April 01, 1985 by

In December 1984 the first steps were taken for a continent wide Latin American missions congress to beheld in 1987. Luis Bush. Latin American coordinator for CHRISTIAN NATIONALS EVANGELISM COMMISSION, was appointed president of the coordinating committee at the first planning session held in Mexico City.

Called by CONELA (Confratemidad Evangelica Latino Americana), an association of evangelicals in Latin America, the consultation found itself swept along by the exciting realization that Latin American churches are responding to the challenge of missions a never before. Rev. Marcelina Ortiz of CONELA pointed out in his plenary address that missions activities are taking place all over Latin America, often without knowledge of what others are doing.

One example of this new enthusiasm for missions is the Salvadoran Evangelical Mission, which sent its first couple to plant churches in Spain early in 1984. Lois Bush, who helped form the SEM, has seen tremendous enthusiasm for missions throughout Central America, in spite of the dangers of war and the trauma of economic recession. In May of 1984 Bush's church, Iglesia Nazaret, in Sari Salvador, sponsored a missions congress for young people of Central America, which was attended by more than 1,000 youth and pastors.

Leaders ofCONELA have in the past been cautious of international and intercontinental cooperation. They have struggled with the implications of liberation theology and the need to clarify relations with the predominant Roman Catholic church (88 percent of the population). The rapid growth of the charismatic movement has also been a source of division among evangelicals.

But the coordinating committee of the Congress on Missions will represent a broad spectrum of evangelicalism. Christian leaden from twenty three countries have been asked to form a consulting committee. For the first time in history an association of Hispanics in Latin America, Spain, and North America will work towards a common goal.

Tom Chandler, who represents the World Evangelical Fellowship, is the only Westerner asked to serve on the coordinating committee. He points out that the delegates realized that Western missionary opportunities are increasingly being limited in Latin America, and that the Latin American church must be ready to step in and meet the challenge.

Preparations for the 1987 Congress will include in-depth research of the size and nature of the remaining task of evangelization in Latin American countries, and the scope of the mission work being done. Sam Wilson of LCWE and Larry Pate of Overseas Crusades will help in the research, but the organization, promotion, and implementation of the congress will primarily be done by Latin American leaders. The Global Mapping Project and the Institute of Latin American Studies, both at the U.S. Center for World Mission, are also cooperating in this developing-world emphasis on the remaining frontiers.

The conference hopes to help awaken the Latin American/Iberian church to its mission responsibilities, and to focus attention on unevangelized groups, not only in the Iberio-Latin countries, but around the world.