International (MNN) — As more than 5,000 Christian leaders meet this week in Seoul, South Korea, for Lausanne 4, what is the emerging story?
Joe Handley with A3 says it’s collaboration.
“We’ve had congresses like this about every 15 years, and those congresses have produced significant documents for the Kingdom that have set kind of a roadmap forward for mission,” Handley says.
“One of the challenges is actually getting people to work toward an end.”
It’s not that ministry leaders don’t believe unity is part of God’s vision for His people. It’s that barriers to collaboration are common to us all.
“A lot of us, including myself, [are] proud of the work we do. We think we may be better than others in the same space, which is foolish, but we tend to do that. That pride creates barriers or walls. In addition, there’s a fear factor. If we share, what happens if I lose my resource stream to that other entity?” Handley says.
“Our hope is this week that repentance of those kinds of things would lead us to a new reality for the future.”
Years of preparation and prayer have gone into Lausanne 4. “Listening calls” across ministries and nations helped to identify 33 “gaps” in world mission. Handley says 25 of those issues are dedicated track sessions at the Congress this week, including gaps leader development, which is a focus of A3.
(Photo of Lausanne 4 courtesy of lausannemovement via Flickr. Photo credit: Gersham Girum)
A3 is excited to share a new book, Leading Well in Times of Disruption, that comes from several years of their own asking questions and listening. This book is meant for the world — you can access it here.
“The first section is the history of [the] Lausanne Movement and what it’s produced. The rest of the book is meant to be a roadmap for developing leaders for the global mission of the church: to finish the Great Commission,” Handley says.
Join in praying for fruit from Lausanne 4, both this week and into the next 25 years.
“Pray for unity, that our pride and ego and fear issues would diminish, and [for] our willingness to say, ‘No, we’re in this together. We need each other,’” Handley says.
“That unity is going to be crucial for us going forward.”
Header photo of Lausanne 4 in Seoul, South Korea. (Courtesy of lausannemovement via Flickr. Photo credit: Grace Snavely)
