The Lausanne movement, created during the International Congress on World Evangelisation in 1974 at the initiative of Dr Billy Graham, is organising its fourth global congress this year. This congress will be held from 22 to 28 September in Seoul. More than five thousand Christians from around the world will gather, both physically and virtually, to pray and reflect on the global mission of God's love. Representatives from our churches will also be there.
What is Lausanne?
For more than 50 years, the Lausanne Movement has played an important role in encouraging churches in the missionary field. This is done by promoting cooperation among Christians, defining a global mission strategy and equipping Christians in church, work and mission fields. Besides regional meetings in all parts of the world, there have been three global congresses in the past 50 years; 1974 in Lausanne, 1989 in Manila and 2010 in Cape Town. The fourth global congress in Seoul is titled 'Let the Church declare and display Christ together'.
Delegation from our churches
A delegation from the Netherlands will also be present during this unique moment in Seoul. From various (umbrella) organisations, including the Netherlands Mission Board, Mission Netherlands, SKIN, GZB, Evangelical College and the PThU, and from churches, people have been asked to participate. From the CGK, Rev. Jan Wessels (Veenendaal Bethel), Rev. Sander Kok (Opperdoes) and missionary consultant Petra de Jong-Heins invited to attend. Petra: "A conference like Lausanne gives the unique opportunity to hear from all continents how God is at work in His world. And we from the CGK get to tell that piece too: about the difficulties, but also about the hope that is within us."
Besides the physical meeting in Seoul, invitees will also participate virtually from the Netherlands. "Our desire is that Lausanne 4 contributes to the encounter between churches and Christians in the Netherlands and that we learn together from the global church. Together we want to make Christ known in a world that does not know Him but needs Him," said Wout Schonewille, who is supporting the Dutch delegation together with Jetteke Noordzij.
Lausanne 4 experience
Besides participating and praying, Christians in the Netherlands can experience Lausanne 4 by participating virtually or by attending a so-called satellite after the conference in Seoul. Several meetings (satellites) will be organised after September, where the experiences of Lausanne 4 will be shared. These satellites give the opportunity to translate to the Dutch context and discover how we can together give hands and feet to God's mission in our time.
