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.
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!
Thank you for putting pen to thought! I echo much of your observations, and have found it really valuable to hear from areas where I wasn't a part of.
Your concluding thoughts I wholeheartedly agree with, along with the tension and needed work ahead:
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.
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!
Thank you for putting pen to thought! I echo much of your observations, and have found it really valuable to hear from areas where I wasn't a part of.
Your concluding thoughts I wholeheartedly agree with, along with the tension and needed work ahead:
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.