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!
planters, but needs a better way
to support them.
