GCOWE '95, Global Consultation on World Evangelization by the Year 2000 & Beyond in Seoul, Korea

Luis Bush

Introduction

GCOWE '95 is a mid-decade global strategy meeting on world evangelization to be held in Seoul, Korea, May 17-26, 1995. The theme of GCOWE '95 is: "A church for every people and the gospel for every person by AD2000."

To participate in the event each invitee must sign a declaration form of understanding and responsibility. Only those persons committed to the theme and prepared to implement the goal in their own country will be accepted for GCOWE '95. Furthermore, participants are expected to raise their own international travel funds to attend. Forty five hundred are expected to come from approximately 200 countries of the world. Registrations for GCOWE '95 are already being received in Hyderabad from those invited from India.

The purpose of GCOWE '95 is to encourage continued momentum building toward the fulfillment of the goal of a church for every people and the gospel for every person by the year 2000.

An underlying assumption of GCOWE '95 is a divine superintending of current global events of such import that we are moving from an age of unbelief to an age of faith as we approach the year 2000. The explosive growth of the Two Thirds World church in this century has positioned the Church around the world for a major evangelistic thrust in the nineties. Many church and mission leaders now believe that genuine collaborative partnerships is the only way to take advantage of the opportunities presented by the last decade of this millennium.

Increased momentum building toward world evangelization is anticipated as a result of GCOWE '95. Many groups within the body of Christ, individually and collectively, will set or revise their own year 2000 goals for world evangelization. Paving the road to this global event, more than 100 national, regional, and functional consultations will have been held around the world.

A growing number of Christians will work and pray with greater common focus towards the turn of the century. GCOWE '95 is a mid-decade assessment point to bring these groups together. By setting ongoing strategies as Christians work together through separate but cooperative programs, it is hoped that the body of Christ will increase mobilization in every country of the world toward fulfillment of the goal of a church for every people and the gospel for every person by the year 2000.

Seven characteristics of GCOWE '95 have begun to shape the nature of the event, and the process leading up to it and its expected results, which are identified in this article:

I. Assessment Of The Unfinished Task

Four global surveys have been launched to foster the presentation of the "best picture" of the unfinished task as it relates to the goal of a church for every people and the gospel for every person by the year 2000. (See chart below.) Assessment of progress of evangelism is currently been conducted among the peoples, cities, countries, and geographic areas of at least one million people.

An evaluation will be made of the progress toward the assessment goal by each country and region, augmented by the contribution of each associated Resource Network and Task Force towards the goal. An identification of the major obstacles to fulfilling these purposes in each country, region and Resource Network will be sought.

II. Prayer For World Evangelization

Prayer will be offered up for a reconciliation of God's people between countries, races and ethnic people on behalf of a fractured world, and between Christian leaders within Christian organizations, denominations, global movements, countries, and regions of the world. One hundred and twenty on-site international intercessors will be praying around the clock during GCOWE '95. Fifty children between 8 and 12 years old, selected because of their unusually mature prayer life, will be engaged on-site in prayer and intercession in an expected fulfillment of Psalm 8:2 "From the lips of children and infants you have ordained praise…to silence the foe and the avenger."

A key focus of prayer will be revitalization of church leaders through the sharing of principles and models of effective local church mobilization, church renewal and world evangelization taking place at GCOWE '95.

As a result of GCOWE '95 there will be great potential for increased mobilization of united prayer efforts by linking such networks nationally, regionally and collectively around the globe to focus prayer on world evangelization. (See the chart on this page.) Significant emphasis will be placed on the next major global prayer initiative, Praying Through the Window III: Targeting 100 Major Megacities. Profiles of these 100 least evangelized megacities will be distributed for focused intercessory prayer in support of 10,000 on-site intercessors comprising 400 teams and for the general welfare of these cities.

During GCOWE '95, fervent prayer will be focused on overcoming the obstacles by country, region, and Resource Network. There will be prayer through identified factors concentrating upon the question of whether the goals specified are attainable in each country, region and Resource Network.

III. Grass Roots Involvement In Every Aspect Of The Process

Selection

Following a three year process of recommendations for the various networks and countries, more than 27,000 names of Christian leaders have been received from around the world in the International Office. Through an extended, sometimes painful, process of assessment involving several reviews by national, regional and Resource Network leaders, invitees have been selected who best meet a strict list of criteria developed during this process.

Registration

The registration of GCOWE '95 is being conducted, for the most part, at the national level rather than from the International Office. In each country a registrar has been identified to conduct the registration process in their country. The registrar is also the national coordinator in the country. The registrar is encouraged to convene the invitees, review and complete the registration process and later discuss the best method of preparing logistically and to significantly contribute to GCOWE '95 meeting objectives. Fees for the registration remains in the office overseeing the registration.

Funding

Each participant is being strongly encouraged to raise his/her own international travel support. In some cases, delegates in the more financially developed countries are being asked to contribute to subsidies for participants invited from countries where economic conditions do not allow a participant to raise all his/her own travel. In some instances, countries in a position to do so have adopted other country delegations to subsidize their international travel.

The hosting of Korea has offered to cover the costs of food, housing and local transportation in Korea for many of the two-thirds world participants expected.

Program

The program is designed to provide strong affinity group bonding, networking opportunities, and ownership of goals and objectives by Resource Network and/or other organizational groupings. In addition, the program will provide strong country-wide group exposure meetings, and related bonding and networking opportunities in moving toward cultivating an environment of encouragement for setting country-wide initiatives to AD2000. Moreover, it will be designed to establish distinct follow-up plans outlining specific action items and dates, by track and by country for each significant emphasis.

Thus, the primary program focus is not inspirational, but rather an in-process review/assessment meeting, looking at the status of the "unfinished task" in reference to efforts initiated earlier and projected toward completion. The program will comprise three primary parts; country emphasis, by Resource Networks (tracks) emphasis and in combination.

IV. Mobilizers And Practitioners Networking Together

Those invited to GCOWE '95 are expected to be the "shakers and movers" in national and world evangelization efforts. (See the charts on this Page.) The criteria by which people were recommended is as follows: Credibility--an active member of a local church, recognized by the national leaders and respected by the different segments of the church as being in good standing in his/her immediate Christian community. Experience--A responsible Christian leader who is recognized in the interest area of the Resource Network. Bridge builder--Prepared to build bridges between God's people within the country and internationally. Spiritual maturity--Above reproach in his/her testimony; approved by church leadership in the country and possessing his/her own accountability support structure. A person of Vision--Burdened for the church in his/her country and for the evangelization of the country. A person who truly desires to see a church for every people and the gospel for person in his/her country and in the world. A team player--Works well with others and can comfortably interact with those who might disagree with him/her while maintaining mutual respect. A Leader with organizational support--Has the support and organizational structure to develop resource networks within the country. A person of faith--Prepared to trust God for finances to travel nationally and internationally. Ability to communicate in one of the UNITED NATIONS languages. English will be the primary language used at GCOWE '95 with translation into seven major languages.

Every participant will have a pre-assigned Track in which they will function during that portion of GCOWE '95. Five hundred carefully selected individuals have been sought for the Mobilization of New Missionaries Resource Network. They are expected to mobilize 10,000 missions mobilizers who in turn will mobilize 200,000 new missionaries among the unreached by the year 2000.

Five hundred well-screened geographic area coordinators are being sought for coordinated saturation evangelism efforts in each of the geographic target areas of one million people throughout the world via God's Word and Literature, the Jesus film, as well as personal and mass evangelism initiatives.

Two hundred and fifty national research mobilizers engaged in the establishment of permanent missiological research functions in their own countries are being invited. Five hundred and fifty pastors committed to mobilize their laity for national evangelization and world missions--through initiatives such as the June March for Jesus, the June 25th Day to Change the World prayer initiative, and other significant outreach programs--are expected to participate in GCOWE '95.

Three hundred national supervisors of major global and independent denominations, who influence entire denominations in their countries are expected to participate in GCOWE '95. Three hundred people involved in establishing networks and partnerships and who possess creative models to reach the unreached peoples are among those coming. Three hundred people engaged in city-wide holistic ministry, evangelism and church planting--especially among the urban poor--have been recruited.

Over five hundred leaders representing major prayer networks are expected to participate. More than one hundred people committed to and engaged in presenting the gospel to everyone via radio by the year 2000 have been identified, selected and recruited for GCOWE '95. Five hundred women representing women active in prayer and evangelism initiatives that are making a difference in their nations have been carefully selected.

Three hundred key leaders engaged in the translation, production, distribution and nurture through God's Word and Literature have been invited to participate. Over three hundred "John Knox" type Christian leaders who are involved in saturation church planting efforts in their countries are scheduled to participate at GCOWE '95.

V. National Strategy Development

With the input of national models, participants representing various tracks and denominational initiatives delegates will meet by country to assess the unfinished task, to set goals, to identify factors influencing the success of their purpose, and to formulate follow-up plans. As a result, it is expected that current national strategy initiatives will be strengthened and many fresh initiatives will be launched. (See the chart below)

Zaire is one of the models of a national strategy to be presented at GCOWE '95. The main objective of the movement "All for Christ AD2000" in Zaire is to double the number of believers in every urban and rural congregation there by the year 2000. Following a national consultation in January 1993, a committee of 130 members in 16 groups was formed. Support for the vision came from the evangelism and missions departments of 63 denominations. Thirty thousand copies of materials were printed in six languages in order to equip every pastor. Each one has been given a copy of the working document to use in 1994. In assessing the degree of mobilization of each of the ten AD2000 Tracks on a scale from 0 to 5, only three scored a 3 or 4. All others scored a 5 which means: "completely mobilized."

VI. Major Korean Role

"We are looking forward to seeing historical, unprecedented, monumental, supernatural and global revival to fulfill the Great Commission taking place in this generation. . . the Korean church has the potential, willingness and sense of urgency. . .Koreans want to be unified. . . the AD2000 Movement will be beneficial not only for Korean evangelization, but also for world evangelization." These words by Korean GCOWE '95 Preparation Committee Chairman Joon Gon Kim, reflect the kind of expectation to be found in the Korean church in relation to the AD2000 & Beyond Movement and GCOWE '95.

While hosting GCOWE '95, the Koreans will be holding two parallel strategic conferences. The first is a conference for 10,000 Korean pastors and the second a conference for 500 Korean missionaries being flown in from around the world to participate.

Korea: Modeling a National AD2000 initiative

Five large scrap books, each containing forty pages filled with news articles of the different activities related to the AD2000 Movement in Korea, are a testimony to the spread of the vision within Korea. Four monthly, eight-page AD2000 news letters have been printed in Korean and circulated among 5,000 carefully selected Christian leaders throughout the country to inform them about activities and news items on a national and global level.

The goal of the Preparation Committee is to share the AD2000 vision with Christian leaders in the 250 largest cities and towns and organize AD2000 committees in all of them. In each of these cities and towns Christian leaders from different denominations are encouraged to establish a city-wide AD2000 committee to take the basic elements of the national plan and adapt it to their own city.

Hosting

The beautiful Korean Center for World Missions will be the venue for GCOWE '95. Already they have 35 full- and part-time staff on the fifth floor of the Korean Center for World Mission. All major denominations and local churches have expressed their support for the AD2000 Movement in Korea.

One of the indications of this is that the Korea AD2000 Committee has agreed to raise the expenses for food, housing and transportation within Korea for approximately 3,000 delegates from the two-thirds world.

Praying

The Korean Preparation Committee is organizing massive prayer support for GCOWE '95 participants. They have requested that each selected GCOWE '95 participant selected supply a brief profile of their ministry accompanied by a photo so each one can be given to a different local church in Korea for prayer. This way some 4500 local churches in Korea are being encouraged to participate.

The Korean church plans to gather over one million Christians for the Day to Change the World on June 25, 1994. One of the main emphases will be for the unification of North and South Korea. They do not expect to be caught unprepared for the time when North Korea opens. One million Christians are being challenged by them to adopt and pray for a district in North Korea. Their vision is that 100,000 students will form teams and take a year-long break from their collegiate studies to live in the districts for which they have prayed. While there, they will serve in the communities, evangelize and work towards their goal of planting more than 30,000 churches. To date, more than 50,000 students have already made such a commitment.

VII. Climactic Consecration

On the last evening of GCOWE '95, the current plan, pending confirmation, is to hold the meeting in a stadium with GCOWE '95 participants, the 10,000 Korean pastors, the 500 Korean missionaries from around the world, friends and supporters of the AD2000 & Beyond Movement and other key Korean and world leaders present in Seoul at that time. It is planned to be a night of consecration by each country delegation for the goals of evangelization that they have outlined for their individual countries and the world to the year 2000. In the stands there would be a great host of mainly Korean witnesses who would join in prayer for them and their goals.

An all night prayer meeting would be held. This would be the climax of GCOWE '95: "…an unforgettable night of consecration of each individual and country to the goal of a church for every people and the gospel for every person in their country and the world by the year 2000."

Conclusion

We pray GCOWE '95 will result in continued and significant momentum building toward the fulfillment of the goal of a church for every people and the gospel for every person by the year 2000. The last five years of the decade, century and millenium will likely be the years of the greatest mobilization of the body of Christ working in concert to reap the greatest spiritual harvest of all time. My prayer is that you will want to be a part of the spirit, the vision and the action of this global spiritual initiative.