Richard Coleman will be attending Lausanne III and serving as a small group leader. (The Mission Society photo)
South Africa (MNN) ― In 1974, leaders in the world of missions gathered from across the globe in Lausanne, Switzerland for the first mission conference of its kind.
"Billy Graham and several other leaders got together and thought it would be great to have a diverse gathering of believers to discuss how they could finish the task of global evangelization," said Richard Coleman of The Mission Society.
Nearly 2700 people were at this conference, representing 150 countries. Not only was this the most diverse gathering of its kind, but important framework for missions the future of missions was established.
For example, while Ralph Winter gave one of his speeches, he introduced the term "unreached people groups" to represent the millions who still had yet to receive the Gospel.
Before they departed from the conference, the mission leaders established the Lausanne covenant. Coleman said this was more than just a belief statement: "A covenant implies not only do we believe similar things, but we plan to take action based on what we believe."
Then, fifteen years later, in 1989, the leaders reconvened in Manila, Philippines to continue to strive toward their goal. However, between conferences, they did not remain idle.
"They didn't simply want to have these giant mission conferences that took place, and then you hear crickets. They wanted it to be a continual process of engaging the world in missions," Coleman said.
Throughout the years, the conference attendees have discussed evangelizing to Jews, involving younger leaders, and reaching out uniquely to each people group.
This year, leaders will join together yet again for Lausanne III from October 16 -25, 2010, which will take place in Cape Town, South Africa.
Coleman said they hope to hold the conference in the same spirit of the Lausanne I when it took place 36 years ago, though the conference has expanded to involve more people and countries. "There will be 4000 participants from over 200 countries with one focus, and that's to make sure the name of Jesus is proclaimed in all four corners of the earth," said Coleman.
In addition to topics addressed in the past, participants will also discuss some of the injustices plaguing the globe today such as sex trafficking and extreme poverty.
Involved in the planning of the conference, Coleman will be attending Lausanne III as a small group leader and is excited to glean new missions knowledge from it.
As these leaders prepare to come together, please pray for them to gain a spirit of unity and humility. Pray that leaders from majority nations will not run over smaller nations, but that they will listen and learn from what these people have to say.
Visit Lausanne.org to learn more about this global mission conference, its history, and papers it has produced. When the conference is underway, visit the site for broadcasts of the various events taking place.
