Billy Graham headed the committee that drew more than 2,300 evangelical leaders from 150 countries to Lausanne, Switzerland, in 1974 for the International Congress on World Evangelization.
The gathering produced The Lausanne Covenant, a declaration leaders said is intended to define the necessity, responsibilities and goals of spreading the gospel. It also challenges Christians to work together to make Jesus Christ known throughout the world.
State of the Great Commission report
Now 50 years later, a group of 150 contributors helped produce a robust report on the “State of the Great Commission,” which was released today (April 23) at lausanne.org/report.
Matthew Niermann, director of the report, said, “The State of the Great Commission brings together the best global data and key strategic thinkers to understand where the greatest gaps and opportunities are for the Great Commission’s fulfillment.
“A key aspect of catalysing collaboration for this intentional, strategic Great Commission endeavour lies in truly understanding its current status within our ever-changing world,” he said. “With collaboration and action in mind, Lausanne has crafted this report, amalgamating top-notch global data and strategic insights to pinpoint the greatest gaps and opportunities for fulfilling the Great Commission.”
Working from the concept that a successful collaborative action of the Christian global church must be built on a foundation of knowledge, Niermann’s team address 10 key questions.
10 questions to consider
What is polycentric Christianity?
What is the foundation of trust?
What are the emerging demographics?
What does it mean to be human?
What is ministry in a digital age?
To read and download the report, lausanne.org/report.