Lausanne State of the Great Commission Report

Last week the Lausanne Movement published the “State of the Great Commission” report. The State of the Great Commission report by the Lausanne Movement is a comprehensive document prepared with insights from over 150 global mission experts. 

The Lausanne Movement is a global network of evangelical Christian leaders established to connect influencers and ideas for global mission. It was founded in 1974 by a group of Christian leaders, including the influential evangelist Billy Graham, during the first International Congress on World Evangelization held in Lausanne, Switzerland. The movement emphasizes collaboration and strategic planning in evangelism, aiming to address critical global issues from a Christian perspective and mobilize the global Church to share the Gospel more effectively.

The report aims to assess and strategize on how the global church can fulfill Jesus’ Great Commission today. The report combines the latest global data with expert analysis to identify major opportunities and challenges in worldwide evangelism, covering aspects like current trends, contextual shifts, and regional considerations. The document is a crucial part of the Lausanne 4 initiative, aiming to influence global mission efforts up to 2050.

Of note to readers of this newsletter is the "What is a Digital Life?" page on the Lausanne Movement's report page. Lausanne covers several key aspects of how digital technology impacts modern life and ministry:

Digital Connectivity

The report discusses the extensive reach of internet connectivity globally, emphasizing the pervasive nature of digital interactions in most people's lives. Lausanne elaborates on how digital technologies have become integral to daily life, enabling widespread communication and interaction. It highlights the universal nature of digital connectivity, influencing various aspects of social and economic activities.

Transformation of Ministry Data

The quantifiable amount of data that global ministries and their teams are now able to cultivate is unprecedented, encompassing anything and everything from digital gospel engagement to oral communicator surveys to the GPS coordinates of house churches. And it will continue to expand as new ministry needs are revealed and more workers come alongside to innovate. Global data accessibility is transforming how data is collected, interpreted, and strategically applied. As the body of Christ continually expands and diversifies, the goal for global data is stewardship, ownership, and utilization by a body that better reflects today’s church.

The Lausanne Movement focuses ministries on the global status and challenges of discipleship within the framework of the Great Commission. The report explores perceptions among Christian leaders about the commitment to the Great Commission across various regions, the preparedness of Christians to share the Gospel, and the frequency of teaching on this topic. The report also discusses the effectiveness of current discipleship practices in fostering active gospel proclamation, highlighting a disparity between teaching frequency and actual engagement in gospel work. 

As ministry leaders work to keep themselves and their teams up to date on emerging trends in digital evangelism and the technical world, reports such as the “State of the Great Commission” will serve as a valuable resource. In this space, if we’re not learning, we’re losing, and we encourage everyone to read through this in depth report with your team.