Lausanne Movement

Overview

The Lausanne Movement is an evangelical world mission movement that began at the International Congress on World Evangelization, held in Lausanne, Switzerland, in 1974. Its motto is "The whole church taking the whole gospel to the whole world." It is credited with establishing a theology of "holistic mission" that unites gospel evangelism with Christian social responsibility.

Founding and History

In the 1960s, as discussions of the "secularization of mission" and the "humanization of mission" emerged within the World Council of Churches (WCC), British and American evangelicals gathered in response. This trend led to the World Congress on Evangelism in Berlin in 1966. Billy Graham convened a meeting in 1971 to discuss a new congress, and the congress was held in Lausanne in 1974. According to official sources, some 2,400 participants from 150 countries attended; other sources put the figure at about 2,700. John Stott led the drafting of the Lausanne Covenant.

The Second Congress was held in Manila, Philippines, in 1989, and the Third Congress in Cape Town, South Africa, in 2010. In 2024, the movement's fiftieth anniversary, the Fourth Lausanne Congress (Seoul-Incheon 2024) was held at Songdo Convensia in Incheon from September 22 to 28. According to press reports, about 5,000 people from some 200 countries attended.

Major Activities

• Because each congress issues a statement, the movement is sometimes called a "movement of documents." The Fourth Congress released the Seoul Statement, a report on the fulfillment of the Great Commission, and the Nehemiah Declaration for collaboration and action. The Seoul Statement addresses biblical interpretation, the meaning of being human, theological reflection on technology, and discipleship.
• At the First Congress, Ralph Winter introduced the concept of "unreached people groups," meaning ethnic groups to which the gospel has not yet been brought. The concept subsequently had a major influence on world mission strategy.
• Between congresses, the movement holds international gatherings such as the Younger Leaders Gathering. In 2016 a Younger Leaders Gathering was held in Jakarta, Indonesia.

Participating Organizations

Rather than a council in which denominations hold membership, the Lausanne Movement is closer to a movement in which evangelicals from many denominations and organizations take part together. According to research, its participants have been drawn fairly evenly from evangelicals within mainline Protestant denominations and from members of Baptist, independent, and nondenominational churches. Korea has a national body, the Korea Lausanne Committee; it was reported that the decision to hold the Fourth Congress in Korea was confirmed at the committee's general assembly in early 2020. Some observers note that during the 1970s and 1980s the Korean church made the movement known chiefly by translating and introducing the Lausanne Covenant.

Controversies and Assessment

• The Lausanne Movement is regarded as a symbol of evangelical cooperation in mission. At the same time, one study indicates that in its early years it met with hostility from fundamentalist quarters.
• About a year before the Fourth Congress, some in Korea claimed that the Lausanne Movement was connected with heretical groups such as the New Apostolic Reformation. The Theology Committee of the Korea Lausanne Committee held a press conference to refute these claims. The committee stated that, after reviewing the records of past congresses, it had found that C. Peter Wagner, known as a leading figure of the New Apostolic Reformation, had never served as a main speaker at a Lausanne Congress.
• The Seoul Statement drew attention even before the congress because it was expected to set out a position on homosexuality and comprehensive anti-discrimination legislation. On the opening day, a draft that had not received final approval from the Theology Committee was posted on the official website and then taken down. The organizers attributed this to a staff error.