Our Commitment to Younger Leaders
To work toward our character, mission, and friendship outcomes, younger leaders are invited to participate in any or all of the following commitment areas:
Mentoring
Younger leaders have an opportunity to be mentored by a senior leader who will come alongside them through the Word, in prayer, and in whole-life discipleship. When we say ‘whole-life’, we mean the spiritual, emotional, physical, relational, and cognitive aspects of their lives.
Missional Resources
Younger leaders have access to curated, choice resources from the church around the world and from Lausanne’s 40 years of missional thinking. YLGen Equip hosts bi-monthly webinars on topics younger leaders have expressed the most need for both personally and in ministry. YLGen Educate gives younger leaders from the Majority World an opportunity to access full-tuition scholarships in higher education, from master’s to PhD level.
‘The Master’s in Organizational Leadership (MAOL) from California Baptist University (CBU), is truly helping me get global, practical, and biblical perspectives on Organizational Leadership. It came at the right time, when I was looking to re-skill and equip myself. I am extremely grateful to Lausanne for this initiative.’ Carlos, younger leader from South Asia
‘I am very thankful for the YLGen scholarship opportunity from Belhaven University, where I’m pursuing the Master’s in Ministry Leadership online. As a young leader in a management position in my organisation, this has provided me much-needed theoretical and practical tools to deal with the challenges I face. I have also seen growth in my own leadership capacity and ability to mentor others. Thank you so much for your support.’ Anthony, younger leader from Trinidad and Tobago
Global Groups & Gatherings
Younger leaders are invited to join globally diverse peer groups designed to develop friendships, mutual interest areas, and missional connections through life sharing and mutual encouragement. They are connected to Lausanne leaders, networks, and activities in their country or region through groups and gatherings.
‘We have a WhatsApp group in which we interact daily and weekly . . . Since YLG2016 we have convened two post-YLG meetings in Abuja (North Central) and Owerri (Southeast), Nigeria. We are currently running prayer chains to pray for our nation and beyond . . . This initiative was shared by one of our members and it was accepted by all. We have a forum for sharing and discussions in the group. We visit each other when we travel to cities where [other members of our group] live. We partner and share our gifts by attending and participating in programs being organized by organizations and ministries [that] our members are involved [in]. We do the above in the spirit of Lausanne.’ Nigerian Younger Leaders National Group
Issue Networks
Lausanne addresses global missional concerns through issue networks, which younger leaders (YLs) are encouraged to not only participate in, but also to have a formative role and understanding of while working alongside more experienced senior leaders. The Issue Network Commitment has an objective ‘to connect YLs with the 35 Lausanne issue networks, enlisting one or more YLs in the leadership team or steering committee of each issue network with a view toward extending the network among YLs; developing social network strategies for communication about the issue, encouraging strategic and theological reflection, and fostering related collaborative initiatives involving YLs’.
Regional Networks
Lausanne also encourages younger leaders to network in their regions. We have 12 Regional Directors who are committed to empowering younger leaders for global mission by establishing YLGen Facilitation Teams in each region, connecting younger leaders with each other and with Lausanne activity in the region, and fostering personal discipleship, mentoring, leadership development, partnership, and lifetime following and honouring of Christ.
