For immediate release Lausanne Hosts Forum for World Evangelization in 2004

(Jackson, Mississippi, July 2002) The biennial meeting of the Lausanne Committee for World Evangelization (LCWE) held at Belhaven College here gave the final approval of plans for a 2004 Forum for World Evangelization in Southeast Asia starting 29 September and ending 5 October of that year.

The Forum will be conducted in partnership with the Great Commission Round Table. . Lausanne has not called a major gathering since Lausanne II in Manila, in 1989. “We don’t need another global meeting only for networking and inspiration as important as that has been,” chair of the 2004 Forum, Dr. Roger Parrott emphasizes. “But the Lausanne movement has the integrity to call together the broadest group of Church leaders around the theological foundation of the Lausanne Covenant. And LCWE does speak with authority on issues of evangelism and mission. Using those three gifts from the Lord, the global political and cultural scene has shifted enough that now is a critical time for us to develop strategies for addressing the most critical roadblocks to effective evangelism.”

Mrs. Robyn Claydon, chair of the program committee, says that the 2004 Forum must not be understood as a “Lausanne III.” “It is rather 24 smaller conferences running simultaneously,” she says.

The forum will be made up of 24 groups working on documents and implementation strategies for issues ranging from globalization, the uniqueness of Christ in a post-modern world, media and technology, racial reconciliation, and New Age spirituality, to people at risk and non-traditional families.

The groups will have a significant number of young people. Seventy percent will be under 49 years of age, with 30 percent being under the age of 35. Women will make up 35 percent of the participants.

The issue groups will be led by a team of three people chosen on the basis of their expertise, and invitations to the 2004 Forum will be issued on the basis of a geographically even representation.

The list of 24 issues is primarily the result of two years of worldwide research, conduced by Dr. Peter Brierley of Christian Research in the United Kingdom.

Dr. Luis Bush is presently conducting a World Inquiry, where people in 200 cities of more than 100.000 inhabitants, especially in the developing world, answer questions on the state of evangelization in their area and their vision for the future. The Inquiry participants are also nominating young leaders for a special forum to run jointly with the 2004 Forum.

The final results of the World Inquiry will be presented at the 2004 Forum. Preliminary results will be fed into the issue group process in a meeting in Korea in May 2003, where the leadership of the issue groups will meet with others under the auspices of the World Inquiry.

Mr. David Detert, chair of the World Evangelical International Council, and Mr. Gerry Seale, representing World Evangelical Alliance (WEA) in Barbados, were present at the Jackson meeting.

Says Mr. Detert: “World Evangelical Alliance has greatly appreciated the opportunity to be observers at the biennial meeting of the Lausanne International Committee. We have had fruitful dialog about how the two organizations can work more closely together in the missions of world evangelization and the strengthening of the Church in the nations. This is of great importance to WEA as we seek to foster unity within the whole body of Christ.

“From meeting together we have gained a clearer understanding of the objectives and focus of the 2004 Forum for World Evangelization, which may enable us to develop ways to use this event to strengthen the work of the Church in the 110 nations where National Evangelical Alliances are present.”

Dr. Paul Cedar, Executive Chair of LCWE, emphasizes the importance of a closer relationship between WEA and LCWE. “I believe that a strategic alliance between us is very important for the mission of world evangelization and will be a strong witness for the cause of Christian unity,” Dr. Cedar says.

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