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In 1966, the Billy Graham Evangelistic Association, in partnership with America’s Christianity Today magazine, sponsored the World Congress on Evangelism in Berlin. The Congress brought together 1,200 delegates from over 100 countries and inspired a number of follow-up conferences in places such as Singapore and Bogotá. Sensing a need for a much larger and more diverse gathering, Billy Graham and other Christian leaders put together an event in Lausanne, Switzerland. The congress, which took place in July, 1974, had nearly 2,700 participants and guests from more than 150 nations. The attendees spent 10 days of discussion, fellowship, worship, and prayer. The outcomes from the congress included the formation of the Lausanne Covenant, the introduction of the term “unreached people groups” by Ralph Winter, and a new spirit of cooperation among Christians around the world. Following the gathering, a number of meetings took place around the world to discuss and strategize how the Body of Christ could evangelize the entire world.

The second Lausanne Congress took place in Manila in 1989. More nations attended and more outcomes resulted from the gathering. A host of meetings followed over the next years, including Younger Leaders Gatherings; various geographic/people-focused consultations, and strategy meetings. The Lausanne Movement continued to grow, and many efforts were made to keep it from becoming an organization. It was intended to be a movement that belonged to no one denomination, country, or group.

The third Lausanne Congress will take place from October 16-25 in Cape Town, South Africa. Slightly more than 4,000 leaders from more than 200 countries have been invited to participate. The diversity will be greater than ever with more countries invited and the selection committees’ emphasis on women, ethnic minorities, and young leaders. Of the 4,000 invitees, 400 will be from the U.S. and three are from The Mission Society – Dr. Darrell Whiteman, Rev. Kirk Sims, and Richard Coleman. Please pray for these three as they learn, network, and by God’s grace, contribute to the conversation. Dr. Darrell Whiteman and Richard Coleman will be serving as small group leaders.

Among the topics scheduled to be covered during Lausanne III are: the uniqueness of Christ in a pluralistic world; reconciliation, suffering (global economic injustice, disease, environment, and poverty); relativism, unity, and the unfinished task of evangelization.

If you are interested in learning more about the Lausanne Movement, or if you would like to participate online, please go to http://www.lausanne.org for more information. Through this website you will be able to read documents, interact with others around the world, and even view certain parts of Lausanne III.