Updated 04:40 pm.EST, Sat November 21, 2009

Missions|Fri, Feb. 01 2008 09:51 AM EST

Christian Leaders Strategize to Reach 2 Billion People

By Michelle A. Vu|Christian Post Reporter

Hundreds of Christian leaders from around the world gathered this week in Florida to brainstorm strategies on how to reach the more than two billion people who do not know Jesus.

  • Call2All
    (Photo: Northland Church)
    More than 500 ministry leaders gathered for the Global Pastors Network's Call2All: North American Global Congress, Jan. 29-Feb. 1, hosted at Northland Church in Longwood, Florida to strategize how to reach the remaining 2 billion people who have never heard of Jesus before.

The Call2All North American Global Congress, Jan. 29 – Feb. 1, convened more than 500 pastors, organizational presidents/CEOs, and ministry leaders at the megachurch Northland Church in Longwood, Fla., to pull together ideas and resources with the aim of sharing the Gospel with everyone in the world.

Call2All is a movement organized by the Global Pastors Network – which was founded by the late Campus Crusade for Christ founder, Bill Bright – to bring together the evangelistic efforts of Christian organizations, denominations, agencies, as well as key business, civic and educational leaders to complete the great commission.

“With the same Lord, and the same cause and the same world, we have to work together to reach the lost,” said Lynn Green, international chairman of Youth with a Mission, on the first day of the congress.

Global Pastors Network President Mark Anderson, the convener of the congress, reminded the leaders that before talking about strategies, the Congress needed to start with a “commitment to holiness, integrity and purity.”

Dr. James Robinson of Life Today TV ministry specifically addressed the need for “Sexual Purity,” especially with recent high-profile scandals involving Christian leaders. And Larry Stockstill, senior pastor of World Prayer Centre, gave a message titled “The 5 dysfunctions of the North American Church.”

Several youth ministry leaders gave an update on the status of the Gospel and challenged participants to focus on the youth.

On Wednesday, the Rev. Bobby Welch, immediate former president of the Southern Baptist Convention, emphasized that church leaders and their congregations must make winning souls the priority.

“Hell is no joke,” Welch said, according to the Orlando Sentinel. “Hell is a horrible reality. Hell lasts forever. Any person that misses heaven will go to hell eternally. There must be a wholesale revival.”

Later that evening, participants were introduced to the latest technological tools for mission. The program also highlighted the global prayer movements that are taking place around the world where tens of thousands gather for prayer events each year.

The Congress was open to the public for the first three days, but will hold closed round table discussions on Friday.

Following the Congress, a prayer movement named “The Call” will take place at Silver Spurs Arena in Florida on Saturday. The Call is a prayer, worship and fasting movement geared towards young people.

Leaders who spoke at the Congress included well-known evangelist Luis Palau, Foursquare Church president and bestselling author Jack Hayford, Campus Crusade for Christ president Steve Douglass; and Northland Church senior pastor Dr. Joel Hunter.

This week’s gathering is the first of 40 congresses that will be held in different regions of the world in the next three years.

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  • Fri Mar 14, 2008 9:50 pm Agree: 0   Disagree: 0

    From Matthew 28 (NIV)

    18Then Jesus came to them and said, "All authority in heaven and on earth has been given to me. 19Therefore go and make disciples of all nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit, 20and teaching them to obey everything I have commanded you. And surely I am with you always, to the very end of the age."

    Currently in this world there are 2.1 billion professed and practicing Christian brothers and sisters in Christ, according to 2005 census from adherents.com - and STILL GROWING AND PROSPERING.

    GLORY BE TO LAMB OF GOD

  • Fri Mar 14, 2008 3:39 am Agree: 0   Disagree: 0

    why did you delete my comments here, do you support censorship like danny/danny2/first/bob? if you loose a debate so thorougly like that it must have hurt bad ya?

  • Thu Feb 21, 2008 4:57 pm Agree: 1   Disagree: 1

    aritonang

    It only says fight back when persecuted. That is why Vietnamese fought back and defeated persecuters.

    The verses should be taken within context. It refers to infidels who persecuted Muslims and evicted them from Mecca.

    But you want to give a different meaning by bracketing your thoughts. Be honest and trust Almighty The-God (Alloh / Elohim).

  • Tue Feb 19, 2008 11:46 pm Agree: 2   Disagree: 0

    To support chris333,

    Dear Khanson my friend, as a good Muslim surely you agree with these verse from your book.

    Qur'an Sura (9:30) - "And the Jews say: Ezra is the son of Allah; and the Christians say: The Messiah is the son of Allah; these are the words of their mouths; they imitate the saying of those who disbelieved before; may Allah destroy them; how they are turned away!"

    Qur'an Sura (2:191-193) - "And slay them wherever ye find them, and drive them out of the places whence they drove you out, for persecution [of Muslims] is worse than slaughter [of non-believers]...and fight them until persecution is no more, and religion is for Allah."

    Do you by any chance need help with the semtex and flack jacket?

  • Wed Feb 06, 2008 4:05 pm Agree: 0   Disagree: 0

    firstly, we should enhance the capability,ability and the quality of the would-be pastors and preachers, we should do so to the christians too.
    secondly, encourage all the brothers and sisters of church to preach gospel by applying the methods and strategies of evangelical explosion 3.
    thirdly,heal the hearts of brothers and sisters of the church so that we won't have bad self-image and inconfidence in ouirselves.
    Thirdly, encouirage all the christians to read at least three chapters of Bible.
    fourthly,extend our hands to the marginalised,the poor,the sick and those who need our love.

  • Mon Feb 04, 2008 7:24 pm Agree: 2   Disagree: 1

    Khanson,

    The message of Christianity has nothing to do with the wars in these places, or any wars. We cannot say the same for Islam though.

  • Mon Feb 04, 2008 4:37 pm Agree: 2   Disagree: 1

    A.S.Mathew

    If one foceses on what Jesus Christ taught then this world could become a safer place to live. But very bearer of Gospels killed millions in Japan, Vietnam, Korea and other parts of the world. I hope reaching people of the occupied lands did not mean economic and military conversions in Iraq, Afghanistan, Pakistan, Somalia, Darfur and Chad.

  • Sun Feb 03, 2008 11:44 pm Agree: 1   Disagree: 0

    I am not sure why I got the thumbs down, if anyone finds a problem with what I said then please explain, I would be delighted to explain my position.

  • Sat Feb 02, 2008 5:19 am Agree: 2   Disagree: 1

    The gospel of Jesus Christ, not only changes hearts but the whole society. Whatever might
    be the cost, every Christian has a responsibility to reach the world with the gospel of Jesus
    Christ. How the real Christians can make the world a better world to live in peace and joy!.
    But in our zeal to evangelize the world, some people go overboard in changing the customs of
    the new converts overnight. Jesus came to preach the gospel of peace and eternal life, not
    necessarly to change the customs of each nation. There are thousands of Hindus who are
    following the teachings of Jesus Christ without changing their names and customs. The
    Pentecostal movement in India has two standard of holiness, the believers in the extreme
    southern state of Kerala were taught that wearing ornaments is a sin. But the believers of
    the same denomination in other parts of India can wear ornaments without any condemnation.
    While we undertake the great commission of evangelization, if unimportant issues are
    injected into the process of evangelization, there will be problem. Let the new comers
    wear clothings the way they want, eat the food they like to eat and wear the ornaments they
    like to put on. When we preach the gospel, let us not try to major in minors and vice versa.

  • Sat Feb 02, 2008 12:48 am Agree: 0   Disagree: 4

    Strammel,

    I agree, however some things should be mentioned. A bridge between Catholics and Protestants is important, and should not be downplayed (for that matter it should be based upon the Bible), Muslims can very well maintain some practices such as praying 5 times a day, there is no reason why they cannot be praying to God through Jesus Christ in this, they can read the Quran, so long as they do not believe in it or read it in a religious devotion way, but certainly they should know what it says so they can reach out to other Muslims (again this just depends on how they are doing these things, but we shouldn't make it more difficult to be a Christian than it should be). And as far as Christian mysticism, as long as it is based upon a strong faith in Christ and the Bible, then I see nothing wrong with it. If it is this newage mess then yes there would be something wrong, but there is no reason to believe we cannot have a relationship with God in this way as well as through the real truth of the Gospels. (Again this just depends on how it is being done).

    You are right that we need to be focused on giving people real faith based upon the Gospels, but let's not make this more complicated than it is.

  • Fri Feb 01, 2008 11:41 pm Agree: 6   Disagree: 0

    I like the fact that a large group of people are gathering to discuss how to reach 2 billion lost souls. However, I am not so sure a group as diverse as those in attendance agree on what the Gospel is. It is reported that a “commitment to holiness, integrity and purity” was needed as a starting point. I agree this is important, but what about the Gospel, what about the Word of God and the need for it to be preached in all the world. Why was is not reported that a return to the sufficiency of scripture and a biblical Gospel is paramount to any surge to win souls? Most likely because those issues where not articulated.

    It’s not insignificant that men like Jack Hayford, Luis Palua, and many YWAM leaders have championed the ecumenical agenda in many ways. Cooperation with Rome is not the answer, they need Jesus too.

    YWAM leaders have even come up with the idea of “Messianic Muslims” where this new “convert” is informed that they can continue regular mosque attendance, bowing in prayer to Allah, and Quranic reading and still be considered born again. Is this the gospel that will truly reach 2 billion souls for Jesus?

    And the “Prayer Movements”, we should be very watchful of them. Many involved in these prayer movements embrace the “mystical” ideas of Roman Catholic mystics.

    The point that I want to bring home is this, it’s not really that complicated. We need to return to the models provided in scripture for reaching the lost. All these models are easy to identify and they all involve preaching the Word of God. After all, we are to preach the Gospel, God does the saving work and he should receive the glory for it.

    We need to raise up men of God who will preach the Gospel to the nations.

  • Fri Feb 01, 2008 3:00 pm Agree: 6   Disagree: 0

    Isn't it amazing that while so-called baptists are worrying about global warming that true Baptists such as Bobby Welch are more concerned about eternal warming and what we can do to have as few as possible face that eternity.

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