jesus Christ to the Gentiles. It was also suggested that there should be at least one Sunday a year dedicated to teaching about the Great Commission to figure out solutions to the problem in a productive way. 

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. The group also suggested strategically meeting important people such as the chiefs of villages in the process of figuring out how 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.

The US conversations raised questions about the definition of the vision of the fulfillment of the Great Commission because that needs to be redefined every decade or every generation to be contextualized for that generation. The need to update the existing categories and criteria is significant and real so that there should be a proper redefinition, and updated educational materials should be made available accordingly. One example might be to rethink the criterion of two percent of the evangelical population if it is legitimate because that was somewhat arbitrarily adopted by an earlier generation of researchers. 

In another North American focus group, the educational need was specified concerning the need to teach Christians about missions properly. In their view, churches and believers should not understand global missions as reduced to a short-term trip. Contemporary Christians need to understand the missionary nature of God and His message for the world. This task is not unrelated to the task of discipleship, in the opinions of the discussion participants.

The Korean focus group interviews raised the question of contextualization in understanding the meaning of the Great Commission, recognizing the Western influence on the understanding in Korean Christianity. The concept of the ‘end of the earth’ needs to be redefined considering the changing realities of mission fields. There are many people from the ends of the earth coming and living in South Korea, for which missionary outreach is more accessible due to this migration. Another perspective shared among the participants was the need for a wider perspective overcoming culture-bound narrow stereotypes. In the broader viewpoint, a more detailed understanding is possible looking into the details of ethnic mosaics concretely.

The issue of understanding and teaching the meaning of the Great Commission clearly in our times is a real need for the global church. The discussion should be continued and furthered sharing a polycentric paradigm of missional outlook of the global church and its global missions.

Other important themes also emerged from reading and analyzing the data of listening calls by way of focus groups, but the above eight dominant themes primarily needed attention. The second round of the listening calls was more selective in highlighting the primary suggestions and opinions, which is somewhat different from the first round of listening that had attempted comprehensive overviews.

Regional Dominant Themes

In the second round of listening, a total of eight regions were represented with the focus group interviews conducted in 12 countries. The regions represented are East Asia, Europe, Francophone Africa, the Middle East, North America, South America, South Asia, and Southeast Asia. The dominant themes of the conversations will be analyzed by region below.

East Asia

There were altogether 11 focus group interviews conducted in this region, including four in Japan and seven in South Korea. The regional discussions represented by these two countries were summarized with 129 themes all together. Figure 2 visually summarizes the words frequently used by evangelical leaders in the East Asian focus groups. The word ‘church’ was used more frequently than others in the regional conversations.

Considering the number of focus groups in this region, the themes that recurred in three or more focus groups were considered dominant themes. The total number of dominant themes in that definition was 16. These dominant themes will be explained in the order of the discussion questions as follows.

1. Gaps

The East Asian participants pointed out eight gaps or needs in ministry. These themes reflect the regional issues of Christian ministries in Japan and South Korea.

There was an important emphasis on practice rather than teaching in this region. A total of six focus groups discussed this issue in this region. The participants 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. Christian leaders need to recover this dimension to be respected especially among the young people.

Lack of information was identified as an important issue by the participants of the focus groups in this region. It was referred to by five focus groups. Both Korean and Japanese leaders called for more detailed information and resource materials that could be availed based on rigorous research projects. They seem to consider this shortage a global phenomenon, not a region-specific need.

The need to engage with local communities is specified as a significant gap in church ministries, as recurred in four focus groups. It was considered essential to meet the needs of local communities living out Christ’s love in the midst of a hurting people through the ministries of churches. In this process it is necessary for church leaders and members to learn from community workers. By doing this, trusting relationships could be built between the community and the church. 

The strategic importance of reaching the UPGs was underscored in this region repeatedly in four focus groups. Especially the Korean leaders maintained a certain level of commitment to this strategic vision, although there were expressed concerns over its waning influence among the churches and mission agencies. There was a shared recognition that this movement should continue in the years to come, addressing the needs for adapting and revising the original vision to the changes in ministerial environments.

The practice of repentance and reconciliation was also repeatedly emphasized among the evangelical leaders in this region. This theme recurred as a dominant theme in three focus groups. These 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. Churches and Christians need to overcome social conflicts and divisions over gender and generational issues. 

Other important needs specified by the participants were the contextualization of theologies and Christian ministries, training, and recruitment of younger missionaries. The need to recruit more younger missionaries was considered an urgent task for the leaders of churches and missional ministries in this region.

2. Breakthroughs

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. These reflect a different mindset and new evaluation categories from the younger generations of leaders in this region.

3. Collaboration

The need for collaboration among seminaries was repeatedly underscored in this region. Three focus groups addressed this issue. It was especially emphasized among Japanese leaders. They saw some progress in this area but also that there should be more efforts to facilitate collaboration among seminaries involving both faculty members and students. This challenge needs to be followed up to specify areas and ways to promote the desired process in a realistic way.

4. Research

The need to conduct research projects on people who have left the church emerged as a dominant theme in this region with five focus groups commenting on the issue. Both Japanese and Korean leaders saw this phenomenon of people leaving the church as a serious threat to church growth in their countries. They were curious to know why the people are leaving the church. Some children of Christian parents are also leaving the church for unknown reasons, which needs to be brought to light through research. 

In each country, this phenomenon should be analyzed through rigorous research studies in an effort to listen on the part of the churches and Christian ministries. Different research methods could be applied in this heartfelt listening process considering the idiosyncratic characteristics of the people and their contexts.

5. Whom else

The participants underscored the need to listen to marginalized people, as expressed in four discussion groups. Both Korean and Japanese leaders made such a point as an expression of an incarnational approach of the churches and Christian ministries. The marginalized people include refugees, foreign workers, other diasporas, and other numerical minorities.

Listening to young people was also emphasized in four focus group interviews. Especially those in their 20s and 30s were primarily considered as people to be listened to. There were expectations that L4 would invite more young people to attend and speak there.

Other types of people to whom the evangelical leaders must listen are businessmen, foreign missionaries, and unbelievers, the point of which was made in three focus groups, respectively. The unbelievers’ impressions and opinions about Christianity need to be considered in future ministries in both South Korea and Japan, according to some interviewees. 

Efforts to listen these types of people could be planned in casual forms not necessarily involving systematic processes in actual operations. Listening efforts could be flexibly applied considering the available resources in the ministries.

Europe

There were altogether five focus group interviews conducted in this region, including two in Spain and three in the UK. This region represented by these two countries came up with 84 themes all together. Figure 3 visually summarizes the words frequently used by evangelical leaders in the European focus groups. The three words including ‘know, ‘people’, and ‘church’ were more frequently used than other words in the regional conversations of Europe.

Considering the number of focus groups in this region, the themes that recurred in two or more focus groups were considered dominant themes. The total number of dominant themes in that category was 28. There was a diversity in the themes emerging from the focus groups in Europe, considering the number of groups. These dominant themes will be introduced in the order of the discussion questions as follows.

1. Gaps

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. It was considered critical to challenge ordinary Christians to be witnesses overcoming clericalism. There is a recognition behind this observation that contemporary evangelical leaders have not been good at making disciples. Therefore, the younger generations are less respectful or even more hostile to Christian leaders and seniors than the previous generations were. There seem to be many resource materials on discipleship, but good practices are desperately needed, according to the conversations.

In relation to the importance of discipleship, concerns were expressed about churches and their understandings of ecclesiology in at least two groups. The importance of preaching and teaching was underscored in the sense that preachers should not say what people want to hear to make them feel comfortable in the church. The sermons need to be more prophetic and transformative to make church members good disciples of Christ Jesus.

Also related to the dominant theme of discipleship, the importance of Christians’ relationships in society was underscored in the conversations in two groups. Valuing relationship, Christians need to practice hospitality in society and the community well, not staying satisfied with their relationship within their church. We probably need more informal times with those outside the church and build relationships with them.

In the same line of thinking with the above themes, it was emphasized by four focus groups in a major way that churches need to engage in the external realities. This theme concerns the believers’ daily problems faced outside the church. Unless churches properly engage in the external realities of society, they will be isolated and lose relevance in their ministries. For this, church leaders need to listen to people. They need to collaborate with non-Christian organizations and leaders to make an impact on the community.

There was a lot of emphasis on community in the European discussions. One leader expressed that we need to be intentional about community as a church. Churches need to open their doors to welcome people from the community with more community time. The relationship within the church needs to be free and loving with commitment to each other. And this kind of relationship needs to extend to the local communities. It was emphasized that churches should make more efforts to engage with the local communities. 

The European leaders also saw the gap in reaching the diaspora communities. Churches and mission agencies in the UK need to make more efforts to reach the African diaspora, including Somalis, Afghan refugees, migrants from Hong Kong, various Muslim communities, and other ethnic groups with the Gospel. 

Another theme related to church ministry concerns the need to acknowledge and support diverse ministries happening outside the church. Three groups underscored this specific need. A kingdom perspective would strengthen this partnership perspective more. The reality, however, is not so favorable, and the participants talked about a lack of unity in different forms. 

Lack of contextualization was an issue among the European evangelical leaders. Related to this theme was the perspective that churches lack relevance in society, which was also another dominant theme. These points had to do with engaging young people in the ministries of churches and Christian organizations. There is a point in the observation that younger generations lack commitment to Christian causes, but it also indicates the need to mentor and train them. 

There were a lot of concerns among the European participants about engaging young people. There were some discussions about the UPGs, but more concerns were about the diverse missional tasks and agendas within Europe. The overall understanding about the UPGs was not fixed on the original version as suggested by Ralph D. Winter decades ago.

2. Breakthroughs

All five European groups introduced cases of ministry breakthrough, making 16 references. One basic standpoint is that opportunities are coming from the needs themselves. 

Globalization is a great challenge on the one hand but is also a great opportunity for the Gospel. Technological innovations bring about new dimensions of opportunities when the advanced technologies are used wisely and strategically. Many innovative programs and activities are being carried out in various ministry settings. In many cases, there are more resources available in different forms that even cost less than conventional forms. 

There are a lot of possibilities for ministry innovation with more efforts for collaboration attempted in many contexts. One important case of collaborative research was shared as an example of elevating the awareness level among church leaders through a field-based empirical research project. Tremendous opportunities of student ministries were also shared to the effect of strengthening disciplined optimism among the leaders.

During the first round of the Lausanne Movement’s listening process, it was recognized that the COVID-19 pandemic crisis opened new opportunities, and this perspective was reinforced in the second round of listening. The European participants observed that a lot more church broadcasting services were made available as churches went through the crisis. The tone of the participants seemed to be more confident and assured about this perspective. The crisis has opened new opportunities of ministry outreach through innovative means.

3. Collaboration

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.

A total of four focus groups made the point of clearly building trust for collaboration, making eight references all together. 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. 

Sharing actual cases of working together and crossing organizational boundaries, one important observation in a Spanish group was that the involved people trusted one another. This group put it clearly that in order to strategically mobilize Christian leaders, it is necessary to gain their trust and friendship before suggesting any strategies or plans. The same perspective was shared in the UK focus groups. One UK participant clearly stated that knowing who is here and what they are doing starts all those processes of working together in a meaningful way. This kind of viewpoint seems to be valid across cultures and generations.

In their discussions on collaboration, the European participants underscored the importance of collaborating with other ethnic groups in Europe. The theme that Lausanne is and is to be a platform for collaboration was also evident in the conversations.

4. Research

When it comes to the issue of research, the European conversations pointed out the need for researchers who could delve into the diverse missional issues facing European churches and Christian ministries. One of the requirements for researchers was a training in social science. Another was the need for team effort for the demanding research work. 

Among the suggestions, two topics were emphasized more than others. One was the need to address contextualization through research. This suggestion basically concerns the overall relevance of Christian ministries in diverse contexts such as contextualization in a Muslim background. Another suggestion for contextualization research was about younger generations. There were separate suggestions for researching younger generations, which also involves contextualization to some degree.

5. Whom else?

Among various groups or types of people, migrants and diasporas were suggested repeatedly. Three focus groups made such a suggestion. Some of the interview participants were leaders of diaspora churches or ministries of different ethnic groups themselves. The leaders of ethnic majorities and minorities commonly pointed out such a need to listen to migrants and diasporas.

In both the UK and Spanish groups, it was also suggested that there should be more efforts to listen to young people. This theme seems to have global implications but was valid in European contexts as well. 

The European conversations seem to have been conducted at a deep level, generating insightful observations and suggestions. Many suggestions are region-specific, but not regionally bound. Many comments touched on core evangelical essentials bearing global implications. A rich evangelical heritage in the region needs to be harnessed by the global church by way of mutual learning that crosses cultures.

Francophone Africa

The region of Francophone Africa was represented by one focus group in Cameroon. The participants live in the English-speaking areas of Cameroon, so they also reflected the characteristics of the English-speaking African regions to some degree. The opinions and perspectives of this group significantly overlap with those of other regions but the group has its own region-specific issues and agendas. Figure 4 visually summarizes the words frequently used by evangelical leaders in the Franco-phone African focus group. The word ‘people’ was used more frequently than others in this regional meeting. 

A line-by-line coding of this group’s report identified 27 themes. Since only one group represents this whole region, there is no way to identify dominant themes with numerical criteria. Instead, qualitative judgment on the data led to selectively highlighting some important themes. How much time this group spent on a particular issue was considered in determining how seriously they approached them.

1. Gaps

The Cameroonian participants saw the need for discipleship training as an important gap in ministry. This theme was talked about with significant detail, taking more time than other themes to discuss. The main point is that there is a need to disciple marketplace leaders who will take the Gospel to their world or sphere of influence, be it in a business or a hospital, a bank, or other sectors of society. The concept of being a disciple will not just be narrowed down to being a member of a church but will help the church engage in its missions in the world by way of bi-vocational disciple-making. 

The theological educational institutions should not lay emphasis only on the ability to preach and the manifestation of spiritual gifts, but also on forming a mindset to live out the biblical worldview in their lives and set an example of discipleship. Another perspective is that theological institutions are not only for training pastors, but also for ordinary Christians who need to grow to live out the biblical worldview in the church and society.

To practice discipleship realistically, systems or frameworks of teaching over certain periods should be organized, although discipleship takes life-long learning and practice. One important purpose of such a system or program is to equip and prepare Christians to overcome challenges of the Christian life in this world with their faith in biblical truths. 

The Francophone Africa focus group also specified the gap in reaching the upper class of society with the Gospel. The gaps due to socioeconomic positions hinder the spread of the Gospel to the upper class because many evangelists and pastors target the lower class of people for their easy accessibility. There is a need to make conscious efforts to teach Christians to receive training and occupy positions that could enable reaching the upper class with the Gospel.

Lack of a holistic perspective was also addressed in this regional discussion. This point initially deals with the dualism of the sacred and the secular, which needs to be overcome through collaborative efforts of different structures of the church. When this dichotomic view is changed into a holistic view of the world and life, the Gospel can be effectively preached in the understanding of the gap in Christian ministry.

The need for training was directed to the area of leadership and management in a conversation of this group. After receiving theological training, Christian leaders need to get training in management leadership to facilitate innovation in administrative areas of ministry leadership. This suggestion is rooted in a recognition that there are many cases of poor leadership competency in this area that hinders the Gospel ministries.

The gap in reaching the UPGs was considered an important gap in this regional discussion. Their discussions primarily considered the remaining UPGs in their country and region. Pastors need to teach their congregations about this biblical mandate to reach the unreached tribes and clans in their region and help prepare the Christians in their region to know and figure out how to reach the UPGs effectively. This standpoint was somewhat different from that of the Europeans but was the same in the sense that both groups paid attention to reaching the unreached in their region to a significant degree.

This group also pointed out the need to clearly understand the meaning of the Great Commission. One important suggestion was to offer an awareness seminar for ordinary Christians to raise their awareness. Another suggestion was to go and meet with village leaders and other leaders of such UPGs to build friendships with them through first-hand engagement.

2. Breakthroughs

Cases of breakthrough in ministry were shared in this group. One important element in the innovative breakthrough surrounds the use of new media. Another factor concerns prayer movements that facilitate breakthroughs in ministry. Exchanges with other countries, crossing national boundaries, are easier and happening more effectively than before. These phenomena are signs that innovative breakthroughs are already happening in diverse forms in our times. The strategic importance of using social media was underscored in a major way in this group discussion.

Migration was also considered an important dynamic in our times. The participants gave special attention to the noticeable movement of people from the unreached areas to urban areas, which creates opportunities for missionary outreach to the UPGs. For example, the majority of people in the western region of Cameroon are migrants from NKambe (a province in northwest Cameroon), which is a sign that more accessibility for Gospel ministries in the country has been created than before.

3. Collaboration

There are barriers that work against collaboration, but Christian leaders need to overcome them and promote collaboration in different arenas. 

More than any other, pastors in the same area need to come and work together for common vision and purposes. Different perspectives and opinions could be in the way, but church ministers need to help one another’s understanding of important agendas. 

It was also suggested that theological institutions need to come together to collaborate. Bible colleges and seminaries have their own strengths and weaknesses, and as they collaborate synergistically, they will be able to strengthen their weaknesses in a mutually complementary way. 

Churches need to collaborate with other churches in their denomination but should also be able to work together with churches belonging to other denominations. Therefore, interdenominational collaboration is something necessary to promote the missionary mandate of our Lord Jesus Christ. This standpoint was also shared among the participants of the focus group.

It was pointed out that in some cases, collaboration could be promoted with external funding possibly made available for Christian workers who need them. Connecting people with personnel resources with people who have financial resources could promote Christian ministries effectively. According to this group, such funding is not necessarily expected from Western sources but could be mobilized within the country.

4. Research

The Cameroonian group was active in suggesting detailed topics for future research. The suggested research problems were along the same lines as their opinions and suggestions expressed in the discussion.

The themes of discipleship, ways of effective evangelism, leadership issues including marketplace leadership, use of social media, reaching people with disabilities, and reaching younger generations were explicitly suggested for future research. 

5. Whom else?

This group listed academic leaders, people involved in missions, people on the ground, unbelievers, and women as the types of people whom evangelical leaders should listen to in future listening processes. 

The suggestion of listening to unbelievers concerns the need for Christians to overcome the tendency to exclusively value only Christian voices. Listening to unbelievers is helpful and useful in many cases. This suggestion is somewhat different from similar suggestions by South Korea or Japan where the theme was more concerned about the public image of Christianity among unbelievers in an effort to overcome the negative image of churches and church leaders in society. 

The suggestion for listening to women concerns specifically the female leadership in the church ministries. The argument is to encourage women leadership in pastoral, evangelistic, and educational ministries of the church because there are realistic barriers against female leadership in Cameroon and Francophone Africa in general.

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

The region of the Middle East was represented by two focus groups in Israel and one focus group in Lebanon. One of the Israeli focus groups was composed of Jewish Israelites, and the other was a group of Palestinians. Figure 5 is the word cloud of the focus groups in the Middle East. The word ‘people’ was used more frequently than other words in the regional conversations.

A line-by-line analysis of the reports of the focus groups in this region identified a total of 45 themes. All the themes appearing in two or more groups were counted as dominant themes, and some appearing in only one group were selectively included as dominant themes. Thereby, a total of 34 dominant themes were identified. The following summarizes the meaning of the dominant themes.

1. Gaps

One of the most highlighted themes was the need for churches to engage in the external realities, as recurred in all three groups of this region. This theme points out the problem of churches’ isolation from society. In Israeli contexts, there are not enough interactions between Muslims and Christians, so more emphases and efforts to fill this significant gap are necessary. Christians need to overcome the tendency of being afraid of or too careful about interacting with Muslims. In Lebanese contexts, opening church doors to the MBBs is important to reach the refugees from Syria and other neighboring countries. 

The above issue highlights one aspect of churches and Christians becoming a blessing for all peoples. That has to do with practicing discipleship as a church and as a follower of Christ. This group also considered this need for discipleship as a huge gap in Christian ministries. Two groups affirmed this significant gap in their realities of their country and region. Demonstrating the truth of the Gospel in a secular world without compromising its message is the essence of discipleship in the contexts of the Middle East, according to the participants. Practice of discipleship was emphasized over teaching in understanding the missional mandate in their region. 

The need for training was also talked about to a significant degree in this regional discussion, with the theme recurring in two groups. One Israeli group specified the need for training to witness to Muslims in a culturally sensitive way, effectively overcoming cultural prejudices. There are resource materials to this end, but people need to learn how to use them. In Lebanese contexts, the training need concerns equipping the MBBs through effective programs. 

Lack of unity was another significant gap to be filled in this region. There was a shared recognition in two groups that churches need to be united, which will take transformation in the mindsets of leaders and members to overcome barriers of understanding and acceptance in diverse forms.

The need for contextualization was also a recurring theme in two focus groups. The issue of contextualization has to do with traditional differences of worldviews and cultural traditions, but here in the contexts of Lebanon and Israel, the generational differences and the need for relevant approaches were also considered important contextual issues.

The need for digital platforms was specified as an important gap of Christian ministries by two groups. There is a recognition that social media is a double-edged sword, but a lot of possibilities are created with the introduction of new media in evangelistic and educational ministries. Overcoming geographical limitations brings about a new dimension of innovative approaches in many cases. There are trials and errors in using new media and technologies for the ministries of churches and mission organizations, so guidelines and platforms for application and training are needed as well. This has to do with the recognition that there is a realistic gap in using advanced technologies among ordinary believers and ministers. 

Particularly in Israeli contexts, finance was considered a huge gap. This problem is a real need for young people who would like to begin a ministry career. Churches need to respond such a need through systems and policymaking.

2. Breakthroughs

Social media was considered a gap but also an important element contributing to breakthroughs, as specified in three groups. It has a lot to do with breakthrough in many cases, and also shows the potential for innovations in ministries. In campus ministries, virtual conversations are becoming accepted as a routine. 

Both in Israel and Lebanon, the incredible opportunities brought by social media is something that needs to be harnessed more strategically and discretely. The participants noted that there are no limits to innovative breakthroughs utilizing this means of communication. However, this kind of innovative breakthrough will require reliable platforms for sharing experiences and expertise across boundaries.

The regional discussions also confirmed the perspective that the COVID-19 pandemic crisis opened up new opportunities. This point became more evident with more data coming in after some time, since the pandemic started a few years ago.

Some breakthrough cases were realized along with collaborative efforts crossing ethnic barriers in this region. Especially among young people as on university campuses, there is a growing awareness to work together crossing traditional barriers. There is also a sense of anticipation for collaborating in unity in Christ Jesus, which is growing among young people, according to the Israeli groups.

3. Collaboration

When it comes to collaboration, it was underscored by one focus group each in Lebanon and Israel that churches and Christians need to collaborate with other ethnic groups. In the Lebanese contexts, this was a real issue surrounding the MBBs involving different entities with different backgrounds. In the Israeli contexts, it was explicated that there should be more collaboration between Arabs and internationals. 

The need to collaborate with non-evangelicals was also noted in this region. The evangelical population is a religious minority, so it is a realistic concern for them. The evangelical leaders need to talk about this issue and figure out how to optimize such collaborative approaches and efforts, remaining committed to the non-negotiable essentials of the evangelical heritage.

The participants also wanted to see more collaborative efforts between churches and seminaries in the region. Both Lebanese and Israeli participants shared the view that those in formal theological education need to reach out to a bigger circle rather than focusing on pastors and church leaders.          In their synergistic relationship, discipleship training could be advanced by combining modes of formal, informal, and nonformal education in an integrative way in the actual context. 

The importance of building trust in the process of collaboration was underlined in this region as well. Their standpoint seems to reflect not only a regional but also a global outlook of the evangelical church. 

The need for intergenerational collaboration was also emphasized among the participants of the region. Based on mutual understanding and respect, different generations could work together for a common vision and cause. This may be another realistic suggestion that needs to be extrapolated to the global church for their ministries in the years ahead.

4. Research

The participants of the focus groups in this region were active in making suggestions for future research. They generally affirmed the importance of research in making various suggestions and comments. The discussions showed an interest in the issue of relevance of churches and Christian ministries. From this concern, important suggestions were made.  

There was one important suggestion for researching younger generations. In order to be relevant in the approaches and outreaches to the young people, a proper understanding about the people is required. Teenagers and young adults were considered primarily in this research idea. Issues related to young people such as homosexuality, premarital sex, abortion, and others need to be covered in the research process. How to reach minors through social media would be another detailed question to be covered. The needs of young people should be identified and explained in detail to facilitate a realistic understanding of their existential questions. 

The needs of communities should be brought to light for a better understanding of the communities and the people in them. What are the goals of life for people in the community? What do they need? What do they like? Such questions need to be answered in a descriptive study of the community, which could help fill the gap between the church and the community.

Other suggestions for research were directed to researching best practices of ministry, people leaving the church, people’s view of Christianity, the sociocultural context of ministry, and worldviews. 

5. Whom else?

Related to the above research questions, it was suggested to make additional efforts to listen to young people. This could be done in different ways. One important point was to listen to young people through research, which is a more specific suggestion of the method.

It was also suggested that the evangelical leaders need to listen to what the MBBs have to say. Both formal and informal ways of listening are needed in making the efforts for this.

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 both groups of Israel. 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. 

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 second round of listening was done through five focus group interviews in North America. The participants were primarily citizens or residents of the US, and some of them had a diaspora background and/or experiences of cross-cultural missions in other countries. Many of them were either pastors of local churches or staff of mission agencies based in the US. Figure 6 visually summarizes the words frequently used by evangelical leaders in the North American focus groups. One of the most frequently used words was ‘people’ like in some other regional meetings.

Through the process of the focus group interviews emerged 71 themes, 20 of which are considered dominant themes occurring in two or more groups. The result of the analysis is explained below in the order of the discussion questions.

1. Gaps

The US participants gave special attention to the issue of discipleship in their focus group interviews. Its importance was emphasized as a significant gap in Christian ministries in our times. A total of four groups made 16 references about discipleship in their discussions. 

The participants were primarily concerned about the lack of depth in discipleship among Christians as they considered the whole concept of the Great Commission. A shared recognition among the participants was that discipleship can be done naturally if one’s life has been transformed by Christ. From this recognition, discipleship can be built up. The importance of spiritual formation and maturity in Christlikeness could be explained in light of this broader concept of discipleship. The groups also expressed wishes that the efforts for disciple-making can be worked through natural networks people have, including family networks. Hopefully such efforts could be developed into a local movement involving diverse churches and Christian ministries in the area. There was an observation that some churches experience even numerical growth as well as revitalization as a community of believers committed to this vision. However, the overall opinion of the participants was that this kind of commitment to discipleship is lacking in churches, leaving a big gap in Christian ministries in the sense that the whole mandate of discipleship takes a committed and mobilized church.

Similarly, the need for training was stressed in four groups, making six references. The need for training was covered considering the areas of training for ministers and cross-cultural missionaries, but the basic training need for discipleship was not unnoticed among the participants. In any case, the training programs must fit the realities and conditions of the people who need them. That is why they want to see more training programs although many are already available.

A basic need in both discipleship and ministry training is that people need to understand the meaning of the Great Commission clearly, as pointed out by three focus groups in North America. What it means to fulfill the Great Commission should be redefined, checking the relevance of the existing criteria such as two percent evangelicals and others. The criteria could be different depending on the state and progress of world evangelization but need to be realistically examined in our times, reflecting the changed global realities. There is not enough understanding about this issue among churches, so evangelical leaders need to involve churches to consider this important issue. Understanding the meaning of the Great Commission clearly is a real need, though it may not be considered a felt need among the churches and Christians. 

In the North American conversations, the gap in reaching the UPGs was considered a significant issue. Some participants linked the vision of reaching the UPGs with the original vision of the Lausanne Movement and suggested covering the issue at Seoul 2024. They were also open to new suggestions for a flexible approach in strategizing the efforts for frontier missions in the field such as targeting urban areas to reach the UPGs effectively. The need to go beyond the list and research the overall realities and dynamics of the UPGs were also noted. Another significant gap related to this vision lies in equipping local churches with the vision and the passion for it. 

The US participants in three focus groups did not forget to address the importance of reaching young people with the Gospel, making three references. They were primarily concerned about the reality that less and less of the younger generations such as Gen Zers were reached with the Gospel. They felt that the new generations were like a sub-people group with their own distinctiveness. Therefore, a movement of disciple-makers for these new generations is needed. 

The need for contextualization was also talked about in a major way among the US participants. The issue of contextualization was covered in the North American discussions, with some participants reminding the heritage of North American missiologists such as Harvie Conn and Paul Hiebert. At the same time, they addressed the issue of real cases of contextualized ministries in the mission fields. There was a certain level of shared recognition in the North American heritage of contextualized ministry approaches that impacted the development of contemporary missiology and mission strategies.

2. Breakthroughs

When it came to the question of breakthrough, cases were introduced in the discussion groups. A total of five groups made 21 references about this issue. Many cases involved innovative approaches in ministry that have not been known widely in the global evangelical circle. Some cases were innovative in collaboration involving multiple churches and organizations in the same areas. The same ethnic background was considered in mobilizing multiple churches for a common missional vision, which was considered affordable as they networked together. The role of a catalyst was critical in the mobilizing process. There was an atmosphere of excitement among the participants when impressive breakthroughs were illustrated.

Related to the previous point, the participants 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.

There was also a recognition that the COVID-19 pandemic crisis had opened up new opportunities from the perspective of global missions. The digitalization of the Gospel ministries was enhanced even more through the pandemic experiences. A total of three groups made six references on the same line of digital transformation through COVID-19 pandemic. 

3. Collaboration

When it comes to the issue of collaboration, exemplary cases of collaboration were shared in at least in three groups. Also, the need for interdenominational collaboration was explained. 

There was a repeated emphasis on the point that the Lausanne Movement is and is to be a platform of collaboration. A total of three groups made four references about this. The participants were overall positive about the Lausanne Movement’s contribution in this regard for the past several decades, but they thought this legacy should be continued in the years ahead. They were appreciative of the Lausanne leaders’ posture of servanthood in working together.

4. Research

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. A total of four groups made this point clearly coming up with eight references. 

On the other hand, the participants called for collaborative efforts for research as repeatedly emphasized in two groups. 

The significant need to research diaspora missiology was also underscored repeatedly in two focus groups. This suggestion seems to reflect the regional characteristics of North America relevantly. 

5. Whom else?

The participants of the North American conversations suggested listening to young people, people on the ground, and unbelievers, as commented in two groups each. These themes seem to be emerging to cover global needs. The US evangelical leaders were explicit about these points as much as the leaders in other regions. These perspectives reflect their realistic understanding of the priorities of the evangelical circle in listening to diverse voices.

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 South American regional listening was held in one focus group that invited leaders of churches and mission ministries in Argentina. Figure 7 visually summarizes the words frequently used by evangelical leaders in the South American focus group. The word ‘church’ was more frequently used than other words in the focus group interview just like in the East Asian groups.

Their discussion came up with 24 themes, all of which were considered dominant themes after the analytical process. The meanings of those themes are explained as below in the order of discussion questions.

1. Gaps

The importance of discipleship was recognized in this group, making three references on this point. The main issue of discipleship was understood as centering around the concept of the lordship of Christ. The participants thought that the importance of this in discipleship is not widely recognized among the churches and Christian organizations. 

Related to the above need is the need for training. The participants of the discussion went on to stress the significant need for training for ministries. They recognized the importance of leadership training in particular.

Another important need is for the churches to engage in the external realities more actively. Instead of waiting for people to come to the churches, they need to go out to them. This kind of proactive engagement was called for in the context of Argentina.

It was also recommended that churches engage young people to their activities and programs. By doing this, the churches could have space for the emerging leaders for future ministries. 

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. 

There was a consensus among the participants that more churches need to be mobilized for missions. This does not necessarily mean more mobilization for frontier missions but also for domestic ministry needs such as youth ministry. An overall observation is that primarily, pastors need to be mobilized for missions. According to the participants’ observations, if pastors are enthusiastic about missionary work, then the church would love to be involved in missionary outreaches.

2. Breakthroughs

In this regional discussion as well, the digital transformation through COVID-19 was confirmed clearly. The digital revolution makes it possible to overcome the barriers of space and time comparatively easily, the advantage of which creates more possibilities for new kinds of ministries. The participants explicated that advanced technologies are being used well in their ministry contexts. 

On the other hand, the discussion group of Argentinian leaders underscored the need to invest in innovative means of ministry. Basically, the Internet infrastructures need to be improved in some ministry settings. Such realistic needs were well identified among the evangelical leaders in South America.

3. Collaboration

There was a recognition among the leaders that denominational barriers are less problematic than before, and churches are now more united and collaborating. However, the group saw the need to make more efforts for alliances among the churches and form a joint missionary force. 

The participants also believed that churches and parachurch organizations need to join hands to reach different sectors of society in Argentina. Such a collaboration was considered normative among the evangelical leaders.

4. Research

When it comes to the issue of research, the general opinion was that there should be more collaboration for research. The participants sought unified efforts for researching important issues that are impacting ministries of churches and Christian organizations. 

Specific suggestions were made for interdisciplinary approaches in operating research for ministries. The participants thought there should be interdisciplinary teams to address diverse and complex issues facing Christian ministries. 

There was a shared recognition that more research on discipleship was required. Diverse issues relating to discipleship need to be covered through research efforts. 

The need to research the UPGs was also noted among the participants. This point may cover not only the domestic needs but also the global needs of researching the UPGs. 

Researching younger generations was also pointed out as a significant need. There have been research efforts to know more about the Gen Z of Argentina, but more research efforts should be directed to this important issue facing the evangelical churches and ministries both at the country level of Argentina and the regional level of South America.

5. Whom else?

The importance of listening was recognized among the evangelical leaders in South America. Important suggestions were made regarding further listening.

It was suggested that evangelical leaders should consider listening to ordinary people. Listening efforts for ordinary Christians were also valued among the participants.  

According to their suggestions, listening to the target people of ministries was considered strategic. Survey projects could be directed to listen to the voices of people to whom they want to bring the Gospel. This was a specific suggestion to understand the people whom they want to reach with the Gospel.

Another specific need was to listen to young people, which was also recognized. Gen Zers are one of the types of people to be listened to through various means and channels. The suggestion was to utilize more empirical means to listen to them through firsthand empirical data.

The evangelical leaders also suggested listening to mission mobilizers who tend to be more global in their scope of concerns and commitment. It is worthwhile to learn from their global perspectives. The same is true with those of mission intercessors. 

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, although they were not always specifically explained. The leaders shared important perspectives on many issues with the leaders of other regions, showing a posture of active networking and collaboration with others. They did not actively share cases of breakthrough by coming up with an identification of success factors specifically for others. However, the 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

The region of South Asia was represented by two Pakistani focus groups in the round two listening process. Some of the participants were theologians who teach at seminaries or theological educational institutions in Pakistan. Figure 8 visually summarizes the words frequently used by evangelical leaders in the South Asian focus groups. The word ‘think’ was one of the most frequently used words in the regional meetings.

An analysis of the two listening reports identified 34 themes, seven of which were recurring in both focus groups. All 34 themes are analyzed and explained below in the order of the discussion questions.

1. Gaps

The evangelical leaders in Pakistan pointed out the need for churches to engage in the external realities more actively. Looking beyond their boundary, churches need to look at communities and especially the youths there. Churches should be able to serve people without discrimination. Both groups made this point explicitly. 

The Pakistani leaders talked about the gap of fear in their discussions. This point is about the fear of suffering and persecution among the Christians in Pakistan. There have been incidents that led many among believers and churches to have such a fear. The fear of suffering is without doubt a reality for the Christians in this part of the world where religious extremism is increasing day by day. This kind of fear is an obstacle because Christians feel different kinds of pressures when they share the Gospel with others in their contexts. The participants believed that Christians need to overcome such a harmful fear in expressing their faith and love in Christ.

The Pakistani leaders found many believers discouraged for various reasons. The believers’ voices should be listened to for better understanding through the ministries of churches and organizations. Particularly discouraged ministers need to be cared for so that they can move forward in their services. 

In such tough contexts, contextualization is an important issue. The contextualization issue needs to especially consider what the young people are saying about the churches. Many young people think that churches are not addressing their contemporary issues properly, thus leaving a vacuum among the young people. The issues of pornography, extramarital sex, and work ethic are other realistic issues that need to be addressed in the teachings of the churches. The evangelical leaders consider it imperative for them to define everything in Pakistani contexts and situations, not depending on the Western sources and resources too much. 

The Pakistani leaders believed that churches and Christian organizations need to utilize modern technologies to advance Gospel ministries. Sometimes Christian ministries can help one another with their expertise in some ministry areas. Christian technologists need to help those in the ministries with their specialties. 

These important issues and other complex realities of Christian ministries in South Asia are reminders of the importance of discipleship, which was a dominant theme in the discussions with nine references. The Pakistani participants of the focus groups believed that the process of discipleship should be reinforced after the process of evangelism. A correct understanding of the Great Commission is that it is meant for every believer and not just for religious leaders or special institutions. The evangelical leaders seemed to think such an emphasis is lacking in the teachings of the churches in many cases in Pakistan. All the believers are not to be just fans of Jesus but His followers. Seminars and other educational programs should be organized to fill this gap, according to these focus groups.

The interview participants specified the need for training in detail. The fear issue is also a point of training, through which it could be overcome. In many cases suffering and missions go together, which implies that the followers of Christ need to teach and practice Christian messages despite the challenging realities. Christians need to be prepared and strengthened to confront the challenges through proper training. Theological training should be able to equip Christians to take up the cross. Practical training, including media training, is necessary in this rapidly changing world. 

The South Asian leaders pointed out the need to mobilize pastors for missions, which is a realistic issue in this region as well. Some participants explicated the gap in leadership delegation, particularly calling for the missionaries’ initiatives and preparations for this.

Lack of unity was also considered a significant gap in Christian ministries in this country and region. This point is not an abstract norm but a realistic agenda among churches and Christian organizations because there are important things and tasks that cannot be done alone. There are areas of ministries where leaders and organizations should stand together.

2. Breakthroughs

Cases of ministry breakthrough were illustrated in the discussion groups. One noticeable message derived from the conversation is the sense of hope and anticipation for a great revival among the evangelical leaders in Pakistan. One theologian put it that a great revival is coming because there are a lot of young people coming to the ministry to the effect of bringing about innovation in ministries. His point was that ministry innovation is being realized with the dedication of a new generation of leaders who receive training for ministries. These new leaders are well equipped in utilizing new tools of ministry such as new media and are keen to see the special needs of the times in fulfilling the Great Commission.

The South Asian evangelical leaders recognized the opportunities of ministries as the churches and Christian organizations wend through the COVID-19 pandemic. It was a crisis period, but they saw the huge possibilities of digital transformation through the crisis. This point is not only a region-specific issue but seems to be a globally applicable observation, which in turn leads to the specific suggestion for digital platforms. Digital platforms are needed in their contexts primarily to promote collaborations among the churches and Christian ministries. To achieve the common goals of ministries, leaders and workers of missional ministries should be able to benefit from those digital platforms, according to the Pakistani discussions.

3. Collaboration

The need for collaboration was affirmed in this region as well. Collaboration was needed all the more in such difficult ministry contexts.

There were specific areas of collaboration illustrated by some participants. Collaboration among churches was deemed necessary, and collaboration among theological educational institutions was considered essential. Collaborations between churches and theological institutions were also definitely needed. These kinds of collaborations could help one another as they cope with difficulties and challenges of ministry in their ministry contexts of suffering and fear.

4. Research

In this regional context, missional research may not be easy to conduct without any restrictions, but the importance of research was underscored by the discussion participants. They also thought that the research process should effectively involve ministry practitioners. 

The evangelical leaders were concerned about the state of evangelization in their region. They thought that there should be more resource materials available to get an accurate understanding about world evangelization. They also thought that there should be more solid research directed to the issues of effective evangelism, discipleship, preaching, and contextualization. A clear emphasis was made on the importance of researching contextualization among the theologians in the discussion groups, who also believed that this should be addressed through rigorous studies.

5. Whom else?

Among the participants, it was believed that the evangelical circle should listen to professionals, young people, marginalized people, women, leaders of parachurch organizations, and people on the ground. In their conversations, both groups underlined the importance of listening to young people.

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 second round of listening in Southeast Asia took place by inviting evangelical leaders in Malaysia and Singapore. There was one group from each country that participated in the interviewing as representatives for the respective country and the region. The majority of the participants in Malaysia were theologians, whereas the majority in the Singaporean group were mission leaders and mobilizers. Figure 9 shows the words frequently used by evangelical leaders in the Southeast Asian focus groups. Words like ‘people’, ‘think,’ ‘know’ and ‘church’ were used more frequently than other words by the participants of this regional focus groups.

A line-by-line analysis of the interview notes identified 65 themes, 39 of which were considered dominant themes for their semantic weight, including six themes emerging in both countries. The dominant themes are analyzed and explained below in the order of discussion questions.

1. Gaps

Both groups addressed the issue of discipleship, but the Malaysian group talked about it in more detail. The main point is about the importance of discipleship, but the participants considered its importance in its relation to the community. They believed that in many cases, discipleship must be done in the church as a faith community overcoming the tendency of individualistic cultures. One important Malaysian recommendation was to teach and practice discipleship together in the church community. Another concern was to teach discipleship among the young people. The Singaporean conversation put an emphasis on teaching the Christian worldview through the discipleship programs.

The need to reach young people with the Gospel was also considered an important gap in ministry. It was emphasized that churches need to engage young people in addressing this significant gap in their ministries. In order to engage young people to different kinds of Christian ministries, there should be more active and deliberate preparations for leadership delegation to younger generations. As more younger leaders emerge in different sectors of ministry, the overall outreach for the young people could be revitalized, in the view of the Southeast Asian participants.

The importance of marketplace was also noted as an important gap in ministry. There was a suggestion that more conferences and seminars are needed to address this important issue of missional engaging with people of the marketplace and workplace. The Singaporean participants emphasized filling the gap between marketplace and mission by engaging marketplace leaders and workplace people beyond career missionary models. 

The Singaporean group also made a point on reaching the UPGs, particularly dealing with the issue of utilizing digital resources for the ministries to reach them with the Gospel. This group also expressed the concerns over the loss of mission forces due to retirement and attrition. The Malaysian group recognized a gap in mobilizing churches for missions in general.

The Singaporean group talked about the gap in funding for missions, particularly for those pursuing longer-term spiritual impact in the mission field. The mission leaders thought that there should be more supplies for this kind of intercultural ministries.

The need to understand the meaning of the Great Commission clearly was underscored in the South Asia discussions as in some other regional discussions. The argument is that the meaning of the Great Commission and the Gospel of Christ should be clearly defined so that churches can recover the historic Christianity rather than perpetuate a popularized packaged and reductionistic version of our faith based on user-friendly tools. 

The need for contextualization was also addressed in detail in this regional discussion. The overall question of relevance not only in church ministries, but also in missionary outreach, seminary training, member care for missionaries, and other areas was raised in the Singaporean conversation. The discussion surrounding contextualization was not necessarily fixed on the contextualization efforts against the background of traditional culture and worldview, but in dealing with diverse contexts of ministry that are continuously changing.

2. Breakthrough

Both groups illustrated the innovative cases of breakthrough in ministry. The Malaysian group explained how digital mission trips were good alternatives during the COVID-19 period, and the Singaporean group pointed out the usefulness of digital resources for Bible studies and discipleship programs. Both groups found young people responsive to such innovative programs and resource materials. 

The overall perspective on the experiences of the COVID-19 pandemic was that the crisis created new opportunities. It was shared that the crisis helped more Christians to participate in outreach and social concerns outside the church through home-based meetings and activities within the community. The rise of newer and smaller churches through house-church groups was also considered a breakthrough, although many of such home-based worship programs reverted to church-based services and ministries. 

The participants of both groups were generally positive on the digital transformation through the pandemic. They particularly put an emphasis on the importance and strategic usefulness of social media in the ministries of churches and mission agencies. They thought this kind of innovative means were necessary in reaching the younger generations with the Gospel. This aspect is about the breakthrough and ministry opportunity, but the need for digital platforms was also underscored among the participants. Churches and organizations need to invest in developing digital platforms according to the needs of their ministries. There is also the need for joint efforts to further build and develop such platforms together through collaborations.

3. Collaboration

Both the Singaporean and Malaysian groups stressed the need for and importance of collaboration. The Singaporean group particularly underscored the need for collaboration between business and missions. The Malaysian group called for dialogues between different entities before working on collaboration. 

There was a comment that the efforts for collaboration need to be bottom-up instead of formally driven by churches or organizations, thus being Spirit-led movements. The collaboration efforts should bring together theorists and practitioners in many cases. The Malaysian group emphasized networking and collaborating among theologians. 

4. Research

There was a significant emphasis on research in the discussions. More themes emerged, given the fact that the comments were shorter than other regions. They covered various aspects and issues surrounding research.

When it came to research, the participants emphasized that it should be applied more practically in ministry rather than being theoretical and academic. On the other hand, the need for professional research agencies was also noted. Other practical needs, including research platforms and training programs in research, were also referred to. 

The suggested topics or research problems include those on innovative ministries, the UPGs, younger generations, and poverty. Those issues were suggested as realistic and practical needs to be addressed through rigorous research. There was a sense of balance in suggesting the topics in terms of covering both traditionally emphasized tasks and newly emerging issues facing the churches and Christian organizations not only in this region but also globally. 

There was also an important suggestion for researching contextualization in the Malaysian group. The suggestion surrounds the problem of dependency on Western resource materials among the Southeast Asian theological institutions and churches. They thought that there should be more intentional efforts for research that could lead to publishing indigenous resource materials in theology.

The Singaporean participants had an emphasis on researching diaspora missiology. They wanted the growing migration, particularly transnational migration, happening in the 21st Century to be seriously covered in research to suggest relevant missional approaches.

5. Whom else?

The Southeast Asian evangelical leaders were detailed in their suggestions for whom else to listen to. 

There were suggestions to listen to young people. Both groups made a point that more efforts should be made to listen to young people. Listening to young people, including teenagers, is considered important in the two regional groups of discussion. This theme is confirmed again in this region as well as in many other regions. 

It was also suggested that the evangelical circle needs to listen to businessmen, marginalized people, people with disabilities, unbelievers, migrants and diasporas, minority Christian groups, mission leaders, missionaries, ordinary people, the deaf, professionals, and others. It was also a relevant suggestion in the context of the Lausanne Movement that non-English speakers need to be considered and listened to.

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. These are based on the logical generalization of the research findings that have emerged through a systematic analysis of the qualitative data, although there are limitations in the convenient sampling of the participants of the focus groups who may not statistically represent their regions or countries in their demographic attributes. 

Engaging in the realities of global missions

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 previous regional analysis. 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 previous regional analysis.

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 following is a list of important gaps in ministry that need to be addressed through research studies and forums:

East Asia: 

• Emphasis on practice rather than teaching
• Lack of information
• Need to engage with local communities
• Importance of reaching the UPGs with the Gospel
• Practice of repentance and reconciliation
• Need for contextualization
• Need for training
• Need to recruit younger missionaries

Europe:

• Churches need to engage in the external realities
• Emphasis on community
• Gap in reaching diaspora communities
• Recognizing and supporting diverse ministries happening outside the church
• Engaging young people 

Francophone Africa:

• Need for discipleship
• Organized programs for discipleship
• Lack of holistic perspective
• Need for training
• Gap in reaching the UPGs
• Need to clearly understand the meaning of the Great Commission

The Middle East:

• Churches need to engage in the external realities
• Practicing discipleship
• Need for training
• Lack of unity
• Need for digital platforms
• Gap in funding

North America:

• Importance of discipleship (depth of discipleship)
• Need for training
• Need to clearly understand the meaning of the Great Commission
• Gap in reaching the UPGs with the Gospel
• Reaching young people with the Gospel
• The need for contextualization

South America:

• Importance of discipleship
• Churches need to engage in the external realities more actively
• Churches need to engage young people in church activities and programs
• Gap in reaching the UPGs with the Gospel
• Churches need to be mobilized for missions

South Asia:

• Churches need to engage in the external realities more actively
• Fear of suffering and persecution
• Caring for discouraged ministers
• Utilizing advanced technologies in ministry
• Importance of discipleship
• Need for training
• Need to mobilize pastors for missions
• Lack of unity

Southeast Asia:

• Importance of discipleship
• Need to reach young people with the Gospel
• Importance of marketplace
• Reaching the UPGs with the Gospel
• Gap in funding
• Need to clearly understand the meaning of the Great Commission
• Need for contextualization

The above list of gaps or barriers in ministry 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 above.

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 above themes were empirically identified to be both urgent and real needs of the ministries of the global church viewed from an evangelical perspective. 

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.

“There is one body and one Spirit, just as you were called to one hope when you were called; one Lord, one faith, one baptism; one God and Father of all, who is over all and through all and in all.” (Ephesians 4:4-6, NIV).