Occasional Paper Summary
This short Occasional Paper summarizes separate discussions held among three distinct groups of Christian leaders.
- Pastors, Mission Pastors, and Church Leaders: this section outlined twelve common belief affirmations, listed five action points, and made five recommendations. The main themes of these lists include the important role played by the local church and the necessity of networking and cooperation among pastors.
- Senior Advisors to the Lausanne Movement: the section briefly described the work of consultation, observation, and encouragement done by the senior advisors as they participated in Issue Group meetings.
- CEOs of International Evangelistic Organizations: this section briefly listed the agenda topics but did not describe the discussions or recommendations that resulted from the group.
Beneficial Ideas and Stimulating Questions – A Personal Perspective
Pastors, Mission Pastors, and Church Leaders
The twelve common belief affirmations are useful to set the context for the five action points and the corresponding recommendations. The personally beneficial idea that resulted from the document structure is that belief affirmations drive personal actions as well as corporate actions. The five action points focus on personal actions, while the five recommendations are corporate actions specifically directed to the “Lausanne movement”. The table below shows the relationship between the action points and the recommendations along with questions that may drive further discussions or the actual realization of the proposed actions:
Action Point, Recommendation, Stimulating Questions
- Action: Encourage (local) churches to utilize the resources of the Lausanne Issue Group.
- Recommendation: Organize future programs that emphasize the centrality of the local church.
- Q: How would the local church use the resources? Are the resources requested by the local church?
- IDEA: add a “usefulness indicator” for each resource that is tagged by church size and location? [Escobar p.62]
- Action: Establish a network of mission pastors for ongoing synergy.
- Recommendation: Develop regional and international networks for mission pastors
- Q: How would the network continue to be energized? Is a bulletin board/ blog exchange enough? [Pocock p.318]
- IDEA: pilot the idea in a specific region; consider using already available social media; consider having a full time moderator who is well connected to global resources. [Ferguson p.197]
- Action: Strengthen the mission, vision, and effectiveness of the (under 300) local church.
- Recommendation: Invest in research, networking, and resources for leaders of the (under 300) local church.
- Q: this takes time — how should “we” mitigate the challenges of expecting fast results and knowing how to “measure success”
- Action: Partner in prayer with at least one leader from a different people group.
- Recommendation: Develop bases of cooperation between organizations.
- Q: can this be achieved in any other way then by making a personal commitment? (life gets busy)
- Action: Attend and observe a church in a different country.
- Recommendation: Encourage synergistic cooperation between continents.
- NOTE: there are logistical challenges to overcome (funds, language, etc.) [Pocock p.291]
Senior Advisors to the Lausanne Movement
Due to the nature of this section – focused on the activities of the senior advisors – this section provided few personally beneficial ideas. However, the two main ideas that did come across in the section were (1) the servant attitude and (2) the humility exhibited by this group of leaders [Fenelon p. 12]. Studying these two ideas provides the foundational characteristics of Christ-like leadership. In contrast with the secular view, Christ-like leadership is centered on following the movement, actions, and prompting of the Holy Spirit [Docea, table on page 2].
The stimulating question that resulted from meditating on these two characteristics was: Will I lose track of the fundamentals of the mission [Escobar p.25] by focusing on “strategic thinking” for global missions [Escobar p.23]? (The word “missions” rather than “mission” used on purpose.) This diagnostic question is penetrating as well as broad in scope. It is my prayer that I would not lose sight of it as I continue my studies.
CEOs of International Evangelistic Organizations
Although this section mentions the four discussion topics, the section is completely silent on the perspectives presented during discussion. Similarly, there is no mention regarding what were the common issues and concerns, nor any resolutions or agreements that resulted from the discussions. The approach of maintaining silence regarding the content of discussion may not be intentional; however, it can lead one to compare this gathering to similar, closed door, secular gatherings of company CEOs that are “by invitation only”.
The personally beneficial idea from this section is to cultivate a heightened sense of awareness regarding perceptions especially as they relate to positions or power and leadership. The danger in Christian leadership is to emulate secular organizational structures that, by their very nature, create leadership boundaries between the leader and those who are led. In such instances, the one in authority becomes “blind’ to the power distance created. Although they may feel approachable, the very structure in which they operate, as well as the tendency of many to “elevate” those with authority are working against “approachability”. Therefore, a leader must constantly and purposefully cultivate an approachable persona and fight against the unavoidable current that pulls towards exclusivity.
The stimulating question is similar in tone to the question mentioned in the previous section: What steps must I take to prevent having an approachability “blind spot”? Looking at Jesus’, one can see that he is the best model of a leader who is approachable. My prayer is that I will always look to Jesus as the model for leadership, and be an acceptable living sacrifice in my daily life. [Piper p.31]
References
Escobar, Samuel, “The New Global Mission”, InterVarsity Press, 2003
Docea, Florin “A Brief Reading Report on Lausanne Occasional Paper No. 41”, TEDS, Elmbrook Christian Center, 2010
Ferguson, Dave, and Ferguson, Jon, “Exponential”, Zondervan, 2010
Fenelon, Francois “The Seeking Heart”, SeedSowers Publishing, 1992
Lausanne Occasional Paper No. 61, “Special Issue Group for Senior Advisors, Senior Pastors, and Executives of International Evangelistic Organizations”, Pattaya, Thailand, 2004
Piper, John, “Don’t Waste Your Life”, Crossway, 2009
Pocock, Michael, Van Rheenen, Gailyn, and McConnell, Douglas “The Changing Face of World Missions”, Baker, 2005