Lausanne
Covenent(1974)
This covenant was established by the the 3,700
representatives during the world evangelism
convention(from 150 countries) from July to 25th in July
in 1974. The draft of this covenant was
written by John Stott who is a world wide known
evangelist)
INTRODUCTION: We, members of the Church of Jesus
Christ, from more than 150 nations, participants in the International Congress
on World Evangelization at Lausanne, praise God for his great salvation and
rejoice in the fellowship he has given us with himself and with each other. We
are deeply stirred by what God is doing in our day, moved to penitence by our
failures and challenged by the unfinished task of evangelization. We believe the
gospel is God's good news for the whole world, and we are determined by his
grace to obey Christ's commission to proclaim it to all humankind and to make
disciples of every nation. We desire, therefore, to affirm our faith and our
resolve, and to make public our covenant.
1. The Purpose of
God
We affirm our belief in the one eternal God, Creator and Lord of
the world, Father, Son and Holy Spirit, who governs all things according to the
purpose of his will. He has been calling out from the world a people for
himself, and sending his people back into the world to be his servants and his
witnesses, for the extension of his kingdom, the building up of Christ's body,
and the glory of his name. We confess with shame that we have often denied our
calling and failed in our mission, by becoming conformed to the world or by
withdrawing from it. Yet we rejoice that even when borne by earthen vessels the
gospel is still a precious treasure. To the task of making that treasure known
in the power of the Holy Spirit we desire to dedicate ourselves anew. (Isa.
40:28; Matt. 28:19; Eph. 1:11; Acts 15:14; John 17:6,18; Eph. 4:12; 1 Cor. 5:10;
Rom. 12:2; 2 Cor. 4:7)
2. The Authority and Power of the
Bible
We affirm the divine inspiration, truthfulness and authority of
both the Old and New Testament Scriptures in their entirety as the only written
word of God, without error in all that it affirms, and the only infallible rule
of faith and practice. We also affirm the power of God's word to accomplish his
purpose of salvation. The message of the Bible is addressed to all humankind.
For God's revelation in Christ and in Scripture is unchangeable. Through it the
Holy Spirit still speaks today. He illumines the minds of God's people in every
culture to perceive its truth freshly through their own eyes and thus discloses
to the whole church ever more of the many-colored wisdom of God. (2 Tim. 3:16; 2
Pet. 1:21; John 10:35; Isa. 55:11; 1 Cor. 1:21; Rom. 1:16; Matt. 5:17,18; Jude
3; Eph. 1:17, 18; 3:10, 18)
3. Of the Uniqueness and Universality of
Christ
We affirm that there is only one Savior and only one gospel,
although there is a wide diversity of evangelistic approaches. We recognize that
all people have some knowledge of God through his general revelation in nature.
But we deny that this can save, for people suppress the truth through their
unrighteousness. We also reject as derogatory to Christ and the gospel every
kind of syncretism and dialogue which implies that Christ speaks equally through
all religions and ideologies. Jesus Christ, being himself the only God-man, who
gave himself as the only ransom for sinners, is the only mediator between God
and humanity. There is no other name by which we must be saved. All people are
perishing because of sin, but God loves all people, not wishing that any should
perish but that all should repent. Yet those who reject Christ repudiate the joy
of salvation and condemn themselves to eternal separation from God. To proclaim
Jesus as "the Savior of the world" is not to affirm that all people are either
automatically or ultimately saved, still less to affirm that all religions offer
salvation in Christ. Rather it is to proclaim God's love for a world of sinners
and to invite all people to respond to him as Savior and Lord in the
wholehearted personal commitment of repentance and faith. Jesus Christ has been
exalted above every other name; we long for the day when every knee shall bow to
him and every tongue shall confess him Lord. (Gal. 1:6-9; Rom. 1:18-32; 1 Tim.
2:5,6; Acts 4:12; John 3:16-19; 2 Pet. 3:9; 2 Thess. 1:7-9; John 4:42; Matt.
11:28; Eph 1:20,21; Phil. 2:9-11)
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4. The Nature of
Evangelism
To evangelize is to spread the good news that Jesus Christ
died for our sins and was raised from the dead according to the Scriptures, and
that as the reigning Lord he now offers the forgiveness of sins and the
liberating gift of the Spirit to all who repent and believe. Our Christian
presence in the world is indispensable to evangelism, and so is that kind of
dialogue whose purpose is to listen sensitively in order to understand. But
evangelism itself is the proclamation of the historical, biblical Christ as
Savior and Lord, with a view to persuading people to come to him personally and
so be reconciled to God. In issuing the gospel invitation we have no liberty to
conceal the cost of discipleship. Jesus still calls all who would follow him to
deny themselves, take up their cross, and identify themselves with his new
community. The results of evangelism include obedience to Christ, incorporation
into his church and responsible service in the world. (1 Cor. 15:3,4; Acts
2:32-39; John 20:21; 1 Cor. 1:23; 2 Cor. 4:5; 5:11,20; Luke 14:25-33; Mark 8:34;
Acts 2:40,47; Mark 10:43-45)
5. Christian Social
Responsibility
We affirm that God is both the Creator and the Judge
of all people. We therefore should share his concern for justice and
reconciliation throughout human society and for the liberation of people from
every kind of oppression. Because humankind is made in the image of God, every
person, regardless of race, religion, color, class, sex or age, has an intrinsic
dignity because of which each person should be respected and served, not
exploited. Here too we express penitence both for our neglect and for having
sometimes regarded evangelism and social concern as mutually exclusive. Although
reconciliation with humanity is not reconciliation with God, nor is social
action evangelism, nor is political liberation salvation, nevertheless we affirm
that evangelism and socio-political involvement are both part of our Christian
duty. For both are necessary expressions of our doctrines of God and humanity,
our love for our neighbor and our obedience to Jesus Christ. The message of
salvation implies also a message of judgment upon every form of alienation,
oppression and discrimination, and we should not be afraid to denounce evil and
injustice wherever they exist. When people receive Christ they are born again
into his kingdom and must seek not only to exhibit but also to spread its
righteousness in the midst of an unrighteous world. The salvation we claim
should be transforming us in the totality of our personal and social
responsibilities. Faith without works is dead. (Acts 17:26,31; Gen. 18:25; Isa.
1:17; Psa. 45:7; Gen. 1:26,27; Jas. 3:9; Lev. 19:18; Luke 6:27,35; Jas. 2:14-26;
John 3:3,5; Matt. 5:20; 6:33; 2 Cor. 3:18; Jas. 2:20)
6. The Church
and Evangelism
We affirm that Christ sends his redeemed people into
the world as the Father sent him, and that this calls for a similar deep and
costly penetration of the world. We need to break out of our ecclesiastical
ghettos and permeate non-Christian society. In the church's mission of
sacrificial service evangelism is primary. World evangelization requires the
whole church to take the whole gospel to the whole world. The church is at the
very center of God's cosmic purpose and is his appointed means of spreading the
gospel. But a church which preaches the cross must itself be marked by the
cross. It becomes a stumbling block to evangelism when it betrays the gospel or
lacks a living faith in God, a genuine love for people, or scrupulous honesty in
all things including promotion and finance. The church is the community of God's
people rather than an institution, and must not be identified with any
particular culture, social or political system, or human ideology. (John 17:18;
20:21; Matt. 28:19,20; Acts 1:8; 20:27; Eph. 1:9,10; 3:9-11; Gal. 6:14,17; 2
Cor. 6:3,4; 2 Tim. 2:19-21; Phil. 1:27)
7. Cooperation in
Evangelism
We affirm that the church's visible unity in truth is
God's purpose. Evangelism also summons us to unity, because our oneness
strengthens our witness, just as our disunity undermines our gospel of
reconciliation. We recognize, however, that organizational unity may take many
forms and does not necessarily forward evangelism. Yet we who share the same
biblical faith should be closely united in fellowship, work and witness. We
confess that our testimony has sometimes been marred by sinful individualism and
needless duplication. We pledge ourselves to seek a deeper unity in truth,
worship, holiness and mission. We urge the development of regional and
functional cooperation for the furtherance of the church's mission, for
strategic planning, for mutual encouragement, and for the sharing of resources
and experience. (John 17:21,23; Eph. 4:3,4; John 13:35; Phil. 1:27; John
17:11-23)
8. Churches in Evangelistic Partnership
We
rejoice that a new missionary era has dawned. The dominant role of western
missions is fast disappearing. God is raising up from the younger churches a
great new resource for world evangelization, and is thus demonstrating that the
responsibility to evangelize belongs to the whole body of Christ. All churches
should therefore be asking God and themselves what they should be doing both to
reach their own area and to send missionaries to other parts of the world. A
re-evaluation of our missionary responsibility and role should be continuous.
Thus a growing partnership of churches will develop and the universal character
of Christ's church will be more clearly exhibited. We also thank God for
agencies which labor in Bible translation, theological education, the mass
media, Christian literature, evangelism, missions, church renewal and other
specialist fields. They too should engage in constant self-examination to
evaluate their effectiveness as part of the church's mission. (Rom. 1:8; Phil.
1:5; 4:15; Acts 13:1-3; 1 Thess. 1:6-8)
9. The Urgency of the
Evangelistic Task
More than 2,700 million people, which is more than
two-thirds of humanity, have yet to be evangelized. We are ashamed that so many
have been neglected; it is a standing rebuke to us and to the whole church.
There is now, however, in many parts of the world an unprecedented receptivity
to the Lord Jesus Christ. We are convinced that this is the time for churches
and para-church agencies to pray earnestly for the salvation of the unreached
and to launch new efforts to achieve world evangelization. A reduction of
foreign missionaries and money in an evangelized country may sometimes be
necessary to facilitate the national church's growth in self-reliance and to
release resources for unevangelized areas. Missionaries should flow ever more
freely from and to all six continents in a spirit of humble service. The goal
should be, by all available means and at the earliest possible time, that every
person will have the opportunity to hear, understand, and receive the good news.
We cannot hope to attain this goal without sacrifice. All of us are shocked by
the poverty of millions and disturbed by the injustices which cause it. Those of
us who live in affluent circumstances accept our duty to develop a simple
life-style in order to contribute more generously to both relief and evangelism.
(John 9:4; Matt. 9:35-38; Rom. 9:1-3; 1 Cor. 9:19-23; Mark 16:15; Isa. 58:6,7;
Jas. 1:27; 2:1-9; Matt. 25:31-46; Acts 2:44,45; 4:34,35)
10 Evangelism
and Culture
The development of strategies for world evangelization
calls for imaginative pioneering methods. Under God, the result will be the rise
of churches deeply rooted in Christ and closely related to their culture.
Culture must always be tested and judged by Scripture. Because humanity is God's
creature, some of our culture is rich in beauty and goodness. Because we are
fallen, all human culture is tainted with sin and some of it is demonic. The
gospel does not presuppose the superiority of any culture to another, but
evaluates all cultures according to its own criteria of truth and righteousness,
and insists on moral absolutes in every culture. Missions have all too
frequently exported with the gospel an alien culture, and churches have
sometimes been in bondage to culture rather than to the Scripture. Christ's
evangelists must humbly seek to empty themselves of all but their personal
authenticity in order to become the servants of others, and churches must seek
to transform and enrich culture, all for the glory of God. (Mark 7:8,9,13; Gen.
4:21,22; 1 Cor. 9:19-23; Phil. 2:5-7; 2 Cor. 4:5)
11. Education and
Leadership
We confess that we have sometimes pursued church growth at
the expense of church depth, and divorced evangelism from Christian nurture. We
also acknowledge that some of our missions have been too slow to equip and
encourage national leaders to assume their rightful responsibilities. Yet we are
committed to indigenous principles, and long that every church will have
national leaders who manifest a Christian style of leadership in terms not of
domination but of service. We recognize that there is a great need to improve
theological education, especially for church leaders. In every nation and
culture there should be an effective training program for pastors and laypeople
in doctrine, discipleship, evangelism, nurture and service. Such training
programs should not rely on any stereotyped methodology but should be developed
by creative local initiatives according to biblical standards. (Col. 1:27,28;
Acts 14:23; Titus 1:5,9; Mark 10:42-45; Eph. 4:11,12)
12. Spiritual
Conflict
We believe that we are engaged in constant spiritual warfare
with the principalities and powers of evil, who are seeking to overthrow the
church and frustrate its task of world evangelization. We know our need to equip
ourselves with God's armor and to fight this battle with the spiritual weapons
of truth and prayer. For we detect the activity of our enemy, not only in false
ideologies outside the church, but also inside it in false gospels which twist
Scripture and put humanity in the place of God. We need both watchfulness and
discernment to safeguard the biblical gospel. We acknowledge that we ourselves
are not immune to worldliness of though and action, that is, to a surrender to
secularism. For example, although careful studies of church growth, both
numerical and spiritual, are right and valuable, we have sometimes neglected
them. At other times, desirous to ensure a response to the gospel, we have
compromised our message, manipulated our hearers through pressure techniques,
and become unduly preoccupied with statistics or even dishonest in our use of
them. All this is worldly. The church must be in the world; the world must not
be in the church. (Eph. 6:12; 2 Cor. 4:3,4; Eph. 6:11,13-18; 2 Cor. 10:3-5; 1
John 2:18-26; 4:1-3; Gal. 1:6-9; 2 Cor. 2:17; 4:2; John 17:15)
13.
Freedom and Persecution
It is the God-appointed duty of every
government to secure conditions of peace, justice and liberty in which the
church may obey God, serve the Lord Christ, and preach the gospel without
interference. We therefore pray for the leaders of the nations and call upon
them to guarantee freedom of thought and conscience, and freedom to practice and
propagate religion in accordance with the will of God and as set forth in the
Universal Declaration of Human Rights. We also express our deep concern for all
who have been unjustly imprisoned, and especially for our brothers and sisters
who are suffering for their testimony to the Lord Jesus. We promise to pray and
work for their freedom. At the same time we refuse to be intimidated by their
fate. God helping us, we too will seek to stand against injustice and to remain
faithful to the gospel, whatever the cost. We do not forget the warnings of
Jesus that persecution is inevitable. (1 Tim. 1:1-4; Acts 4:19; 5:29; Col. 3:24;
Heb. 13:1-3; Luke 4:18; Gal. 5:11; 6:12; Matt. 5:10-12; John
15:18-21)
14. The Power of the Holy Spirit
We believe in
the power of the Holy Spirit. The Father sent his Spirit to bear witness to his
Son; without his witness ours is futile. Conviction of sin, faith in Christ, new
birth and Christian growth are all his work. Further, the Holy Spirit is a
missionary spirit; thus evangelism should arise spontaneously from a
Spirit-filled church. A church that is not a missionary church is contradicting
itself and quenching the Spirit. Worldwide evangelization will become a
realistic possibility only when the Spirit renews the church in truth and
wisdom, faith, holiness, love and power. We therefore call upon all Christians
to pray for such a visitation of the sovereign Spirit of God that all his fruit
may appear in all his people and that all his gifts may enrich the body of
Christ. Only then will the whole church become a fit instrument in his hands,
that the whole earth may hear his voice. (1 Cor. 2:4; John 15:26,27; 16:8-11; 1
Cor. 12:3; John 3:6-8; 2 Cor. 3:18; John 7:37-39; 1 Thess. 5:19; Acts 1:8; Psa.
85:4-7; 67:1-3; Gal. 5:22,23; 1 Cor. 12:4-31; Rom 12:3-8)
15. The
Return of Christ
We believe that Jesus Christ will return personally
and visibly, in power and glory, to consummate his salvation and his judgment.
This promise of his coming is a further spur to our evangelism, for we remember
his words that the gospel must first be preached to all nations. We believe that
the interim period between Christ's ascension and return is to be filled with
the mission of the people of God, who have no liberty to stop before the End. We
also remember his warning that false Christs and false prophets will arise as
precursors of the final Antichrist. We therefore reject as a proud,
self-confident dream the notion that humanity can ever build a utopia on earth.
Our Christian conscience is that God will perfect his kingdom, and we look
forward with eager anticipation to that day, and to the new heaven and earth in
which righteousness will dwell and God will reign for ever. Meanwhile, we
rededicate ourselves to the service of Christ and of humanity in joyful
submission to his authority over the whole of our lives. (Mark 14:62; Heb. 9:28;
Mark 13:10; Acts 1:8-11; Matt. 28:20; Mark 13:21-23; John 2:18; 4:1-3; Luke
12:32; Rev. 21:1-5; 2 Pet. 3:13; Matt.
28:18)
Conclusion
Therefore, in the light of this our faith
and our resolve, we enter into a solemn covenant with God and with each other,
to pray, to plan and to work together for the evangelization of the whole world.
We call upon others to join us. May God help us by his grace and for his glory
to be faithful to this our covenant! Amen, Alleluia!
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