In November 2013, the Lausanne Movement brought together 75 Christian media professionals from around the world to explore together:
- How to educate and equip Christians for media awareness, media critique, and media engagement
- How to be salt and light as Christian media professionals in an increasingly global and pluralistic world
- How to effectively engage culture through the use of various media in ways that draw non-believers toward spiritual truth and that communicate Jesus Christ in culturally relevant ways
The pace of technological change is overwhelming. And it’s not just in the West. As the cost of media technology steadily drops, so its global reach and influence grows. Some parts of the world are experiencing it overnight, and mobile technology is in almost every area of the world. Wherever technology goes, the news and entertainment media follow, with underlying secular and religious worldviews. This situation calls for Christians to actively engage in media awareness and media/worldview critique.
Today, media technologies such as the Internet and social media are increasingly influencing every sphere of professional life and creating new and interconnected media arenas. This includes the mainstream news and documentary media as well as the creative and entertainment media, but goes beyond that to every professional and vocational area. This new media calls for Christian media professionals to be salt and light in their professional contexts.
Contemporary media has great potential to reach unreached people with the gospel around the world. However, many churches and Christian media ministries globally are aimed at those already ‘in the fold’. How can we ensure that these vast communications resources that God has given us are focused on reaching those who have never heard? This urgent situation calls for Christians to take responsibility for this global task.
In obedience to the Great Commission, therefore, we must more creatively, strategically, intentionally, and with excellence, engage with the media in our various arenas and in our different callings to share the good news of the gospel.
The objectives of this Global Consultation, guided by The Cape Town Commitment and the Call to Action from the advisory Regional Consultation on The Gospel and Media in November 2012, were:
Convene: Convening influencers and leaders in global media for strategy and the collaboration of resources toward a missional approach to the media.
Movement: Raising up a global movement of Christian media professionals who will impact the world with the gospel through appropriate, strategic, and effective engagement with the media.
Strategize: Defining and developing appropriate media strategies and tools for the marketplace and for global evangelization.
Collaborate: Developing greater collaboration among professionals, organizations, and ministries, and throughout regions of the world.
Equip: Training and equipping Christian professionals to be creative producers of media and to become professionally involved as salt and light in all forms of media.
Network: Creating international, interactive areas for fellowship, reflection, and networking among Christian media professionals who have the same passion to engage with media for Christ.
Create awareness: Raising awareness about the Lausanne Movement among Christian media professionals, raising awareness about ‘media awareness, media presence, and media ministries’; and raising awareness of the strategic importance of media in global evangelization.
Read the news release about this consultation.
Read the Consultation Statement.