Research resources from and for missional Christian leaders
Occasional Papers
Lausanne Occasional Papers are our in-depth essays addressing key issues related to global evangelism, missions, and contemporary challenges facing the church. They provide analysis, theological reflection, and practical insights to equip Christians for effective ministry and mission work.
The Gospel and Ethics
Why do evangelicals draw such a sharp distinction between faith as cognition and faith as a way of life? Given our Lord’s teaching, example, and depictions of the final judgment, it is appropriate to begin with the reminder that the New Testament...
The Gospel and the Achievement of the Cross
I. The Centrality of the Cross II. Biblical Perspectives on the Cross and Salvation III. The Achievement of the Cross For more information go to The Gospel and the Achievement of the Cross on the Lausanne Movement website. The above link opens in a...
The Gospel in Historical Reception
Central to the theological reflection of the Lausanne movement has always been the realization that the gospel is rooted in real history and the gospel has been received within particular historical cultural contexts through the ages. The gospel...
The Impact on Global Mission of Religious Nationalism and 9/11 Realities
History is the story of nations. History includes the stories of culture, language, politics and religion. Down through history, religion has played a major role in shaping nations and society. Hinduism, Buddhism, Christianity Islam and other...
The Local Church in Mission
It is our deep conviction that congregations both in the West and in the Two-Thirds Worlds must make the transition to become “missional congregations”. Just what is a missional congregation? Missional congregations are those communities of Christ-fo...
The Pasadena Consultation: Homogeneous Unit Principle
Introduction: The Setting A discussion of the “homogeneous unit principle” of Church Growth theoryDefinition of Terms Dr. Donald McGavran’s definition of a HU is “a section of society in which all members have some characteristic in common.”The...
The Persecuted Church
On rare occasions the worldwide Body of Christ finds opportunity to converge national histories and speak of distinctive pilgrimages in the face of opposing forces. When this happens, the threads of truth encounter and faith suffering demonstrate...
The Realities of the Changing Expressions of the Church
Over the past thirty years new varieties of church have emerged all over the world. This study is based on cases from Africa, Asia, Europe, Latin America, and North America. Each of these churches considers themselves to be authentic expressions of...
The Two Thirds World Church
The Two-Thirds World Church and Evangelization What is God doing in the Two Thirds World Church?How can these churches be more effective in the following areas?What is the role of the Two Thirds World churches in the world today?In what ways can the...
The Uniqueness of Christ in a Postmodern World and the Challenge of World Religions
“So are you saying there’s such a thing as absolute truth?” the student confronts the pastor after his talk. “I don’t believe there is absolute truth. I think you can believe whatever you want to believe. All religions are the same, so whatever is...
The Whole Church as a Transformed and Transforming Society
When evangelicalism was defined at the international conference convened in London in 1846 to establish the Evangelical Alliance the definition explicitly excluded an ecclesiological statement. The reason for this was that the great evangelical...
The Whole Church – A Brief Biblical Survey
I The Origin of the Church II The people of God in the Old Testament III The People of God in the New Testament IV Pictures of the Church For more information go to The Whole Church – A Brief Biblical Survey on the Lausanne Movement website. The...
The Whole World – Statement of the Lausanne Theology Working Group (Beirut 2010)
A. The World In The Bible B. The World of God’s Creation C. The World of Cultures and Religions D The World Of Sin And Redemption For more information go to The Whole World – Statement of the Lausanne Theology Working Group (Beirut 2010) on the...
The Willowbank Report: Consultation on Gospel and Culture
The process of communicating the gospel cannot be isolated from the human culture from which it comes, or from that in which it is to be proclaimed. This fact constituted one of the preoccupations of the Lausanne Congress on World Evangelization in...
The Work of God through Biblical Justice and Social Concern
How should the Church integrate evangelism and justice? Soong-Chan Rah explores the biblical foundation for justice as an essential part of the gospel. From the Old Testament prophets to Jesus’ teachings and the early Church, he demonstrates how...
The World in the Bible
The idea of ‘gaining the whole world’ while ‘losing your own soul’ crossed my mind as I struggled to work through a concordance search on the biblical words translated ‘world’ and related words and concepts. It was a most illuminating exercise,...
Towards a Biblical and Theological Framework for Child Participation in the Missio Dei
Children can declare and display the glory of God. Hart’s Ladder of Participation ManipulationDecorationTokenismAssigned but informedConsulted and informedAdult-initiated, shared decisions with childrenChild-initiated and directedChild-initiated,...
Towards a Missiology of Caring for Creation
Over recent years far more attention has been given to the creation within an understanding of the redeeming purposes of God. It is fair to say that an effective consensus has been reached among evangelical theologians that God’s redemption in...
Towards the Transformation of Our Cities/Regions
Christianity was first and foremost an urban movement. However, for much of the history of the Church that has not always been true (Conn and Ortiz: 39-43). In June 1980, a fresh missiological movement with the large cities of the world was born in...
Understanding Global Change and Cultural Shifts in the Religiously Pluralistic Context
A Crucial Aspect in the Contextualization of the GospelGlobalization and Cultural Shifts: An Overview The church today must respond to the centuries-old call of proclaiming gospel hope in a world formed by unprecedented global change and cultural...
Understanding Muslims
All over the world, innovative forms of witnessing to and discipling Muslims are developing which are seeing greatly increased fruitfulness. There are movements of Muslims to Christ numbering in the thousands, in diverse parts of the world,...
Way of Hope in Cambodia
Cambodia’s approximately 12 million people have suffered decades of civil war, including genocide under the Khmer Rouge holocaust, where as many as 2 million people died. This extended period of destruction has devastated Cambodia’s social, economic,...
‘The Whole Church’: Statement of the Lausanne Theology Working Group
The starting point for our ecclesiology must be the same as for our theology of mission and for our understanding of the world. Mission, the church, and the world all belong to God. The concept of missio Dei reminds us that our mission flows from...
‘The Whole Gospel’: Lausanne Reflects on its Own Vision
‘THE WHOLE CHURCH taking the whole gospel to the whole world’. This is the phrase with which the Lausanne Covenant (1974) sums up the meaning of evangelization. It is a resounding triplet that has become an unofficial motto of the Lausanne movement,...
‘Unexpected’ Guests at God’s Banquet Table – Gospel in Mission and Culture
Split cod and ale. That is all they have eaten for years on end. But today the sisters’ table is sumptuously spread with exquisite fare that awakens all senses. With lavish love the servant Babette has spent even her last cent on this banquet. And...
‘Unwanted Sectarians’: Spirit, Migration and Mission in an African-led Mega-Size Church in Eastern Europe
The physical signs of the Southern shift in Christianity’s centre of gravity from the Northern to the Southern continents include the rise of immigrant churches in Europe and North America. The recession of Christian presence in the former...
Theological Foundation Papers
The Theological Foundation Papers provide a biblical and theological framework for the key questions and trends identified in the State of the Great Commission Report. Published as Lausanne Occasional Papers, this collection features contributions...