12 November 2011

By Scott Tompkins | ResonateNews.com

A quiet revolution has been taking place in the world of Christian missions. Leaders of evangelical movements who once seemed suspicious or even hostile toward one another are working together in unprecedented ways to achieve a common goal — taking the message of Jesus Christ to all nations.

The Call2all movement — which will be holding its Global Congress in Long Beach, Calif.,  Nov. 29 to Dec. 3 — embodies this trend.
 
Over the last three years, Call2all has hosted these gatherings of church and missions leaders in over a dozen countries worldwide. Speakers for the Long Beach event include leaders of major missions agencies like Campus Crusade for Christ, Youth With A Mission, Every Home for Christ, Global Compassion Network and the Back to Jerusalem Gospel Mission. There has also been support from leaders in evangelical denominations like the South Baptist Convention, Foursquare International and the Assemblies of God.

The roots of this cooperation go back to Billy Graham's Amsterdam 2000 event, which Christianity Today reported at that time as "the most multinational [Christian leadership] event ever" with representatives from 209 nations.

At Amsterdam 2000, Dr. Ralph Winter of the U.S. Center for World Mission, made a presentation on the concept of unreached people groups, or UPGs, that struck a chord with those present. Sitting at Table 71 were top leaders of Campus Crusade, YWAM, Wycliffe Bible Translators, Disciple A Whole Nation, Walk Through The Bible and the Southern Baptists. Their strategy question was “How do we reach the rest of the UPGs of the world?” That day they started an informal partnership that has met annually to work on world evangelization. Among those present at Table 71 that day was YWAM’s Mark Anderson, who now is president of Call2all.

"I have a strong sense from the Lord that this California Congress will help bring each of us into new levels of effectiveness," Anderson said. “It is opening up possibilities that we have never seen ...”

The California Congress features many speaker sessions and workshops on areas that many Christians would not have associated with missionary activity. These include a track on media missions with sessions on filmmaking, websites, social media, broadcasting and innovations for cell phones and video games. There's also a track on marketplace missions with more than 25 speakers from international businesses, networks and social agencies.

Call2all has attracted other streams of Christian activists. One emphasis is on the importance of strategic prayer in missions. Speakers at the Long Beach event include Mike Bickle, leader of the International House of Prayer, Lou Engle of The Call, and Cindy Jacobs of Generals of Intercession.

Two strategies emerged from the Table 71 meetings that continue at Call2all. One is the International Orality Network, which seeks to put key biblical teachings into story form for presentation to oral cultures. Another is the 4k global mapping system that helps missions agencies better understand and target areas with the least amount of Christian influence. Reports on both of these efforts will we presented at the Long Beach meetings. Also scheduled are reports on efforts to serve the poor and needy and to combat global sex trafficking.

“The purpose of Call2All is not to replace existing ministry but to network, train and focus the body of Christ to fulfill the Great Commission,” according to Call2all’s website.

Last year’s Call2all Global Congress in Hong Kong attracted an estimated 5,000 Christian leaders, including hundreds of pastors from churches on the Chinese mainland.

Anderson hopes this month’s Congress will surpass those numbers and mobilize more church leaders into Great Commission work.

“For the first time, I now can envision us completing this task in my lifetime,” said Steve Douglass, president of Campus Crusade for Christ.

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