From Lausanne to Seoul: Tracing the evolution of evangelism in the Lausanne movement

Abstract

This article traces the theological evolution of evangelism across the four global Lausanne gatherings (1974–2024), highlighting how the movement’s understanding of gospel witness has expanded from proclamation to participation and, ultimately, to formation. The study situates the Lausanne Covenant (1974), Manila Manifesto (1989), Cape Town Commitment (2010), and Seoul Statement (2024) within their historical contexts, demonstrating how each articulated distinct yet converging emphases—doctrinal clarity, social responsibility, missional spirituality, and digital discernment. Drawing on contemporary voices in digital theology and polycentric missiology, the paper argues that the Seoul Statement reframes evangelism as embodied discipleship in a digitally mediated, generationally diverse world. Synthesizing these trajectories, it proposes formative evangelism as both a hermeneutical and practical framework in which evangelism, discipleship, and cultural formation converge. This integrative approach envisions a global evangelical witness that is relational, contextual, and theologically generative—grounded in the enduring mission of the triune God.