Greetings from Seoul! I can’t believe that by the time you read this, I’ll almost be ready to head home (Well, literally, not emotionally!) Getting to attend the Lausanne Congress in person has been an absolutely incredible experience, even more amazing than I could have anticipated. I know that God definitely had a purpose for me being here, which will extend far beyond this week. The connections I have made with brothers and sisters from all around the world are kingdom connections, and I know that what God has joined together will continue to stay together long after the conference is over, to bring a message of hope to a hurting world. Let me share with you three specific ways in which this conference has been a huge blessing.
Amazing Worship
The worship leaders are from Northern Ireland (the Gettys) and have a unique way of leading an international community into worship in very authentic and creative ways. One of the highlights was a violinist who did a clog dance in tap shoes. Very cool!
Amazing Connections
I was part of the Spiritual Formation & Mission breakout group which introduced me to a group of practitioners that helped me see that other leaders are wrestling through this issue. Two trends that I sense the Lord inviting me to address are protecting couples against divorce & decreasing church drop-off rates. It was very helpful to see how others are engaging Jesus followers to the later stages of the spiritual formation process. This is of particular interest in the church plant where Gina and I serve. I believe this is one way to put a dent into the two trends above – cultivating deep people.
Amazing Opportunities
It’s hard to pick just one amazing opportunity, but something that I was able to do that will impact me for the rest of my life is that I got to attend Yoido Full Gospel Church Assemblies of God. If you aren’t aware, Yoido was started by the late David Yonggi Cho, and is the largest Pentecostal Christian church in South Korea, averaging about 480,000 attendees spread across 5 Sunday services. I was struck by two things:
Fervent Prayer – it is evident that the Koreans who attend YFGC have grown beyond my depth in their dependence on God as a result of persecution and rebuilding their lives and country following the war
Desperate Worship – closely related is the vulnerable expression Koreans demonstrate through their boisterous voices in the presence of God.
The by-product of the Lausanne Congress is the networking that occurs spontaneously and by design. It has been fun to reconnect with former clients, friends, and colleagues. It never seems to fail, when I attend a Christian event, I discover that someone I know, knows someone else that I know, and so on – commonly known as “6 degrees of separation”. Then, you have those serendipitous situations when I meet a person God has prepared for me to connect with. This has happened more than once at Lausanne in Seoul, Korea. I’m looking forward to sharing so much more when I return home. Thank you for your prayers!
Bo has a movement to send out church planters, but needs a better way to support them.On the right is Azad, who was responsible for Lausanne to extend the invitation to me; and the gentleman in the middle did the same for him in a previous gathering.Amazing time of worship with the Gettys leading!
Attended Yoido Full Gospel Church on Wednesday evening
In just 1 short day, I will be leaving for the Lausanne Congress, where I can’t wait to connect with men and women from all over the world who are of like mind and purpose, to fulfill the Great Commission! The Lord is expanding the ministry of InFocus into such places as the Democratic Republic of the Congo and India. Lausanne will provide a platform to connect with like-minded individuals and forge strategic partnerships.
The two main reasons why I am attending Lausanne are to accelerate the development of disciple-making and church planting movements. You might be wondering what coaching has to do with disciple-making and church planting. Allow me to show you…
How does coaching fit into disciple-making movements?
Most of the time, I have seen coaching and disciple-making presented as two separate disciplines, but they really are more effective when presented as a cohesive unit. In short, a coach approach integrated with discipleship provides a platform for rapid multiplication in a relational setting. It all goes back to the concept of imprinting. Who are you imprinting on the disciples you are making? Is it the imprint of the Holy Spirit? If it is, then the possibilities of that disciple making other disciples, increases. If however, the imprint you are making is in your image, then disciples will hit a ceiling in their growth, development, and reproductive potential.
How does coaching facilitate church planting movements?
Similar to disciple-making, coaching facilitates church planting movements by imprinting the image of the Holy Spirit on the church planter.
When disciples are coached, and go on to plant churches, coaching is embedded in their DNA. They have seen firsthand the benefits of coaching, and most likely, will continue the process with those who come alongside them. Additionally, as difficult times occur, coaches can help church planters persevere, rely on the Spirit of God, and not get discouraged in the process. They can help them develop the skills and tools necessary to accept challenges head-on and learn how to adapt when plans don’t turn out as expected.
In 2016, I was part of a two-pronged training process combining Disciple Making Movements (DMM) with Coaching in six regions around the world beginning with the Philippines, India, Turkey, followed by the US, then concluding with Spain and Hong Kong. Here are three lessons I learned:
Synergy – utilize practitioners from each discipline to maximize the strengths of both.
Progression–explain how the two disciplines are distinct – then show how they complement one another.
Structural Tension – allow participants to live in the tension of making disciples AND coaching disciple makers to reproduce, cultivate leaders, and to start healthy churches that reproduce and multiply.
I would love to hear how you have integrated coaching with disciple-making and church planting efforts. Please keep me in prayer as I depart in 24 hours. I look forward to sharing my experience and pictures with you when I return!
If you want to see where I’ll be each day, check out the agenda for the conference here.
It’s hard to believe that in only 10 short days, I will be at the Lausanne Congress in Seoul, and even harder to wrap my head around the fact that in a mere 16 days, I’ll be back home again, with only the memories in my heart and pictures on my phone. I know that this conference is going to be incredibly meaningful and memorable, and the sheer fact alone that God opened up a spot for me to attend in person, provided all of the funding in such a short amount of time, AND made it possible for me to receive free lodging confirms to me that I am supposed to be there for such a time as this. I have committed to praying for this conference and everyone attending and facilitating, and I’m inviting you to pray alongside me.
Please see the three key areas below to pray for the specific needs of this conference from now until the end of the month.
Focused Prayer:
Strategic Contacts – With participants coming from all over the world with one mind and one focus, please pray that the Holy Spirit will set up divine appointments that will further the Kingdom of God and help fulfill the Great Commission.
Specifically, ask the Lord to help me connect with leaders of Disciple Making and Church Planting Movements that are looking to develop leaders, in the discipline of coaching.
Logistics – Again, with 5,000 people coming from all over the world, please pray for passports and visas to be processed expeditiously, for flights to be on time, and for all luggage to arrive. Additionally, about 5,000 virtual participants will be attending, so prayers for technology to work as it should are very much needed.
Specifically, ask the Lord to help me manage the various moving parts that are involved with international travel.
Safety for all participants – Great strides are going to be made for the global church as a result of the Lausanne Congress, and because of that, we must pray for God’s protection over everyone attending and involved with facilitating the conference. Please be in prayer for the safe and timely arrival of flights as well as good health for everyone involved.
Specifically, ask the Lord to keep me safe and to be wise in the way I navigate the various opportunities that will be part of the formal gatherings and informal meetings that I schedule.
If you would like to participate in the Lausanne Movement Global Mission Prayer Room, click here.
As I physically, mentally, and spiritually prepare for the Lausanne Congress, I can’t help but get excited at the Congress’ mission for “the global church to declare and display Christ together to a watching world.” For so many years, the Church as a whole has not worked as a cohesive unit; many individual churches have done great work on their own, but the times we’re living in call for a massive commitment to “collaborative global mission.” This has been my heart and my own personal mission for as long as I can remember, and I am truly elated to be able to partner with so many like-minded individuals from literally all over the world. I look forward to sharing my journey with you, and thank you so much for your prayers as I embark on Lausanne 2024 in less than two weeks!
The Lausanne Congress Regional Director of North America, American missiologist, Ed Stetzer does an excellent job explaining the history, vision, and goals of the gathering in a four-part video series. I would like to share those with you below:
Part 1 – Foundations of Faith and the Future of Evangelism
In case you haven’t heard, allow me to share the very exciting news with you that I am going to the Lausanne Congress in Seoul next month, and it’s all because of your incredible generosity! Many of you followed God’s prompting, which is allowing me to attend and learn many valuable concepts that I can bring back to my home church as well as other ministries I am involved with around the world.
The conference will be taking place in Seoul, South Korea from September 22nd-28th. Please pray for the logistics of the conference to run smoothly, safety and good health for everyone traveling there, and for God to ignite a revolution that will change the world. I can’t wait to return home and share all of the amazing things that I know God is going to do through this conference.
Why I am Going:
Equip my local church: I’ll bring back invaluable insights to help The Refinery Church reach more people in the Temecula Valley through effective disciple-making and spiritual formation.
Address national challenges: The alarming rates of marital failure (43% of first time marriages fail in the US) and young people leaving the church (67% of high school students who are in church do not remain in church following graduation) demand innovative solutions. I’m eager to explore strategies for strengthening families and retaining our next generation.
Advance global impact: Building on my experiences in Amsterdam, I aim to expand our Christian coaching initiatives to empower leaders in the Democratic Republic of the Congo and India. Lausanne will provide a platform to connect with like-minded individuals and forge strategic partnerships.
Matthew 18:20 reminds us that where two or three are gathered in Jesus’s name, He is in the midst, so with 5,000+people gathered together to lift up the name of Jesus, can you just imagine the impact this is going to have on the Kingdom?!
The “why?” behind the Lausanne Congress:
Fifty years ago, evangelical leaders around the world recognized the need to think and work together for the mission God had given them. Meeting in Lausanne, Switzerland, in 1974, they laid out priorities for Christian missions for the short and long term.
The primary purpose for the Lausanne Congress:
The movement’s full name, the Lausanne Committee for World Evangelization, reflects its primary focus. This focus, in part, responded to earlier mission movements that had lost sight of their original purposes. Specifically, the “conciliar” missions movement was over 60 years old, and had drifted from its missionary purpose.
By the time the International Missionary Council (IMC) was absorbed into the World Council of Churches (WCC), an emphasis on personal conversion and church planting had diminished significantly. Instead, the work focused on “larger evangelism”—meaning societal transformation—often at the expense of the proclamation of the gospel and the call to repent and believe. (1)
The impact of the previous three Lausanne Congress gatherings:
Each Lausanne Congress provides the global church with the opportunity to put down markers—foundational statements of faith that shape the movement’s future direction. These markers help clarify our mission and identity, especially as the world continues to change. In previous congresses, we have seen the publication of significant documents such as the:
These documents have profoundly shaped the mission and theology of evangelicals around the world. (2)
Because of the generosity and obedience of several donors, the good fruit that will come from this conference, the jewels in the crown, if you will, will be yours as well as mine.
The unexpected nature and timing of this invitation coincides with a new chapter of international impact where God has been connecting me with strategic partners in The Congo and India. This has been developing over the last 3 – 5 years, and looks like it will be moving into an implementation phase in 2025. Stay tuned!
Thank you once again, and please reach out if you have any questions. My plan is to share up close and personal insights during my journey leading up to and through the Lausanne Congress. I hope you can join me.
I’m thrilled to share some extraordinary news: I’ve been invited to attend the 2024 Lausanne Congress in Seoul, South Korea! Initially offered a virtual spot, I’m incredibly grateful for the opportunity to join thousands of global leaders in person.
For those unfamiliar, the Lausanne Movement, birthed by Billy Graham in 1974, unites Christians worldwide to fulfill the Great Commission. Imagine 5,000 passionate believers from every corner of the globe converging to ignite a global movement of discipleship and evangelism. This gathering promises to be a pivotal moment in Christian history.
Attending this congress is a once-in-a-lifetime opportunity to:
Equip my local church: I’ll bring back invaluable insights to help The Refinery Church reach more people in the Temecula Valley through effective disciple-making and spiritual formation.
Address national challenges: The alarming rates of marital failure and young people leaving the church demand innovative solutions. I’m eager to explore strategies for strengthening families and retaining our next generation.
Advance global impact: Building on my experiences in Amsterdam, I aim to expand our Christian coaching initiatives to empower leaders in the Democratic Republic of the Congo and India. Lausanne will provide a platform to connect with like-minded individuals and forge strategic partnerships.
To make this dream a reality, I need your support. The congress is just over a month away, and I must raise $5,000 by September 28th. I know this is a tall order, but with faith, I believe we can achieve the impossible. Just as the miraculous feeding of the 5,000 demonstrated God’s boundless provision, I trust He will multiply our efforts to achieve His purpose.
Your generous contribution will enable me to attend this life-changing event and make a lasting impact. Thank you for considering partnering with me in this exciting endeavor.
In His Grip,
Gary Reinecke
Please consider supporting me to attend the 2024 Lausanne Congress in Seoul, South Korea.
When you are coaching a leader who is navigating a really challenging issue, where do you begin? What kinds of questions do you ask? How do you remain in the coaching role and not morph into the role of consultant, especially when you have experience and/or expertise in the problem being solved?
In the best scenario possible, I have found that when I can ask curious questions that are not tethered to an agenda, other than helping the other person, I can be helpful. When I let my bias contaminate the questions, then I risk losing the leader’s trust.
When coaching leaders in the ministry space where I spend my working hours, I have discovered the VUCA 2×2 can apply.
The notion of VUCA was introduced by the U.S. Army War College to describe the more Volatile, Uncertain, Complex and Ambiguous multilateral world which resulted from the end of the Cold War.
The “V” in the VUCA acronym stands for volatility.
The “U” in the VUCA acronym stands for uncertainty.
The “C” in VUCA stands for complexity.
The “A” in VUCA stands for ambiguity.
Consider a real issue: a leader comes to you and is searching for ways to engage people in the church. You have two “buckets” you are thinking of when you envision engaging people. These overlap, but for argument’s sake, think of these two buckets as the discipleship/spiritual formation bucket and the leadership development/service bucket.
Note – the VUCA 2×2 above was initially intended to assess and diagnose an event; however, for our purposes let’s apply this to discipleship and leadership development.
Thinking about a church plant scenario that I serve in, come with me as I apply the VUCA 2×2. We are constantly wrestling with people’s engagement in these two buckets. Gina (my wife) and I serve on the Welcome Team at our 2-year old church. We have grown to 200 in our community, and last fall launched a second service. Our Welcome Team members often are serving at two services beginning at 8:30 am through the start of the second service and tear-down, which finishes around noon. You can see the problem. Burn out!
Knowledge about the Welcome Team
(Horizontal Axis)
We need to build our capacity = grow our team. That is easier said than done given a couple of key variables:
Connections to People – new, newly established, or long-term attenders
Bandwidth – people are busy
Leadership Capacity – Gina and Gary’s margins to recruit and train more team members and leaders
Predictions of Outcomes for the Welcome Team
(Vertical Axis)
Current Team members will become tired and disenchanted
New people will be excluded from a place to serve
People will not have the opportunity to use their gifts and be part of the community our team offers
Just from the analysis above, the situation has become clearer. We know what we need to do; now we just need to execute.
One of the big developments for us in our church is the addition of a new staff position under the title of Operations Director. Eventually, this person will oversee the Connections process where people are asked to take a spiritual gifts assessment, meet with a coach, and find ways they can use their gifts by taking the next step in their journey. However, we are not quite ready to launch this platform and process quite yet. In the meantime, our Operations Director is contacting people new to the church community to follow-up with them from a campaign our lead pastor launched to engage people in ministry. The initial signs are encouraging; we are receiving “hot leads”, people who have indicated an interest to serve on the Welcome Team. This has put light on our path by creating a pipeline for newer people to find places to serve. For the Welcome Team, this has addressed some of the issues listed above. We are quickly moving to a better place to staff both services with separate teams and rotate people so no one burns out.
Anticipating the potential outcomes balanced with a clear understanding of our current reality helped us address the Welcome Team’s capacity problem which we have been facing for the last 12-18 months.
Here are descriptions of each aspect of VUCA with a key question that will help you coach a leader through.
Volatility: The challenge is unexpected or unstable and may be of unknown duration, but it’s not necessarily hard to understand; knowledge about it is often available.
Key Question: How long has this problem been occurring?
Uncertainty: Despite a lack of other information, the event’s basic cause and effects are known. Change is possible, but not a given.
Key Question: What would it take to improve the situation?
Certainty: The situation has many interconnected parts and variables. Some information is available or can be predicted, but the volume, or nature of it, can be overwhelming to process.
Key Question: What things can you influence?
Ambiguity: Casual relationships are completely unclear. No precedents exist; you face “unknown unknowns.”
Key Question: What things are you unaware of right now?
Four Key Questions to Coach Through VUCA:
How long has this problem been occurring?
What would it take to improve the situation?
What things can you influence?
What things are you unaware of right now?
Here are two VUCA blogs that were originally posted that will give you more insight to navigate complex situations leaders face:
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