Big event! So what?
Cape Town, South Africa is a 12-hour flight from London, England, which makes it a far way away from Canada. Nevertheless, nearly 100 Canadians traveled that long distance to take part in the October 17-25 Lausanne Congress on World Evangelization. Why?
Each of us was there to lend our voice to the blend in a truly global gathering of mission-minded Christians, which involved some 4,200 official "participants" from 198 countries, and another 1,500 staff and observers. This was a very diverse group indeed. What we shared in common is a deep commitment to the Christian faith and a desire to see God's work advance throughout the world.
So … what were so many people from all over the world doing down there? There are almost as many answers to that question as there were people attending. Most basically, however, we came to study the Bible and pray together. We heard top-notch expositors unpack the book of Ephesians and meditated on the Scriptures in communal table groups.
With that as our underpinning, we came to learn from the experience of others and pool our wisdom as we reflected on some of the great challenges hindering the work of God in our world. We talked and listened at length about truth, reconciliation and other religions. We discussed priorities in evangelization. We cast about for new and more effective ways to work more cooperatively together.
We also considered the fact of failure among us, and heard a strong call for church to be characterized by humility, integrity and simplicity. "The greatest problem for God in His redemptive mission for the world is His people," said Chris Wright, international director of the Langham Partnership and chair of the Lausanne Theology Working Group. "Idolatry is the single biggest obstacle to world mission. There are many false gods in this world, but three especially stand out. They are the idols of power and pride; the idols of popularity and success; and the idols of wealth and greed."
Wright led the team that produced the seminal document from the gathering. "The Cape Town Commitment: A Declaration of Belief and a Call to Action" is a clarification of beliefs that are foundational to Christian mission. "We wanted to issue a prophetic statement," said Wright. "We didn't want the congress to be a jamboree of evangelical triumphalism." A second document featuring action steps generated by participants at the congress will be released later this year.
Sitting under the tutelage of expositors like Wright, Ajith Fernando, John Piper and others was satisfying (or provocative) on an intellectual level. But much of the passion of the congress was evident in the inspiring stories told by people from all over the world. A young woman from North Korea told a moving testimony of loss and commitment. "I want to bring the love of God to North Korea," she said.
Libby Little, the widow of an eye doctor murdered in Afghanistan in August, shared transcripts of her husband's last phone calls and challenged listeners' with a brave example of a Christian witness willing and eager to help needy people in even the most remote and dangerous areas regardless of their religious beliefs.
"There are no places closed to the gospel," said U.K. apologist Michael Ramsden. "There are only places we're not prepared to pay the cost to go."
So … what about South Africa? What difference will it make to mission in Canada? A lot of the Canadians there were taking good notes, meeting new people and forging new networks. Many were planning to let their ideas percolate and mature for a few weeks before meeting again to discuss specific strategy steps. Some of this reflection was to find a forum at the Evangelical Fellowship of Canada's November 16-18 Hinge conference.
For Canadians, freedom to share the gospel is not the issue. Finding a mission-minded way through the thickets of indifference, secularity and narcissism is a greater challenge. Or as Turkish researcher Ziya Meral put it to the entire congress: "We need to raise the cross in a way that this generation can understand so that the gospel can do its work."
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