40 Years Ago in Germany

World Congress on Evangelism
October 25-November 4, 1966
Kongress Halle, West Berlin, Germany

The 1966 World Congress on Evangelism, held in West Berlin, Germany, was an important event in the history of 20th century Christianity. At this meeting Protestant Evangelical Christians (theologians, evangelists, church leaders) from around the world gathered, many for the first time. They built relationships that led to much closer cooperation and future conferences, including the 1974 International Congress on World Evangelization (the Lausanne Congress). Although the Congress was sponsored by two American organizations—the Billy Graham Evangelistic Association and Christianity Today magazine—and was planned and financed largely by Americans, the papers at the conference gave many indications of the explosive growth of the church in Africa, Asia and Latin America and the shifting center of gravity of the church from Western to non-Western cultures.John Stott presented a three-part Bible teaching on “The Great Commission” at this meeting, and as many of you know was the principle architect of the Lausanne Covenant (written at the Lausanne Congress) in 1974. You can listen to John Stott’s Bible teachings from 1966 by clicking on the links below.

The Great Commission, Part I (43 minutes)

The Great Commission, Part II (41-1/2 minutes)

The Great Commission, Part III (38 minutes)

For more information on the 1966 World Congress on Evangelism, click here>>