There are three major documents that define and guide the central theological and strategic distinctives of the Lausanne Movement: 

• The Lausanne Covenant (from the First Lausanne Congress in 1974)

• The Manila Manifesto (from the Second Lausanne Congress in 1989)

• The Cape Town Commitment (from the Third Lausanne Congress in 2010)

The Lausanne Covenant and The Manila Manifesto are our statements of faith. Every activity of the Movement is built on their foundation. We sometimes describe them as the banks of our theological river. Acting as a roadmap for the Movement, The Cape Town Commitment sets out biblical convictions for the global church, and sounds the call for global action. 

Each of these documents has helped shape the course of modern church history in a significant way. They have been called ‘some of the most enduring theological legacies of the Lausanne Movement’ (Timothy Tennett; read his full article below). 

The Lausanne Covenant’s chief architect was John Stott and it was this document that was personally signed by Billy Graham and key leaders from the global church in a moving ceremony at the end of the First Lausanne Congress in 1974. Within a few years, The Covenant was adopted as the statement of faith by countless churches, movements, seminaries, and organisations around the world, and it is still widely used in many countries today. 

We anticipate further documents, including The Seoul Statement, as a result of the Fourth Lausanne Congress in 2024 that will continue to strategically align us in our fourfold vision. We look forward to how these documents will continue to shape our collaboration in order to close the gaps and seize the opportunities that remain in fulfilling the Great Commission.

Our foundational statements may already be familiar to you, or perhaps they are very new. Whichever the case, would you engage with one or more of the statements afresh using the links below?