The evangelical movement never had an acknowledged nucleus. That has led to a great debate these days over the definition of ‘evangelical,’ partly because it never had a formal definition, partly because of its use in political dialogue and partly by lack of understanding by the secular media.
Americans in general tend to have a short view of history, but that short-coming is exasperated by congregations that don’t provide sufficient teaching on church history – a deficiency that can be particularly present in non-denomination congregations because of the lack of historical ties to other parts of the Church.
This has led to a crisis of identity, with many Christians who once owned the the description of ‘evangelical’ to turn away from that term in despair that too many now misunderstand what ‘evangelical’ was supposed to mean, One solution to this crisis of identity is to recapture the meaning evangelicalism as was carefully and ecumenically defined by The Lausanne Covenant, originally formulated in 1974 with great care.
The Covenant was carefully drawn up such that it maintained the essential meaning of evangelicalism in way that it could be accepted by a wide array of congregations around the world but without compromising the true essence of what it means to be an evangelical.
The Covenant was written in humility, recognizing the many different ways that the Church has come short of its calling through the years. As such it can still serve as a relevant reminder for all of to dedicate ourselves to the mission of the church in the world.
For more detail on The Lausanne Covenant with many explanatory notes, see this pdf.
Transcendent Touched 