AD2000 Movement Synopsis

Rick Wood

The AD 2000 and Beyond Movement grew out of a desire to respond both to the imperative of the Great Commission and to the unique opportunity to mobilize all of God's people to reach the unreached by the year 2000, as God's people everywhere have established unprecedented faith goals for AD 2000.

By July 1990, researchers reported more than 2000 evangelization plans focused on the year 2000. One third of these are from the two-thirds-world. With all the interest in the year 2000, it became apparent that the worldwide body of Christ needs to coordinate its efforts for world evangelization.

The following purpose statement was developed in consultation with around 350 Church leaders from all over the world. The overall purpose is stated as follows: In a spirit of servanthood, the people involved in the AD 2000 Movement seek to encourage, motivate and network men and women church leaders by inspiring the vision of reaching the unreached by AD 2000 through consultations, prayer efforts and written materials.

The intention is to encourage cooperation among existing churches, movements and structures to work together towards this same vision. The expected result is the establishment of a mission-minded church planting movement within every unreached and unevangelized people and city by AD 2000, so that all people might have a valid opportunity to experience the love, truth and saving power of Jesus Christ in fellowship with other believers.

The focus of this movement is on reaching the approximately two billion unreached people who are not within reach of Christians of their own ethnic or people group and do not yet have a vital, indigenous church movement. People refers to the larger ethno- linguistic groups, estimated to be 2,000 among which there are an estimated 11,000 smaller people groups.

The two key words for the AD 2000 Movement are, "motivate" and "network." The two main avenues of sharing the vision are through "national consultations" and "common interest groups." The focus of the structure is upon a national, regional, and global strategy.

The goal of the AD 2000 Movement is to see spiritual initiatives in 200 countries around the world. As of December 31, 1991, interdenominational Christian leaders in over 65 countries around the world have held AD 2000 vision meetings or AD 2000 consultations. The initiative and perspective of a national AD 2000 movement comes from the national leaders. Typically, informed by the global process, national Christian leaders take the initiative to set their own goals focused on the year 2000. The form and focus that the movement takes depends on the perspective of these national leaders.

The national AD 2000 plans are responsive to the call of Scripture to reach the unreached as well as the political and economic realities within each of the individual countries where these plans are developed.

The sharing of vision comes through consultation as Christian leaders gather in national or regional consultations to share what God is doing around the world. The leaders from these countries involved in these consultations include pastors, denominational leaders, Christian organizational leaders, training institutional leaders, women, young people, and lay people.

These national initiatives are formed as national leaders with a vision for the year 2000 form Ad Hoc Steering Committees to bring Christian leaders together to develop and implement mobilization strategies for the national, regional, and global levels.

Along with these country-wide and regional spiritual initiatives, there are fourteen global initiatives by interest groups networking together to concentrate on each vital element needed for the cause of world evangelization. Each track is charged with mobilizing the existing forces for evangelism and uniting them, not organizationally, but in prayer, in mutual respect, in interpersonal relationships, and in support of one another through sharing of ideas and resources, to prevent overlap and competition. Within the overall purpose of the AD 2000 and Beyond Movement, each of the interest networks has their own purpose, goals and objectives as they prepare for GCOWE II in 1994.

One aspect that underscores the AD 2000 networks is the partnership established between different Christian leaders representing many countries of the world. Each global network typically includes in its leadership one person from the west and one from a two-thirds-world country.

As these global network representatives identify, select and recruit regional network representatives, a core group of 12, representing all ten major regions of the world, will come into existence. As each of the regional network representatives select, identify and recruit two representatives for the country, the internationalism of the process becomes increasingly evident.

These global AD 2000 initiatives by interest groups are seeking to:

• Network church leaders for an intensive effort of world evangelization by AD 2000.
• Intensify, galvanize and accelerate vision for world evangelization within that interest group.
• Facilitate information exchange between tracks and all interested parties.
• Encourage cooperative relationships with existing movements, networks and structures that result in coordinated efforts to evangelize unreached peoples and urban centers.
• Foster concentrated, prevailing prayer against the obstacles for world evangelization.

As Christians work through separate but cooperative programs, the AD 2000 Movement hopes that the body of Christ would realize these outcomes.

• Mobilization of united prayer efforts in every country of the world. Engagement in cooperative ministry efforts to reach the 2000 unreached clusters of peoples.
• Revitalization of the church leaders for lay mobilization and church renewal.
• Establishment of an evangelical congregation within easy access of every person in the world.
• Penetration and evangelization of the unevangelized world by creative missionary methods, such as non-residential missionaries, tent-makers, international returnees and sports evangelism.
• Equipping of key leadership in every country to develop and implement an effective cross- cultural missionary training program.
• Establishment of permanent national missiological research functions in every country of the world.
• Assessment of the progress of evangelization among the 2000 unreached peoples.
• Engagement in cooperative ministry efforts to reach the 2000 unreached peoples.
• Provision of a valid opportunity for every person to hear the Gospel in a language they can understand.
• Establishment of a church planting movement within every unreached people group and city in the country or region.
• The development of the innate and spiritual gifts of God's people everywhere, and in particular, women and young people for world evangelization.

The AD 2000 Movement is a dynamic institution tailor made to meet the latest trends in missions. It is tapping into the tremendous surge of interest around the world in giving all people everywhere the opportunity to receive Christ as savior by AD 2000. It is also a movement that is raising up international leadership from dozens of countries. AD 2000 is a unique global mission enterprise motivated and carried forward at the initiative of thousands of people from all over the world who have God's heart to see all peoples reached.