In the midst of a major shift in the culture at-large, how can Christians continue to engage God’s global mission? Join Ed Stetzer and Walter Kim as they reflect on the past several years of evangelicalism in the United States and how it relates to God’s mission to reconcile the world to himself.

In Today’s Conversation podcast, you’ll also hear Ed and Walter discuss: 

  • How moments of cultural upheaval have also been times of spiritual revival;  
  • Why the workplace is key to God’s global mission today;
  • What posture Christians in the West should have when engaging Christians around the world; and
  • How American evangelicals can connect with the 2024 Lausanne gathering in Seoul.

Read a Portion of the Transcript

Walter: Something else that I understand about Lausanne is that it’s multi-vocational. In other words, it’s not just about how to equip pastors, but business leaders, those in medicine, technology or education. Describe why that is such an important feature.

Ed: I think the “clergification” of God’s global mission has been noticed and unhelpful, and so how do we “de-clergify” that? If we’re going to see the name and fame of Jesus more widely known in all sectors and aspects of society, it’s going to be in the workplace. I used to hold the Billy Graham chair at Wheaton for seven years, so everyone quoted Billy Graham … He said the most important thing we need to focus on, and one of things I’ve heard multiple times, is the 9 to 5 window. Billy Graham said this is the most important thing for what’s next.

… 1 Peter 4:10 says, “Each one has received a special gift. Use it to serve one another as good stewards of the manifold grace of God.” Each one includes “everybody” in Greek, and so I think for everyone to use their gifts means that we’ve got to unleash the people of God to God’s global mission. I think most people would agree that we’ve got to unleash the people of God, and they should reach their neighbors, be good employees for God’s glory and their vocation matters, but I think what is unique to the Lausanne conversation is we’ve got to unleash the people of God to God’s global mission. 

So now it is and remains them living on mission in their workplace, their neighborhood and their family and their friends. But also, too, what does it look like to intentionally engage God’s global mission? … It’s gonna be an important conversation to sit around the table with not just a pastor or in my case a missiologist, or in your case, a scholar and leader at the NAE. We’re going to be sitting around the table with somebody who’s working in IT, or somebody who’s driving a truck, and loves God’s global mission and is asking questions about how to be engaged and involved. I think that’s a good, mature conversation. I’m excited about it. 

Share the Love

If you enjoyed the program, please rate it on iTunes and write a brief review. That will help us so much!

Relevant Resources

Today’s Conversation is brought to you by Care Net.

 

Ed Stetzer

Ed Stetzer currently serves as dean of Talbot School of Theology at Biola University and as the North America regional director for the Lausanne Movement. He formerly served as a professor and dean at Wheaton College in addition to his role as executive director of the Wheaton College Billy Graham Center. He has planted, revitalized and pastored churches; trained pastors and church planters on six continents; and written hundreds of articles and a dozen books. He previously served as executive director of LifeWay Research and vice president of the LifeWay Insights division. He holds two master’s degrees and two doctorates, a D.Min. from Samford University and a Ph.D. from The Southern Baptist Theological Seminary.

Walter Kim

Walter Kim became the president of the National Association of Evangelicals in January 2020. He previously served as a pastor at Boston’s historic Park Street Church and at churches in Vancouver, Canada and Charlottesville, Virginia, as well as a campus chaplain at Yale University. He preaches, writes and engages in collaborative leadership to connect the Bible to the intellectual and cultural issues of the day. He regularly teaches in conferences and classrooms; addresses faith concerns with elected officials and public institutions; and provides theological and cultural commentary to leading news outlets. He serves on the boards of Christianity Today and World Relief and consults with a wide range of organizations. Kim received his Ph.D. from Harvard University in Near Eastern Languages and Civilizations, his M.Div. from Regent College in Vancouver, and his B.A. from Northwestern University.