The Lausanne Movement was launched in Europe in 1974, but Europe has changed enormously since then, and the challenges and opportunities for Christian mission have changed too. Therefore, a new pan-European process was launched by Lausanne Europe five years ago. A twin strategy gradually emerged of holding the first major Lausanne Gathering in Europe since 1974 and facilitating an accompanying Conversation.

Looking back with gratitude
We are truly grateful to God for each and every team member involved in this five-year process, and for all our delegates and Impact Group members drawn into the Conversation from national denominations and Evangelical Alliances in every nation of Europe, from mission organisations and those whose professional work is their mission frontier. This included diaspora church leaders, local church leaders, women and men, the young and the not-so-young, with half of the delegates aged 45 or younger.

Looking at what God revealed through LE20/21
Though we were unable to bring together the 800 delegates in Poland due to the Covid-19 pandemic, God in His mercy allowed more than 1.000 delegates, Impact Group members and others, to engage in an inspiring virtual Gathering that more than fulfilled our primary objectives:

• SEE – eyes were opened to new perspectives from across Europe and ears were opened to the often-muted voices of women, youth, and diaspora Christians in Europe.
• MEET – participants connected with each other online across generations, ethnicities, and missional arenas.
• TALK – the Conversation that began in early 2020 prepared delegates to receive, share, and learn from each other in the plenary and seminar programme.
• ACT – fresh gospel partnerships were initiated, and participants were encouraged and equipped for our everyday life and witness.

We are especially grateful for the following fruits from the whole process:

• The forging of many Gospel relationships as we advance in building a relational platform within and between countries for future friendship, fellowship, and partnerships.
• The creation of a broad spectrum of missional resources from the Conversation and the Gathering, already available at www.lausanneeurope.org.
• The emergence of collaborative projects and initiatives, such as fostering partnerships between Majority World and native European leaders across Europe, and initiating a network for disciple-making.

Looking forward with expectation
Using The Cape Town Commitment as a roadmap, Lausanne Europe will continue to develop as a platform to foster mission in, to, and from the continent of Europe.

As we move forward, this will mean living up to our urgent threefold calling:

• To give a fresh impulse to the proclamation of the Gospel in every country of Europe.
• To see biblical truth impacting every sphere of European society.
• To encourage Christians to influence the realm of ideas which shape the worldviews of today’s Europeans.