Conservative Christians set evangelism summit

0 Comments | Deseret News (Salt Lake City), May 12, 2007

CAPE TOWN, South Africa (AP) -- Conservative Christians are planning a world evangelism summit modeled on the 1974 Lausanne Congress that at the time was considered the widest-ranging meeting of Christians ever held.

The Third International Congress on World Evangelization is scheduled for Oct. 16-25 in Cape Town. Organizers say the event will consider new evangelism strategies in light of shifts in the global population of Christians. Christianity is growing dramatically in the developing world, while many churches in Western countries are losing strength.

The 1974 Lausanne Congress was led by the Rev. Billy Graham and drew more than 2,700 traditional Christian leaders from 150 countries. Participants in the meeting drafted what is known as the Lausanne Covenant, which described the theological basis for world evangelism.

In 1989, 3,600 leaders from 190 nations attended Lausanne II in Manila, Philippines.

The Lausanne Committee for World Evangelization, which is organizing the 2010 meeting, Lausanne III, expects 4,000 church and mission leaders from 200 countries to attend.