People on the Move
The Fourth Lausanne Congress Report
By Heekyung Jeong, an ordained pastor of the Presbyterian Church of Korea (PCK) and a PhD Candidate at University of Mainz in Germany.
The Fourth Lausanne Congress in Incheon provided a valuable international platform for global evangelical dialogue, bringing together diverse voices to discuss critical issues facing the global church. Participants were given the opportunity to network, share experiences, and explore strategies for ministry in various cultural contexts. Nevertheless, some notable scenes remained as perplexing aspects of this Congress, and at the same time they imply tasks that need to be improved in the next Congress.
Unnamed but Remembered
There was no facilitator, and even the group organizer didn’t show up. I am telling you about a pop-up session on “Women in Leadership” that took place on the last full day of the Fourth Lausanne Congress in Incheon. Can you imagine what happened next? Some were already leaving when I entered the room. On my way to the session, I met some of my colleagues who asked me where I was going. They wished to join but were too tired. This didn’t surprise me, considering the long queue outside the men’s restroom. Throughout L4, I was frequently asked about my marital status at most tables. The moderator often referred to us as “Brothers and Sisters” rather than the other way around. Notably, there were no women in the picture of “Asian Lausanne Leaders” on the first night. It was honestly a culture shock to experience this ‘evangelical’ environment.
Surprisingly, women in leadership emerged even in the face of risk. In a short time, we shared the challenges and barriers we faced in our professional fields and discussed ways to extend this network. One participant took the microphone to facilitate, another organized a WhatsApp group, and another took a picture at the end. A final word from a participant was, “Take the risk.” This was the most memorable moment of L4 for me.
Undocumented Observations
The invitation system established a filtering line, leading to an elite-centered atmosphere at L4. The contribution fee of over $1,000 USD filtered out many who could not afford to attend. Participants were either supported by institutions or from the Global North, able to spend that amount of money. Notably, the participation of women was surprisingly low, at less than 30%.1 Over 50% of participants were from the Global North and South Korea. It is easy to see who dominated the discussions and topics. While the main session speakers showed some effort to include diverse voices, it often seemed to veer into tokenism.
Could Jesus’ disciples attend L4? I don’t think so. Matthew might have, but others’ entry visas were denied. Some lacked the funds for flight tickets and fees.
Furthermore, when discussing the workplace as a holy place, the roles of pastors should be clear. Why don’t we address the dual-job issues faced by pastors? Junior pastors often struggle with financial instability. Single women pastors, ordained or not, face isolation in vulnerable living conditions. Is it a privilege to be here? We must also bring unprivileged voices to our table.
It is crucial to remember that the skewing of participants in the “invisible” realm is dominated by Western voices, primarily speaking English. In an overwhelmingly English-speaking environment, more attention to non-English-speaking participants is necessary. Interpreters and simple language tables were insufficient. Notably, the feedback sessions on the final day felt rushed, causing frustration among participants. The organizers need to be more attentive and clear in their messaging to ensure participants' voices are heard. In worship, the praise of “victory” following speakers' painful stories echoed a shallow notion of Christian triumphalism. The first female speaker, who was the last to speak in the Monday morning session, mistakenly replaced the gospel with “cheap grace” in her emotional call to repentance. The typical revivalist confession of sin followed by immediate repentance felt out of place in that context. The composition of the speakers was uninspiring, dominated by familiar authority figures such as megachurch pastors, denominational leaders, and professors. To paraphrase a young woman in her 30s at my table, “I came here because it was supposed to be an 'international' conference, but I was surprised by how it felt more 'Korean' than anything.”
Conflicts around the world and the Diaspora resulting from the climate crisis are areas where both evangelical and ecumenical spheres can contribute significantly. Collaboration should be strengthened—not through competition, but through cooperation in good faith and pastoral generosity, rather than theological sharpness, to wisely address the challenges facing the church in the 21st century.
Unsettled in the name of ‘Lausanne’
While the congress emphasized the importance of the Global South, I wondered why it still retained the name of a city in one of the richest countries in the world. There needs to be a clear distinction between the name “Lausanne” and the spirit of the movement. Just as the Bible instructs us to put new wine in new bottles, we need to break the old bottle to pursue new alternatives that arise from moving away from the failed approach driven by the financial and numerical pressures of megachurches.
Fundraising efforts for the next generation, particularly Gen Z, have been ongoing throughout the Congress. I urge the Lausanne leadership to minimize their involvement to allow younger leaders to take initiative in organizing the gatherings, rather than continuing a model driven by the “economics of scale” for old boys. There is nothing more archaic in Christianity than passing the offering basket after a revival.
People on the Move Say, “Solange2…”
I cannot imagine the carbon footprint of over 5,000 participants from around the world during L4, nor the food waste and disposables generated at every meal. As I looked at all the party supplies used for the 50th-anniversary celebration, I recalled my thoughts at the 2022 World Council of Churches General Assembly in Karlsruhe, Germany. If so many Christians must gather to discuss critical issues, can we at least reflect on how to do it with minimal environmental impact? In the post-Covid era, we haven’t changed our way of life at all. There may never be another international Christian gathering of this magnitude, but if there is, I strongly urge prioritizing environmental concerns.
I attended Gaps 19, “People on the Move,” focusing on the Diaspora issue. Throughout the sessions, we joked about ourselves as people on the move. The unnamed, undocumented, unheard, and invisible are common among us. My theological journey began with evangelicalism and has gradually shifted toward ecumenism, emphasizing peace and reconciliation in my context. In this regard, it was lamentable that we missed a precious opportunity for a joint meeting with ecumenical figures.
Despite differing approaches and interpretations of the issues among Christians, commonalities among the issue groups were evident. Conflicts around the world and the Diaspora resulting from the climate crisis are areas where both evangelical and ecumenical spheres can contribute significantly. Collaboration should be strengthened—not through competition, but through cooperation in good faith and pastoral generosity, rather than theological sharpness, to wisely address the challenges facing the church in the 21st century.
After sharing my highlights from L4 with my honorary Doktormutter, she sent me a message: “Solange meine Kollegin allein ist auf der Konferenz, halte ich Vorlesungen zur feministischen Theologie” (As long as my colleague is alone at the conference, I will keep my Feminist Theology lecture.) Yes, I NEED YOU.
Looking Ahead: A Hopeful Conclusion
The Fourth Lausanne Congress, despite its challenges, demonstrated significant potential for fostering global evangelical collaboration and dialogue. However, by actively addressing concerns related to inclusivity, representation, and environmental sustainability, future congresses may have the opportunity to model a more comprehensive and equitable approach. Embracing diverse perspectives, empowering younger leaders, and prioritizing environmental stewardship will undoubtedly enhance the effectiveness and global relevance of upcoming events. Ultimately, the continued commitment to growth and responsiveness within the Lausanne movement inspires optimism for a more inclusive, compassionate, and impactful evangelical future. I hope to see these voices reflected at the next Lausanne Congress.
Heekyung Jeong is an ordained pastor of the Presbyterian Church of Korea (PCK) and a PhD Candidate at University of Mainz in Germany. She lectures on Asian and African Women’s Theologies and Intercultural Christology at the same university.
**Solange Project:** SOLANGE / AS LONG AS is a communicative art project that promotes dialogue. It aims to create awareness of gender inequalities people experience in our society. (https://www.solange-theproject.com/)
Thank you very much for this article and all your thoughts, Heekyung Jeong!
I value your voice even though I personally do not share the same perspective. My evaluation of Lausanne 4 is much more positive. This does not mean that I would not find things to criticize. On the contrary, I could add more points of criticism. For example, there were hardly any non-North-American exhibitors at the Digital Discovery Center (besides us from the creedle project!). However, at the end of the conference, the organizers admitted that much could have been done better but they encouraged us to be like bees celebrating the beautiful flowers we saw. I like that imagery! There were many flowers to cherish at Lausanne 4. So many beautiful encounters with leaders from the global body of Christ. A spirit of togetherness in Christ even in the midst of occasionally surfacing theological and political differences with Latin America or Korea or America (those who attended might even know what I have in mind mentioning these regions). But sitting together at one table and listening and praying with and for one another was incredibly beautiful!
I wonder how it could have been accomplished for all of Jesus' 12 disciples to participate. Besides Matthew, I think the two brothers who had several employers in their fishing business in Galilee would have been able to participate by today's standards. Maybe others, too. But I get the point. We would love to have more participants from less affluent countries! Absolutely! However, this is easy to criticize but hard to solve. We could choose a cheaper location somewhere (how about Adis Abeba where the African Union is at home). But even if we reduced the conference fees to zero and cut down significantly on accommodation costs, we would not get around the significant travel cost for many participants from poorer countries further away (inevitably also on other continents).
Should we have talked more about the climate crisis? We had a great female global expert talk about the climate crisis and I happened to sit next to her during lunch. But if we dedicated a whole day to this topic, I would say it would have become a different conference. One worth having but not the one we all came for from around the globe this time. It was, after all, a global summit on World Evangelism. Evangelism is, from my understanding, not a keen interest of German universities profs. If we listened to them more, we would listen to the global south less. I read a lot of WhatsApp chats within the WhatsApp Lausanne community leading up to the conference. There were rather few North American voices and many Southern global voices there. It stood out to me dramatically, how intense the desire for deeper discipleship and evangelism is among the Global South participants. Of course, human needs were addressed, too. But it was very clear from the many many Southern voices I read how prevalent the issue of proclaiming Christ in word and deed was. No dichotomy fear like in the West. Christ must be the center of everything radically! I think if we had taken these voices seriously, we would have talked more and not less about the core issues of Christian discipleship and evangelism at the Lausanne 4 gathering. Thank you very much for your insightful analysis, Heekyung Jeong, and may our Lord lead and bless you in your further studies!