By Carson Pue

IN OCTOBER, more than 4,000 Christian leaders from around the globe will converge on Cape Town, South Africa – for the third Lausanne Congress on World Evangelization.

This type of global gathering takes years to prepare, and costs millions of dollars. So, why bother?

Leadership is the process of inspiring individuals to give of their best, to achieve a desired result. It is about getting people to move in the right direction, gaining their commitment, and motivating them to achieve their goals.

There are three specific outcomes that we can anticipate from Cape Town 2010.

First, each attendee represents a church, ministry or calling that is ultimately directed by Christ’s call: to reach the ends of the earth with the gospel. Placing ourselves in a global context allows us the opportunity to ask ourselves if we are achieving the task.

Fulfilling our purpose

Being surrounded by other leaders from other cultures helps to ensure that your ministry’s purpose is fulfilled. If it is not, the result is frustration, disharmony, criticism – and eventually, perhaps, disintegration of the group.

So this provides an opportunity to check in – with yourself personally, and also with the motivation and accomplishment of your ministry, and what role you might play in the global cause of sharing the truth of Jesus.

Secondly, Cape Town will provide an opportunity to build and maintain effective relationships. In the past, friendships formed at Lausanne congresses have been enduring, encouraging and empowering.

These relationships are effective, if they contribute to helping us achieve the task of spreading the Good News of Christ in our communities and beyond. Participants return with not only a global perspective, but also a global network.

Ideal leaders

Canadian delegates will literally be surrounded by leaders exemplified by:

• Enthusiasm: They want to get things done, and have the ability to communicate to other people;

• Confidence: Their faith in Jesus propels them to share their faith in him with others – but not in a simplistic manner. These are holistic thinkers and strategists

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• Toughness: Leaders in most non-Western contexts have it a lot tougher than you do. You will meet people who are resilient, tenacious – and demanding of high standards, in how we live our life for Christ. They seek respect, but not necessarily popularity.

• Integrity: Being true to oneself means personal wholeness, soundness and an honesty which inspires trust.

• Warmth:  Caring for people and being considerate is crucial. Participants will be amazed to be around 4,000 followers of Christ together. There is an experience waiting, akin to the Emmaus road travelers who met the Risen Christ.

• Humility: This means willingness to listen, and to take the blame; not being arrogant and overbearing. Lausanne delegates return from such gatherings humbled by the privilege of sharing Christ, and understanding what this means to all peoples – and embracing the care required for tackling the issues of poverty, child mortality, sex trafficking, racism and wars.

Who wouldn’t want to build relationships with men and women who embody the preceding qualities?

Outpouring of Spirit

A third outcome is a supernatural one. At each of the preceding Lausanne world congress gatherings, there has been an outpouring of the Holy Spirit – that has inspired both participants and their nations to ‘pick up their game’ in terms of ministry. You will return different – in good ways.

As is God’s pattern, this is as unique and personal as the individuals who attend. But I can assure you that you will never be the same again. Delegates return with a greater understanding of the resources for living godly lives. The scriptures address this in a two-fold manner.

First, God wants us to realize that we are not the source of anything that is needed. Second, God wants us to understand that he is the source of everything that is needed. It is with this understanding that 4,000 leaders will return to serve God where they are called – and the Kingdom work will benefit, as a result of God’s empowering Spirit.

I anticipate 50 Canadian delegates returning from Cape Town to the work of the Kingdom in Canada and beyond.

So what will happen then? I can hardly wait to find out.

Carson Pue is president of Arrow Leadership, and served as chair of the Canadian selection committee for the Lausanne 2010 Congress. Contact: arrowleadership.org

This article first appeared in ChristianWeek.

August 2010