Cape Town 2010
As I flew back to the UK from Cape Town this morning I was sat next to a complete stranger who had not been to the congress. She asked me what it had been about and what difference it would make. These are the two questions that we need to ask ourselves at the end of the third Lausanne Global Congress on World Evangelisation, and here is my attempt to begin to answer them.
I’d love to have eavesdropped on other people’s reflections as over 4000 similar conversations were probably taking place on planes, trains and automobiles as the exodus from the International Convention Centre began. I have no doubt that the majority of them were, like mine, brimming with encouragement that there is so much to thank God for in terms of the vibrancy of the church all around the world. I personally met believers from Sudan, Turkey and Hong Kong that gave me great reason to be excited from the way in which they demonstrated that “God is on the move.” The buzz of excited conversations during break times, the enthusiasm that delegates showed for discursive small group bible study at the congress itself as we met around tables, the exuberance of our communal worship as we all tried to dance like Africans or sing like Latin Americans – are all great encouragements that will stay with me for many years to come. And I enjoyed a number of very useful introductions that will be tremendously useful for partnerships in mission – from New Zealand to Sri Lanka to North America to Romania.
However, it is very difficult to quantify and assess whether the congress was worth its $16 million dollar budget and what must have been nearly 650 000 working hours of senior global leaders. (5000 delegates and staff x 10 days (+ travel time) working from 830am – 9.30pm each day). Yes it was encouraging, yes we heard some amazingly challenging testimony and some very encouraging reports, and yes we heard four plenary sessions that were I thought seminal to our moving forward as a church ( Antoine from Rwanda, Ziya Meyal from Turkey, Raymond Fung from Malaysia, and Chris Wright from the UK). All these challenged colonial pride, faith in pragmatism, the reductionist gospel and triumphalism of much of the western missionary movement and called us to deeper discipleship, a bigger gospel and authentic partnerships. But the real significance of this challenge will be in what happens next.
The first half of the Cape Town Commitments has been drafted. It is a weighty theological statement, but it is framed by love and relationality. Here is the structure of the document
PART ONE
FOR THE LORD WE LOVE:
OUR COMMITMENT OF FAITH
1. We love because God first loved us
2. We love the living God
3. We love God the Father
4. We love God the Son
5. We love God the Holy Spirit
6. We love Godʼs word
7. We love Godʼs world
8. We love the gospel of God
9. We love the people of God
10. We love the mission of GodPART TWO
FOR THE WORLD WE SERVE: OUR COMMITMENT TO ACTION
Chris Wright has done a masterful job as chief architect / secretary of the group. Here are some stand out quotes I have digested so far:
“We fall into syncretism, enticed by the idols of greed, power and success, serving mammon rather than God. We accept dominant political and economic ideologies without biblical critique.”
“Such love for all peoples demands that we reject the evils of racism and ethnocentrism, and treat every ethnic and cultural group with dignity and respect, on the grounds of their value to God in creation and redemption.”
“We love the transformation the gospel produces. The gospel is God’s life-transforming power at work in the world. “It is the power of God for the salvation of everyone who believes.” Faith alone is the means by which the blessings and assurance of the gospel are received. Saving faith however never remains alone, but necessarily shows itself in obedience. Christian obedience is “faith expressing itself through love.” We are not saved by good works, but having been saved by grace alone we are “created in Christ Jesus to do good works.””
“We confess that we have not always shown such loving solidarity with our persecuted sisters and brothers, being more concerned for our own safety”.
We commit ourselves to the integral and dynamic exercise of all dimensions of mission to which God calls his church.God commands us to make known to all nations the truth of God’s revelation and the gospel of God’s saving grace through Jesus Christ, calling all people to repentance, faith, baptism and obedient discipleship.God commands us to reflect his own character though compassionate care for the needy, and to demonstrate the values and the power of the kingdom of God in striving for justice and peace and in caring for God’s creation.”
This is all right and proper and helpful, but I wonder whether we picked too many topics to meaningfully engage with for one congress: truth, reconciliation, world religions, priorities and partnerships.
My favourite times of the congress happened in the non-programmed time, as there was incredible opportunity to make the most of the huge variety of people that gathered for the congress. Perhaps this is always true of conferences and congresses, but it makes me wonder if there’s another way to find these opportunities to relate. But as we try to find ways to bring “the whole gospel through the whole church to the whole world” these congresses are the closest thing we have to getting at least some of the right people in the same room. Political wrangling, power plays, polemics and posturing aside, and even without a clear mandate or a clear end product – this was a fantastic occasion.
My answer to the lady on South African Airways Flight 220: The conference was an opportunity to celebrate the fact that the global church is alive and kicking, that God is on the move doing some extraordinary things around the world and we need to make sure we are following his lead.
Thanks, Krish: very constructively helpful reflections.
Though I did just laugh out loud at the idea of team being included in the calculation as ‘working from 830am – 9.30pm each day’. Hysterical.
I was especially encouraged that you found 4 of the sessions so significant – as those of us on team weren’t able to make it to those sessions, it’s just encouraging to hear one person say something was significant (not just nice…). (Chris Wright of UK, though please – I won’t let you get away with putting a fellow N.Irish exile down as English
)
Doug, Lindsay & Ab Orombi gave a press conference on this question of lasting significance, on Sunday. It was rather good, but we’re still working on getting the video up! Those of us still in Cape Town are rather missing team members who’ve travelled back already. Anyway, these leaders were very clear that we’re not about to have another Congress just for the sake of it, or even because it’s asked for. But indeed, as you drew out in your post, the value of a Congress is only partly in thoughts & ideas from the front (watch online or send CDs or radio broadcasts in that case) – and have those with a glut of such things (e.g. in the UK) say that a Congress is a waste of money. Far more, those things just serve to stimulate discussion and true relationship in meeting people face to face in corridors and on table groups. Is it worth the money? Well, if we’re wanting countable results, we’re going to be frustrated. (And to be honest, those on team who will only ever see the videos of ‘up front’ stuff rather than experiencing it as a participant, would likely be frustrated.) But who knows what will grow from it in the long term? I guess sometimes we have to do these things from a conviction that it’s how God would have us work, pray in humility for great discernment as to whether, how, and when, and trust God with the outcomes.
I look forward to seeing you ‘reflect aloud’ on your blog in coming weeks, months, years, ideas and practice which has been shaped by those you’ve met in Cape Town, visions of those who inspired you, faith of those who came alongside you. I know it won’t always be ‘tagged’ as CT2010, but I’m going to trust that because God gave you ears to hear, and connected you by His Spirit with people to encourage, that the fruit is going to bear out!
Hi Krish been trying to find a way to answer your question about my grandfather – indeed he was Alan Paton.
It’s a pity we couldn’t meet in Cape Town, but I think L3 was for “insiders”.
Blessings
Nic Paton (nic dot paton at webafrica dot org dot za)
Hi Nic
thanks for your message – I can’t imagine what it must be like to have such a well known grandfather. I found too late the phalarope and cry the beloved country incredibly moving books. Hope all is well with you – stay in touch – blessings krish