July/August 1993

New Co-Chairman Named
The AD2000 Movement is pleased to announce that four new Honorary Co- Chairmen have been named. They are Billy Graham, Bill Bright of Campus Crusade, Luis Palau, and Kyun Chik Han of Korea.

Praying Through the Window
Peter Wagner reports that over 20 million people have committed themselves to specifically focused prayer on the 10/40 Window during October 1993. The Christian Information Network reports that over 800 churches have now adopted 10/40 Window countries and 231 prayer teams are planning one week on-site October prayer journeys to every country in the 10/40 Window.

Global Survey Launched.
A global assessment of the unfinished task was launched on July 20 that would include a global survey on the unfinished task. The AD2000 Assessment Task Force was commissioned to undertake this task under the chairmanship of Clark Scalon, Director of Planning and Research of the Foreign Mission Board of the Southern Baptist Convention and Pete Holzmann of Data Serve as the coordinator. There was a common sense of purpose to assemble a unified picture of the unfinished task with the collaboration of all participant organizations in conjuction with the existing research agencies.

Ghana Benefits from National Church Survey
Accra, June 4, 1993-- Over 600 carefully selected Ghanaian Christian leaders, representing every major Protestant denomination, mission and para-church ministry, assembeled in Accra, Ghana last June. Following an earlier consultation, in June 1989, in which more than 500 Christian leaders met for a national Consultation on the Evangelization of Ghana and Beyond by AD20000, the purpose of the receent meeting was to evaluate progress and plan for completing the unfinished task of evangelizing their nation and the world.

The organizing body was the Ghana Evangelism Committee (GEC) under chairman Jude Hama. Many noted outside speakers were brought in for the conference, including William Kumuyi, Bob Waymire, Niyi Gbadu, Reuben Ezemandu, Johan Combrinck and Luis Bush. The budget for direct costs related to the consultation totaled $20,000 of which 80% was covered by sources in the Ghanaian Church, even though Ghana is one of the poorest sub-Saharan African countries.

A feature of the first consultation was the release of a National Church Survey focusing on the unfinished task in Ghana. It was the first of its kind, resulting from four years of village by village research. It provided a clear picture of where the church was at and what remained to be done.

The second consultation provided a five-year-survey update giving an added perspective on where the church was going. This survey presented the big picture of the church plus close-ups of individual denominations. A remarkably thorough and well illustrated 112-page National Church Survey Update 1993 was presented by GEC Director, Ross Campbell. An added benefit was the establishment of the GEC as a permanent national research infrastructure.

While the first survey presented a "still" picture of what had happened, this second survey presented a moving picture. The thoroughness of the ongoing research brought indisputable facts and realities to light. The clarity, measurability and simplicity of the vision of an evangelized Ghana through saturation church planting was biblical, understandable and acceptable to Christian leaders of all denominations. The presence and notable support of Christian leaders from all denominations as well as the cooperation of national and expatriate missionaries together resulted in a keen sense of unity of the body of Christ.

The challenges of the unfinished task in Ghana, and the need to face them squarely, encouraged needed changes from traditional and sometimes ineffective forms of Christianity. Denominations and organizations were encouraged to make changes, establish new priorities and take specific action steps in response to the challenges presented. The focus on completing the task in Ghana by the year 2000 introduced a sense of urgency.

There was a clear focus on the unreached people groups and unchurched villages and towns. Mobile contextualized training units were established to prepare lay pastors for the thousand of unchurched villages. Networks of women, young people, pastors, etc. were formed to contribute to helping with the unfinished task. The need for a holistic and contextualized approach for effective ministry was underscored. Finally, the importance of fervent , focused prayer was repeatedly emphasized.

National Initiative Cross-Fertilization
Recently many of you may have received AD2000 news releases from various countries around the world. In the last few weeks the leaders of the AD2000 and Beyond Movement in India, Korea, Australia, and Ghana have sent our very encouraging reports of the progress of their national initiatives. We hope these interlinking streams of communication continue to grow as we all move forward.

Creative Partnership Initiatives with the AD2000 Movement

John Kyle--Partnership with the Presbyterian Church of America Mission to the World
John serves actively and efficiently as the US AD2000 Board Chairman. The US Board of Trustees provides accountability in financial, legal and operational matters, inter-organizational partnership agreements, and policy formation consistent with the directional strategies of the international Board.

Paul Cedar--Partnership with the Evangelical Free Church of America
Paul Cedar chairs the AD2000 International Coalition of Christian Leaders, which is composed of 200 key leaders from various denominations, national and local churches, mission movements and service entities from around the world. All have a primary commitment to cooperate with other Christians in the vital ministry of world evangelization in the decade of the 1990s. These International Coalition leaders share the vision of the AD2000 and Beyond Movement. They are "front line" leaders, implementors, activists, equippers, and/or mobilizers in the ministry of world evangelization.

Coalition members give leadership to the involvement of their own constituencies and share spiritual counsel with the various AD2000 boards, committees and resource network leaders. They will seek to rally support and resources of all kinds to see the objectives of the movement fulfilled.

Clark Scanlon--Partnership with the Foreign Mission Board of the Southern Baptist Convention
As director of planning and strategy for the Foreign Mission Board of the Southern Baptist Convention, Clark has served as one of five on the Peoples Information Network work team. He participated in the validation of the list of adoptable and unreached people groups published by the Adopt-A-People Clearinghouse and others. He serves as Chairman of the AD2000 Assessment Task Force. Under his direction a global field survey will be launched to assess the status of world evangelization for its initial presentation at GCOWE '95.

Bill Bright--Partnership with Campus Crusade for Christ--New Life 2000--The JESUS Film project
At Bill's initiative, extensive discussions and prayer were conducted over an extended period of time to determine creative ways in which New Life 2000, The Jesus Film and AD2000 could cooperate with the AD2000 Movement. As a result, eight specific areas of cooperation were agreed on,perhaps the main one being the incorporation of a resource network on development coordinated by Paul Eshleman under the chairmanship of Victor Koh. Bill Bright now serves as one of the Honorary Co-Chairmen of the AD2000 Movement.

William Kumuyi --Partnership with African Independent Churches
As regional coordinator for AD2000 Kumuyi launched the movement in Africa in a continent-wide conference in August 1992. More than 12,000 pastors and Christian leaders from over 2,140 African denominations and 45 African countries converged on Lagos for the meeting.

Peter Wagner said, "As I have made a mental review of recent church history on all six continents, I cannot recall a similar event which even approaches this one in size, diversity and leadership rank." William has written to 20,000 pastors throughout Africa, encouraging each to mobilize at least one hundred intercessors for the Prayer Through the Window effort in October 1993. He has received in writing more than 5,000 affirmative responses.

Alberto Mottesi Continent-wide Partnership
In Latin America, evangelist Alberto Mottesi has spearheaded the formation of Partnership 2000,an implementational task force for the fulfillment of countrywide cooperative efforts throughout Latin America., Partnership 2000 models the principles and results proposed by the AD2000 Movement as an integral part of the movement in Latin America. Montesi says,"We will work so that every congregation established will become a missionary church and that at least 10,000 missionaries will be sent out from countries in Latin America to at least 1,000 unreached peoples." Alberto serves on the International Board of AD2000 and the Executive Committee of the International Coalition.

Kim Joon Gon
Country-wide Partnership--Korea AD2000
Kim Joon Gon is the chairman for the Preparation Committee for GCOWE '95. The Korea AD20000 movement represents one of the most all- encompassing AD2000 countrywide intitiatives in the world today. The Korean church will host this mid-decadal assessment gathering, providing food and housing for the nearly 300 Two-Thirds World participants and the necessary internal transportation within Korea amounting to about $2 million.

The AD 2000 Movement Launched in Australia

Over 100 Church leaders, Para-Church representatives and mission organization personnel gathered in Sydney on Thursday, June 24 for the launch of the AD 2000 and Beyond Movement in Australia.

The Australian involvement is headed by a steering committee, chaired by businessman Graham Binet, with Mal Garvin as co-ordinator.

Behind the effort is the question, Can the world be reached for Jesus by the end of this century? Luis Bush, International Director of the A.D. 2000 Movement believes the answer is yes! Bush spoke at the Queensland launch of the AD 2000 Movement at the Gateway Baptist Church in Brisbane. He called the AD2000 Movement the central catalytic agent for synchronizing the numerous worldwide forces for evangelism that God has been preparing for this time.

Bush sees what is happening as a rising river, swelling as Christians around the world flow together, forgetting their differences and focusing on their common goal. As we move towards the year 2000 the river will become a raging torrent, breaking down strongholds and reclaiming nations for Christ.

South Korea, says Bush, is a model of what we can expect to see. In that nation, ALL the major denominational leaders are meeting together to plan how the nation's Christians can be directed to fulfill their part in the AD 2000 vision.

Also speaking at the Queensland launch was author and missiologist, Dr. C. Peter Wagner. He said the church has seen an acceleration of growth that has never been seen before. "God is preparing for the final thrust," he said. He likened this to the final thrust of childbirth - a difficult time that culminates in the greatest victory of all, new life!

"What will it take to reach the whole world with the Gospel of Jesus Christ?" asked Dr. Wagner. "Greater understanding of church-growth principles? More advanced evangelism methodologies?" According to Dr.. Wagner, all these are important but secondary. The key, he says is prayer - concerted prayer on a global scale.

Rick Ward spoke of his "excitement" at the outreach towards "unreached peoples" and claimed that "We are at a unique place in history." He urged all Christians to "resource together to see outreach to unreached groups."

Mal Garvin, author and director of the youth ministry Fusion said that Australians have a great role to play in this movement. "The wind is in the gum trees," he said. "Our unique Australian Christianity will only find its meaning as a collective expression. We need to focus on something bigger than ourselves, like the AD 2000 Movement. That's when we realize we need each other,We need to recognize we are a special people, and that God has a special purposes for us."

Inquiries about the AD 2000 Movement in Australia should be directed to: AD 2000 & Beyond Australia, 688 Parmatta Road, Croydon NSW 2132, Australia.

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