Old Questions, Same Answers? | By Harold Segura
Harold Segura C. | Chronicles and Reflections from Lausanne IV (3)
Seoul, September 24, 2024
As soon as I entered the convention center today, I saw two people holding posters with large letters. One read: "Protestants, protest against the gay sin society." The other: "Lausanne, a call for the LGBTQ community to repent." They displayed their placards at the entrance, ensuring everyone could see them. I took several photos.
Once inside, I recalled that the thematic focus of the second day of the IV Lausanne Congress on World Evangelization was the church’s commitment to God’s mission (missional commitment). The first presentation was based on the biblical text of Acts 15:28, which highlights the early Christian communities’ ability to discern collectively. Their decisions were made in groups, in partnership with the Spirit.
Today’s theme, “God’s Mission Through the Testimony of His People,” revolved around ecclesiology, meaning the community of faith. If yesterday’s theme was pneumatology, the Holy Spirit, today we asked: What is the church? What is its mission in this increasingly fragmented world? The old questions remain as relevant as ever, but the answers of twenty or thirty years ago no longer serve us. What we need are new ways of understanding the role of the church, its leadership, its interaction with society, its political responsibility, and above all, how to remain faithful to the Gospel of the Kingdom.
In my opinion, some sectors of the Lausanne Movement continue to cling to the formulas of their patriarchs— there are very few matriarchs in this movement—that, while valuable in their time, do not respond to the current challenges. But the congress is just beginning, and there is still much to discuss and hope for.
In the afternoons, the thousands of participants are divided into groups according to the topics of interest each person selected when arrived in Korea. Each group engages in participatory dynamics, and we stay in the same group throughout the week.
During evening, we celebrated the fiftieth anniversary of Lausanne. I was thinking that when I started my studies in the Seminary, Lausanne had celebrated its first five years. Today, it celebrates 50. You do the math on my personal calendar.
And then the celebration started: music, theater, testimonies, interviews, inspiring messages, balloons in the air, Irish dances, noise, joy, and hints of a homely party.
We left before 9:00 PM. I didn’t see any of the people at the entrance demanding that Lausanne protest against the LGBTQ community. According to their signs, LGBTQ represent the greatest social evil. Will they be back tomorrow? Because tomorrow, incidentally, the theme is Persecution and Global Mission.
Once inside, I recalled that the thematic focus of the second day of the IV Lausanne Congress on World Evangelization was the church’s commitment to God’s mission (missional commitment). The first presentation was based on the biblical text of Acts 15:28, which highlights the early Christian communities’ ability to discern collectively. Their decisions were made in groups, in partnership with the Spirit.
Today’s theme, “God’s Mission Through the Testimony of His People,” revolved around ecclesiology, meaning the community of faith. If yesterday’s theme was pneumatology, the Holy Spirit, today we asked: What is the church? What is its mission in this increasingly fragmented world? The old questions remain as relevant as ever, but the answers of twenty or thirty years ago no longer serve us. What we need are new ways of understanding the role of the church, its leadership, its interaction with society, its political responsibility, and above all, how to remain faithful to the Gospel of the Kingdom.
In my opinion, some sectors of the Lausanne Movement continue to cling to the formulas of their patriarchs— there are very few matriarchs in this movement—that, while valuable in their time, do not respond to the current challenges. But the congress is just beginning, and there is still much to discuss and hope for.
In the afternoons, the thousands of participants are divided into groups according to the topics of interest each person selected when arrived in Korea. Each group engages in participatory dynamics, and we stay in the same group throughout the week.
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| First Lausanne Congress on World Evangelization 1974. PHOTO: Lausanne Movement |
And then the celebration started: music, theater, testimonies, interviews, inspiring messages, balloons in the air, Irish dances, noise, joy, and hints of a homely party.
We left before 9:00 PM. I didn’t see any of the people at the entrance demanding that Lausanne protest against the LGBTQ community. According to their signs, LGBTQ represent the greatest social evil. Will they be back tomorrow? Because tomorrow, incidentally, the theme is Persecution and Global Mission.
About the author:
Pastor and theologian Harold Segura is Colombian, currently residing in Costa Rica. He is the Director of Faith and Development for World Vision in Latin America and the Caribbean and the author of several books. Previously, he served as Rector of the International Baptist Theological Seminary in Colombia.
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