In 1966, evangelical leaders from across the globe met in Berlin for the Congress on World Evangelism. Championed by Billy Graham and organized by Carl F. H. Henry, the Berlin Congress called delegates from across the world to present papers on the topic of “One Race, One Gospel, One Task.” The event culminated in 18,000 delegates marching and singing the classic hymn, “A Mighty Fortress is Our God” under the shadow of the Berlin Wall. The delegates audaciously claimed, “Our goal is nothing short of the evangelization of the human race in this generation, by every means God has given to the mind and will of men.”
Yet over 50 years have passed since the Berlin Congress, and the impact of this event has been overshadowed by the 1974 Lausanne Congress and forgotten by subsequent missions movements. However, the writings of the 1966 Berlin Congress are essential to understanding the mindset of twentieth-century evangelicals, both in America and across the globe. The delegates recognized “One Race” and the “biblical unity of the human race,” as they called for “no distinctions based on race or color.” They affirmed “One Gospel,” declaring, “God first communicated the Gospel of redemption, and not man” and championed the authority of Scripture. And finally, the global representatives highlighted the necessity of obedience to the Lord’s Command in Matthew 28:19-20 of “One Task,” stating “Our responsibility is to see that every one is given the opportunity to decide for Christ in our time.” Addressing the topics of racial tensions, political nationalism, social concern, denominational squabbles, and the ever-increasing task of world evangelization, the Berlin Congress spoke poignantly to its era in a way that is still applicable today.
The purpose of this paper is to argue the 1966 Berlin Congress on World Evangelism presents a unique connection of the trifecta of racial reconciliation, biblical authority, and eschatological urgency in global missiology, and that this missional recipe is of vital importance to contemporary evangelicals in their evangelistic task. In doing so, this paper will synthesize the presentations of global delegates at the 1966 Berlin Congress on each of these matters and expand upon the summary definition published after the event. Special consideration will be given to both the papers presented by delegates outside of the United States and later exposition of the event by Graham and Henry in articles published by Christianity Today. Though some may relegate the event to the archives of history, the 1966 Berlin Congress still speaks to the necessity for global evangelicals to heed the call for “One Race, One Gospel, One Task.”