WCC FEATURE: Cape Town mission congress: WCC delegates join in celebrating reconciliation

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World Council of Churches - Feature

WCC DELEGATES JOIN IN CELEBRATING RECONCILIATION AT CAPE TOWN EVENT

For immediate release: 20 October 2010

By Fofo Lerefolo (*)

The third Congress of the Lausanne Movement has been meeting in Cape 
Town,
South Africa since the beginning of this week. Delegates from 200
countries have been discussing evangelism in diverse contexts, styles 
and
cultures. The theme of the event is “God in Christ reconciling the 
world
to himself” (2 Corinthians 5:19).

The Lausanne Movement seeks to be a global network of "reflective
practitioners" who share one vision for the work of world 
evangelization.
The movement began in 1974 when the Rev. Dr Billy Graham and the Rev. 
Dr
John R.W. Stott convened the International Congress on World
Evangelization in Lausanne,  Switzerland with the goal of framing “a
biblical declaration on evangelism” and stating “what the relationship
is between evangelism and social responsibility”. The Lausanne 
Covenant
adopted by the first congress has been a rallying cry for many 
Christians,
and for some it has come to define what is meant by “evangelical”.

A delegation representing the World Council of Churches (WCC) and led 
by
WCC general secretary Rev. Dr Olav Fykse Tveit has been present at the
third congress, in Cape Town, an event the Lausanne movement 
leadership
refers to as its "most diverse gathering ever". Over the decades, the 
WCC
and leaders of the Lausanne movement have engaged in lively dialogue
concerning the nature of Christian mission, evangelism and social 
action.
Tveit is the first WCC general secretary to be invited to address 
such a
congress.

In his greeting on behalf of the WCC, Tveit spoke of Christians’
“common vision of the holistic mission of God.” He added, “Let us
keep the road open, and the dialogue going, so that we learn from one
another how we can participate in God’s mission together with respect 
to
others as one Body of Christ.”

A landmark in Christian history

The year 2010 was chosen for this third Lausanne congress because it 
marks
the 100th anniversary of the 1910 World Missionary Conference, 
convened in
Edinburgh, Scotland. It was a climactic event following 19th-century
missionary expansion, and has been identified by historians of
Christianity as the beginning of the modern ecumenical movement. 
Several
2010 events are being held throughout the world in honour of this
centenary, including a June consultation in Edinburgh at which Tveit
provided introductory remarks (Link:
http://www.oikoumene.org/index.php?RDCT=e37b9b6423600496bf55 ).

Tveit told the congress in Cape Town that reconciliation is what being
Christian “is all about." He said, "We are called to be one, to be
reconciled, so that the world may believe that God reconciles the 
world to
himself in Christ."

In the opening session of the congress on Sunday, the Rev. Dr S. 
Douglas
Birdsall, executive chairman of the Lausanne Movement, also 
emphasized the
theme of reconciliation.

Birdsall welcomed participants, saying that reconciliation is "our 
focus,
our calling and our passion. It is this reconciling gospel that 
brings us
together."

Birdsall encouraged delegates to draw close to each other as they were
drawing close to God. "This is a working congress with a specific 
task.
Its outcomes, shaped by us all as we look to God, could help to chart 
the
course of world evangelization for the next decades," he said.

The diversity of the congress in Cape Town is echoed by the Bible 
study
groups in which delegates meet each morning to reflect together on a 
text
from Ephesians. Participants share their own observations and apply 
what
they read to their own context. Each group is like a microcosm of the
global church, providing an opportunity to sit together, learn from 
one
another, show concern for one another, stimulate and build 
partnerships
and also to pray for one another.

Voices for justice and reconciliation

In an interview, the moderator of the WCC Commission of World Mission 
and
Evangelism, Metropolitan Geevarghese Mor Coorilos, said that in a
historical context that requires greater unity among Christians, the
participation of the WCC in this congress of the Lausanne movement 
would
go a long way toward bridging the gap between evangelicals and the
ecumenical movement, "a distinction that we need to overcome".

"It is particularly reassuring to listen to the voices for justice and
reconciliation," Mor Coorilos said. He added that he prays that the 
spirit
of unity in the congress, which was also demonstrated by a broad
constituency and in a tangible manner at the centennial celebrations 
of
the 1910 World Mission Conference earlier this year in Edinburgh, 
could be
sustained for a long time.

[721 words]

(*)Fofo Lerefolo is an intern in the WCC programme on Unity, mission,
evangelism and spirituality from South Africa.

Website of the 3rd Lausanne Congress for World Evangelization
(Link: http://www.oikoumene.org/index.php?RDCT=e0e573d24fb9e8ceaf7b )

Read the full text of the WCC general secretary's address
(Link: http://www.oikoumene.org/index.php?RDCT=ee57c1af58346ae2f732 )

Read the latest blog posts by the WCC consultant for Evangelism John
Baxter-Brown (Link: 
http://www.oikoumene.org/index.php?RDCT=0f88447d52bdaf1febdd
)


The World Council of Churches promotes Christian unity in faith, 
witness 
and service for a just and peaceful world. An ecumenical fellowship 
of 
churches founded in 1948, today the WCC brings together 349 
Protestant, 
Orthodox, Anglican and other churches representing more than 560 
million 
Christians in over 110 countries, and works cooperatively with the 
Roman 
Catholic Church. The WCC general secretary is Rev. Dr Olav Fykse 
Tveit, 
from the [Lutheran] Church of Norway. Headquarters: Geneva, 
Switzerland.



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