Last week, the church sent me to Seoul, South Korea, to join Christian leaders from around the world to attend the Fourth International Congress on World Evangelization, organized by the Lausanne Movement. The attendees at this congress came from more than 200 countries, representing all nations except for four countries that South Korea denied entry. The worship sessions with brothers and sisters from different races and languages were incredibly powerful, truly reflecting the worship of all nations and peoples as described in the Book of Revelation.

This year marks the 50th anniversary of the first Lausanne Congress. At the inaugural congress in 1974, John Stott and Billy Graham, as advocates of the event, introduced the Lausanne Covenant, which became a rallying cry for evangelical churches worldwide. Since then, obedience to Christ's Great Commission to take the gospel to the ends of the earth has become an undeniable command for evangelical churches. This year, the Lausanne Movement released a report titled "The State of the Great Commission," which examines the current trends in global missions. The aim of this report is to provide a focal point for discussions at this congress and to promote a unified mission among the global church.

The definition of the church’s gospel mission is profoundly summarized in a statement from the Lausanne Covenant: “The whole church taking the whole gospel to the whole world.”

“The whole church” emphasizes that the Great Commission is the responsibility of every Christian, not just clergy or missionaries. God has created a universal church filled with various gifts and callings so that we may be united in bearing witness to the whole gospel.

“The whole gospel” means that we must address sin and evil in all dimensions of human life—spiritual, physical, and social—according to the gospel's essence, to proclaim the glorious redemption of Christ’s crucifixion and resurrection over all aspects of evil. The whole gospel is not just a few doctrinal statements, but comprehensive discipleship.

“The whole world” refers not only to every individual in the world, but also to the origins, history, and direction of the world that God created, encompassing every aspect of life on earth.

May our church continue to deepen its vision as a missional church, becoming like the five loaves and two fish in the hands of Jesus.