The Exchange – ChurchLeaders

Could It Be That We Also Need Flies?—Flies as Part of a Healthy-Holistic Lausanne Ecosystem

Dave DeVries — Mon, 21 Oct 2024 14:15:52 +0000

The lack of a compelling and persistent call to the unevangelized and the unreached at the fourth Lausanne Congress left me deeply saddened.

Lausanne Movement and Grassroots Ecumenism

Ruslan Zagidulin — Wed, 16 Oct 2024 15:25:31 +0000

I see the massive potential for grassroots ecumenism, and the 50th anniversary of the Lausanne Congress is a starting point for its development towards the 2050 goal.

Lausanne 4: Learning To Listen to Diverse Perspectives

Christian Mungai — Wed, 16 Oct 2024 14:37:07 +0000

At Lausanne 4, we saw the beauty of the church in its potency as we embraced and engaged the theme “Let the Church declare and display Christ together.”

Creation Care and the Gospel: A Letter to the Lausanne Theology Working Group

Andrew Loke — Wed, 16 Oct 2024 14:05:19 +0000

It is important to understand the gospel within the larger biblical narrative of God’s work from creation to new creation. Nevertheless, to say that creation care is part of the gospel would be to imply that good works (caring for creation) are part of the gospel, which they are not.

A Christian College President Reflects on Lausanne 4

Michael Hammond — Fri, 11 Oct 2024 18:50:22 +0000

It was an honor to be a part of the fourth Lausanne Congress (L4), a beautiful demonstration of the church across the world, celebrating together and focusing on the timeless principles of the Bible and the good news of the Gospel.

Lausanne and the Brown Church: An Asian-Latino Reflection on the Inspiration, Pains, and Public Witness of L4

Robert Chao Romero — Fri, 11 Oct 2024 18:01:33 +0000

As a professor and pastor, Lausanne was a privilege to attend because it brought together my identity as an “evangélico” in the tradition of Samuel Escobar and René Padilla, and my research and teaching on the Brown Church.

The Seoul Statement: What Is It and Why Is It What It Is?

Steve Bryan — Fri, 11 Oct 2024 14:01:14 +0000

An overlooked feature in the early response to the Seoul Statement is that it is, well, a statement. It is not a covenant, a manifesto, or a commitment, but a statement.

Church Planting Lessons Westerners Can Learn From African Pentecostals

Todd Korpi — Thu, 10 Oct 2024 14:34:28 +0000

Here are several characteristics of African Pentecostal church planting that are helpful for the rest of us to consider.

Lausanne: When Strategy and Vision Lead to (Dis)Order

Jeffrey Thomas — Wed, 09 Oct 2024 18:34:58 +0000

Strategy and vision can lead to disorder even as we strive for order. In this article, I want to explore a few observations and loving critiques of the fourth Lausanne Congress (L4).

Recommendations From an Anthropologist and L4 Listening Team Member

Christine Jeske — Wed, 09 Oct 2024 15:41:38 +0000

As an anthropologist trained to analyze qualitative data from interviews and participant observation, I often refer to myself as a professor, author, and listener. I was thrilled, therefore, to learn that I was selected to volunteer at Lausanne 4 on the Listening Team.

Where Is the ‘Child in the Midst’? A Response to L4’s Children-at-Risk Report

Susan Greener — Mon, 07 Oct 2024 15:16:28 +0000

The Children-at-Risk Issue Group was formed to equip the church and para-church organizations to bring the whole gospel to children-at-risk, advocate on their behalf, and invite them into meaningful participation on mission.

Lausanne 4: Together in Christ, Yet Diverse

Allan Varghese Meloottu — Mon, 07 Oct 2024 14:28:14 +0000

As a young intercultural studies scholar from India who lives in the USA and serves in theological higher education, attending Lausanne Four (4) in Seoul-Incheon was an exciting experience.

Evangelism in the 2024 Seoul Statement

Greg Wilton — Fri, 04 Oct 2024 19:26:48 +0000

After reading the Seoul Statement, I am concerned that the Lausanne Movement existing for World Evangelization may be the least clear document on world evangelization in the entirety of its existence.

Lausanne: In Need of a Plan

S. Joshua Swamidass — Fri, 04 Oct 2024 19:25:13 +0000

The fourth Lausanne Congress exposed that we are a family with many disagreements still. These disagreements troubled some, but they comforted me.

Heralds of Hope: Reclaiming the Power of Proclamation Evangelism for Today’s Global Church

Desmond Henry — Fri, 04 Oct 2024 19:24:01 +0000

The Seoul Statement, building on earlier foundational documents like the Lausanne Covenant, Manila Manifesto, and Cape Town Commitment, became an example of the assumed priority of evangelism rather than a stated one.

A Sri Lankan’s Reflections on L4 and Integral Mission

Nathanael Somanathan — Thu, 03 Oct 2024 15:45:11 +0000

The Lausanne movement, since its inception in 1974, has been about world evangelization. However, evangelization understood as one mode of mission, was not to be separated from social action.

Embodying the Great Collaboration: Reflections on the Fourth Lausanne Congress

Bosco Tung — Tue, 01 Oct 2024 16:37:23 +0000

By coordinating our efforts and making room for focused collaboration, the global church can truly live out its calling as one unified body in mission to the world.

Lausanne and the Voice of the ‘Flies’: Concerns From a Majority World Church Leader

Kazusa Okaya — Tue, 01 Oct 2024 16:32:38 +0000

During his closing remarks at the fourth Lausanne Congress, Michael Oh urged us not to be like the "flies" who can only see and remain in the filth, but rather like "bees" who see beauty rather than what is broken.

Recentering Evangelism: Reflections on the Lausanne Movement

Craig Ott — Tue, 01 Oct 2024 15:41:01 +0000

Evangelism is the proclamation of this powerful message in all its fullness and with all its implications. Apart from gospel proclamation there is no gospel transformation.

Technology and The Holy Spirit: The Role of AI in Global Church Strategy

Jessie Cruickshank — Mon, 30 Sep 2024 19:31:19 +0000

The idea of depending on an AI for the strategy of the church's evangelism and discipleship is unsettling. Using AI for data and summarizing is one thing; strategic direction is another.

Well Done, Lausanne! Reflections on the Full Week of Lausanne 4

Timothy Tennent — Mon, 30 Sep 2024 17:07:23 +0000

It is difficult to describe the breathtaking beauty of a Lausanne gathering with 5,200 people gathered in a single room with delegates from nearly every country on earth worshipping in joy and harmony.

Learnings From Lausanne, Part 6: Broken and Beautiful

Philip Miller — Mon, 30 Sep 2024 13:53:06 +0000

As the Fourth Lausanne Congress on World Evangelization came to an end, we celebrated the Lord’s supper as a global church of over 5,000 delegates from 200+ countries.

Reflecting on Lausanne Congress 2024: A Call to a Diverse, Holistic Gospel

Derwin Gray — Sat, 28 Sep 2024 02:29:20 +0000

As I reflect on the Lausanne Congress 2024 in Seoul, I feel like experienced a forestate of the new heavens and new earth.

Learnings From Lausanne, Part 5: Declaring and Displaying

Philip Miller — Fri, 27 Sep 2024 13:22:19 +0000

As day five of Lausanne 4 draws to a close, my heart is drawn to the moving presentation the Korean church gave of God’s faithfulness and sovereign hand in unleashing a gospel movement in and through their people.

Learnings From Lausanne, Part 4: The Incarnational Advantage

Philip Miller — Fri, 27 Sep 2024 03:14:30 +0000

As the fourth day of Lausanne 4 draws to a close, I’d like to reflect on yet another lesson I’m learning from the global church, one we might call The Incarnational Advantage.

Learnings From Lausanne, Part 3: Courageous Faith

Philip Miller — Wed, 25 Sep 2024 14:12:11 +0000

As the third day of Lausanne 4 drew to a close, we gathered as a global church from 200+ countries to pray for our persecuted brothers and sisters.

Learnings From Lausanne, Part 2: The Beauty of Community

Philip Miller — Tue, 24 Sep 2024 14:43:57 +0000

As the second day of Lausanne 4 draws to a close in Seoul, I want to reflect on the beauty of community I’ve glimpsed through our global brothers and sisters.

Undivided: How Regular Churchgoers Cultivated Racial Unity

Hahrie Han — Tue, 24 Sep 2024 10:47:10 +0000

Explore the journey of four congregants at the Crossroads Church in Cincinnati, Ohio—two men, one Black and one white, and two women, one Black and one white—who were all part of a racial justice program called Undivided in 2016.

Learnings From Lausanne, Part 1: A Taste of Heaven

Philip Miller — Tue, 24 Sep 2024 00:16:38 +0000

The Fourth Lausanne Congress on World Evangelization hosted in Seoul-Incheon, South Korea, is the largest gathering of the global church in world history. And frankly, it’s a little taste of Heaven.

How To Survive the 2024 Election

Todd Korpi — Mon, 05 Aug 2024 19:13:43 +0000

While by no means exhaustive, I want to offer several principles to consider for local churches, and their leaders, not only to survive but thrive in this highly contentious election season.

Signs of Hope in the Australian Church, Voices from the Global Church, part 4

Julian Dunham — Tue, 30 Jul 2024 16:52:47 +0000

I’m excited by renewed vision and possibilities for discipleship in Australia.

A New Era in Global Missions Emerging From Asia, Voices from the Global Church, part 3

David Ro — Fri, 26 Jul 2024 19:28:59 +0000

In the last century, Asia along with Africa and Latin America have experienced explosive church growth.

The African Church and Its Global Significance, Voices from the Global Church, part 2

Stephen Mbogo and Esther Chengo — Thu, 20 Jun 2024 17:12:44 +0000

Christianity in Africa dates back two millennia. The early Christian movement spread from Jerusalem to every direction, taking on local cultural expressions throughout the ancient world, starting barely 10 days after Jesus’ ascension.

The Church and Mission in Europe Today: Changing the Narrative

Jim Memory — Tue, 11 Jun 2024 14:22:56 +0000

No other continent has been exposed to Christianity for such a prolonged period of time and in such an extensive way than Europe. Yet just as Europe was the first continent to be Christianized, it was also the first to be de-Christianized...or so goes the narrative.

The Origins of Spiritual Gifts Profiles: Fascinating Research on the How People Think about Spiritual Gifts

Gary L. McIntosh — Mon, 18 Mar 2024 19:44:55 +0000

The doctrine of spiritual gifts, as we think of it today, is of relatively recent interest.

Thy Virtual Kingdom Come: Redeeming the Realm Behind the Screen

R. York Moore — Mon, 12 Feb 2024 18:50:58 +0000

The digital realm is not just a set of tools to accomplish some end, it is a plane of existence, a realm. Because of this, we need serious Christian "worldviewing" around digital spaces.

4 More Missional Shifts for Churches in 2024

Todd Korpi — Fri, 26 Jan 2024 11:12:51 +0000

In part one of this two-part piece, I proposed four missional shifts I believe we need to make in 2024 in how we approach church ministry. In this second part, I give four more of these necessary missional shifts.

4 Missional Shifts for Churches in 2024

Todd Korpi — Wed, 24 Jan 2024 13:02:26 +0000

Now that the “new year, new me” hype has now waned and we can think seriously about what’s ahead, I want to suggest some shifts I believe churches must begin to make in 2024 in order to thrive.

A Home for the Holidays: Refugees and the Christmas Story

Daniel Yang — Wed, 13 Dec 2023 11:27:31 +0000

Christmas is the story of Jesus’ arrival. And for those newly arriving to build a life in America, this story is best heard and experienced with those who have built their lives around it, namely the Church.

5 Ways We Get Evangelism Wrong and What We Can Do About It

Todd Korpi — Tue, 14 Nov 2023 11:45:36 +0000

Here are five ways we often get evangelism wrong, along with five ways we can right our perspective on this misunderstood, yet crucially important, practice.

An Inconceivable Challenge: The Story of a Persecuted Pastor in Pakistan

Yousaf Sadiq — Wed, 01 Nov 2023 11:20:25 +0000

On this International Day of Prayer for the Persecuted Church, let us remember our brothers and sisters who suffer for their faith in Christ every day, including pastor Eleazar Sidhu in Pakistan.

Juneteenth and the Great Commission

Sherelle Ducksworth — Mon, 19 Jun 2023 18:38:26 +0000

By now, many of us have heard of the holiday Juneteenth, though many Christians still don’t celebrate the day or recognize the fruitful mission work birthed out of the freedom of African American slaves.

How To Tell a Jesus Story

Michael Adam Beck — Tue, 23 May 2023 21:28:56 +0000

“Jesus Stories” are simple, short retellings about something Jesus said or did in five minutes or less. They are accompanied by open-ended questions that spark discussion.

Public Evangelism in an Age of Relativism

Josh Moody — Fri, 28 Apr 2023 19:45:47 +0000

There is no such thing as a neutral ideological vacuum. We must stand for something. And what the new kind of relativistic tolerance is showing is that it is not really tolerant at all.

There Is One Thing Worse Than Being Lost

Jeff Christopherson — Tue, 14 Mar 2023 11:11:59 +0000

There is one thing that is actually worse: being lost and knowing that nobody is looking for you. Would this metaphor accurately describe the North American Church?

The Body of Christ and the Temptation of a Crowd

Jeff Christopherson — Tue, 07 Mar 2023 12:11:51 +0000

Since it’s now 2023, most of us think that we’re beyond the old understanding of the "church" being a building. We are now more spiritually sophisticated. Or are we?

The Impossibility of Being a Pastor

Jeff Christopherson — Tue, 28 Feb 2023 12:11:45 +0000

Every pastor who regularly preaches has wondered, “Did that message make a difference? Will anything happen?” We’re all together in this. But maybe our penchant for "excellence" is holding us back.

The Danger of ‘Make-Believe’ Orthodoxy

Jeff Christopherson — Tue, 21 Feb 2023 12:11:00 +0000

True orthodoxy is found only in obedience. Period. It is not found, despite the insistence of some, primarily in portentous intellectual agreement to approved theological codes.

How Are Church Finances Coming Out of COVID and Headed Into a Potential Recession?

Scott McConnell — Mon, 06 Feb 2023 23:55:26 +0000

To understand what churches can anticipate in 2023, let’s take a closer look at recent financial trends and current forces impacting churches.

Gospel Renewal in an Age of Deconstruction

J.D. Greear — Thu, 02 Feb 2023 20:48:23 +0000

Deconstruction provides an excellent lens through which to identify error, deceit, and corruption. But on its own, it fails to provide a new way forward.