January 01, 1995 by John Quam

According to a poll in Newsweek Magazine, June 13, 1994, 76% of Americans believe that the U.S. is in a moral and spiritual decline. The cover story of that issue went on to examine more in depth the evidence for such a decline and the growing number of leaders seeking a solution.

Of course, ideas vary on how to reverse the negative trend. Secular writer Douglas Cupland confesses through his characters in his latest book "Life after God" that the religious vacuum his generation has received is destroying them. He says simple and compellingly at the end of the last chapter: "I need God."

Nehemiah's Example

Nehemiah provides an interesting portrait for the rebuilding of a city and, by extension, a nation. The initial information brought to Nehemiah by his brother painted a picture of broken walls and broken social structures. Nehemiah's initial response was one of prayer. In a parallel fashion, we have observed over the last two or three decades an unraveling of the moral and social structure in the United States and accompanying brokenness through family disintegration, increased violence and corporate evil on many levels.

In response the Lord has laid a burden of prayer on the hearts of many. Several of those on the US Lausanne Committee have given leadership to the emerging prayer movement in the US. This prayer movement has found expression in local congregations, citywide prayer gatherings and newly energized national initiatives such as the March for Jesus and the National Day of Prayer.

God is doing more, however, than calling His church to prayer. He is building relationships and initiating cooperative

efforts for evangelism and Christian ministry. Many of these are emerging through the development of citywide networks. The U.S. Lausanne Committee has expanded its vision, adding several new leaders from these networks and incorporating them into a new national initiative being called Mission America 2000. Following is their Mission Statement which embodies this vision.

The Mission:

The whole church taking the whole Gospel to the whole nation in this generation.

The Vision:

Under the banner of the Lausanne Covenant, we come together to recognize our absolute dependence on God and our desperate need for divine intervention.

We believe God is using us to call all believers in America to unite in humility and repentance across ethnic and church boundaries to pray and prepare persistently for a moral and spiritual awakening in the Body of Christ resulting in the church uniting in a concerted effort to present the gospel of the kingdom to every person in this nation and around the world.

In his strategy for the rebuilding of Jerusalem, Nehemiah assembled national and international resources and made them available to local leaders and families. His organizational structure represented the principle that each one would work best on the wall where they lived, and where the completion of the structure would most directly benefit them. At the same time, they worked and fought and defended all parts of the wall as emergencies and needs dictated.

A Citywide Strategy

The U.S. Lausanne Committee and Mission America 2000 are following this citywide approach, identifying and networking national and international resources, helping city leadership work together and develop individual strategies for taking the love of Christ to every sector of their city. Local ministries and networks and congregations are finding ways that by working together they can advance the kingdom of God beyond anything they could do individually.

Annual Initiatives

In addition to networking national resources and developing citywide strategies, the US Lausanne Committee is focusing on annual national cooperative initiatives being centered around strategic themes now being finalized. Along with Lausanne Committees in other nations and along side the AD 2000 & Beyond Movement internationally, Mission America 2000 is giving leadership to a new massive cooperative effort to share Christ's love in appropriate ways with every citizen. Please add this vision to your prayers for the reaching of the world with the gospel.

 has served the Body of Christ as a missionary to Brazil, as Upper Midwest Regional Director for ACMC and as David Bryant's right hand man at Concerts of Prayer, International.