The city of Incheon, next to Seoul (South Korea), is a growing city. On the way to the convention centre - Songdo Convensia - a grand, spectacularly designed building hosting the Fourth Lausanne Congress, one can see the cranes that continue to construct buildings with dozens of floors or new highways.

That economic strength is revealed in the many details of the first day of a historic gathering for the world’s evangelical people. With over 5,200 delegates, it is a gathering that honours what began 50 years ago in Lausanne (Switzerland), driven by figures such as Billy Graham, John Stott and Samuel Escobar: a movement to accelerate mission and the fulfilment of the Great Commission.

Hundreds of volunteers, thousands of participants

Arrivals at the convention centre took place throughout the day on Sunday 22 September, with moments of heavy crowds and others of relative calm. Registration went smoothly thanks to the 400 volunteers who are helping with this Congress, many of whom have been preparing for months in the different areas.

According to the organisers, the Congress preparation committee consisted of 1,400 people, divided into 47 teams including transport, communication, catering, security, travel assistance, translation... A huge amount of work, carried out with great excellence.

With Korean punctuality, the Congress officially began at 18:30 in the evening. The thousands of attendees were joined by those following the live broadcast on YouTube. A local Korean television station will also devote its entire week's programming to covering the event, confirming that for the local Christian community this is not just another event.

A city - and a nation - proud of Christianity

That importance was also reflected in the greetings made by the authorities present at the event, including the mayor of Incheon, Yoo Jeong-bok, who highlighted the city’s history as “the port through which Christianity entered our nation in the 19th century”.

The impact of Christianity on the development of South Korea’s culture, education and values were present during several moments of the lecture given by Michael Oh, the executive director of the Lausanne Movement.
 

Mission is a matter for “the whole” church

Oh reviewed the theme of the meeting (“May the church proclaim and display Christ together”) and did so in a positive, serious and realistic tone. There is still much to be done, and it cannot be done in our strength, but in humility, no matter how good plans or means we may think we have.

The Korean-American theologian called for reflection and repentance, for leaders to recognise that it is not possible to move forward if our lifestyle does not reflect Christ and if we do not move towards “the great collaboration” by breaking down the barriers that are holding back the church's ability to make an impact in the world.

These barriers included clashes over secondary issues, historical misgivings about allegiances that put themselves above Christ, or the distinction we still make between the sacred and the secular.

This last point figures as one of the highlights of the congress, which has planned a special week-long workshop to discuss the challenges of mission in the workplace. “We won’t be able to take the gospel to everyone and everywhere if only 1% of the church does it. We need the 99%, the doctors, teachers, carpenters or engineers, witnessing for Christ in their workplace”, Oh said.

Starting today, all attendees will engage in one of the 25 ‘gaps’ identified in the pre-congress report as “key” for the church to carry out the Great Commission.

The evening was punctuated by inspiring, high quality artistic moments that set the hearts of all present on fire, leading participants to worship God, generating a very positive anticipation for what lies ahead in the days ahead in a congress that will continue until the 28 September.

Launch of the Seoul Statement

As if that were not enough, the opening day of the Congress also saw the launch of the Seoul Statement. It is a document that joins those produced at previous events (the Lausanne Covenant, the Manila Manifesto and the Cape Town Commitment) and which, as explained by the Theology Commission in charge of its preparation, touches on seven themes of priority attention for the Church today, among them the Bible, the Church, Reconciliation and the Human Being.

Under the guidance of theologians Ivor Poobalan and Victor Nakah, a team has developed this document which aims to bring clarity and conviction to aspects that could be confusing at present. “Congress participants will be invited to interact with the content of the Declaration during these days, hoping that it will spark relevant conversations that will have an impact on the global church”, the organisation said in a press conference.

The report is now available on the Lausanne Movement’s website, translated into seven languages.

The other reference document for the 2024 Congress is the 500-page State of the Great Commission report. Read a summary of this report’s section on Europe in this Evangelical Focus article.