An Introduction to The Cape Town Commitment

One Minute Overview of the Cape Town Commitment -- Chris Wright

Today’s reading is the Preamble.Read here.

As we begin this 30-day journey through The Cape Town Commitment, we step into a global conversation that spans generations. From the First Lausanne Congress in 1974 to the Fourth Congress in Incheon, South Korea in 2024, the Lausanne Movement has united Christians from every corner of the world in a shared commitment to see the whole church take the whole gospel to the whole world.

The Third Lausanne Congress on World Evangelization (Cape Town, 16-25 October 2010) brought together 4,200 evangelical leaders from 198 countries, and extended to hundreds of thousands more, participating in meetings around the world, and online. The goal? To bring a fresh challenge to the global Church to bear wittness to Jesus Christ and all his teaching - in every nation, in every sphere of society, and in the realm of ideas.

The Cape Town Commitment is the fruit of this endeavour. It stands in an historic line, building on both TheLausanne Covenant (1974), and The Manila Manifesto (1989), foundational theological documents that have shaped evangelical thought and action for decades. It is in two parts. Part I sets out biblical convictions, passed down to us in the scriptures, and Part II sounds the call to action.

These documents clearly express core truths of the biblical gospel and apply those truths to our practical mission in ways that are still relevant and challenging. We confess that we have not been faithful to commitments made in thise documents. But we commend them and stand by them, as we seek to discern how we must express and apply the eternal truth of the gospel in the ever-changing world of our own generation.

This 30-day reading plan invites you to slowly and prayerfully engage The Cape Town Commitment as a guide for spiritual renewal, theological reflection, and missional action.

May this journey draw you closer to Christ, deepen your love for the church, and renew your calling in God’s global mission.

Prayer

Lord Jesus, as we begin this journey, teach us to listen, to learn, and to follow. Renew your church. Renew our hearts. For your glory and for the sake of the world. Amen.