Lausanne Covenant
The Lausanne Covenant is a declaration on evangelism agreed upon by more than 2,300 evangelicals during a 1974 International Congress in Lausanne Switzerland. It challenges churches and Christian organizations to work together to make Jesus Christ known throughout the world. It has been translated into over twenty languages.
The Covenant is introduced by an extended statement of faith, beginning with:
We affirm our belief in the one-eternal God, Creator and Lord of the world, Father, Son and Holy Spirit, who govern 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.
The statement of faith includes the following topics:
- The purpose of God
- The authority and power of the Bible
- The uniqueness and universality of Christ
- The nature of evangelism
- Christian social responsibility
- The Church and evangelism
- Cooperation in evangelism
- Churches in evangelistic partnership
- The urgency of the evangelistic task
- Evangelism and culture
- Education and leadership
- Spiritual conflict
- Freedom and persecution
- The power of the Holy Spirit
- The return of Christ
It concludes with the following covenant:
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!
Lausanne II
The Second International Congress on World Evangelization (Lausanne II) was held in July 1989 in Manila, Philippines and produced The Manila Manifesto.