December 01, 1979 by

"After long weeks of discussion with a number of mission agencies and with our hosts in Edinburgh, Scotland, we have decided to go ahead with October 27-31, 1980 as our date for the World Consultation on Frontier Missions." So stated Larry Aliman, chairman of the Pasadena Convening Committee and Executive Director of Gospel Recordings, International.

The decision came after months, actually years, of discussion. As far back as 1972 it was proposed that representatives of mission agencies should meet in a world consultation in 1980 to discuss how to complete the job of world evangelization. Subsequent to that time other world conferences have been set up for 1980, the Consultation on World Evangelization (sponsored by the Lausanne Committee) to be held at Pattaya, Thailand being the most prominent. However, the World Consultation on Frontier Missions (WCFM) to be held in Edinburgh is unique in that its delegates will be entirely from mission agencies. It is exclusively designed for those presently involved in or planning to reach into frontier areas.

Leiton Chinn, Coordinator of the Consultation and on loan precisely for that purpose from International Students, Inc., was especially excited to see the interest in the WCFM on the part of third world mission agencies. He reported that on September 14 in Seoul, Korea, representatives from 17 Korean denominational boards and 18 mission agencies met together to name the Seoul WCFM Preparation Committee, looking to October 1980 in Edinburgh. Enthusiastic correspondence has also come from Panya Baba, Director of the Evangelical Missionary Society of West Africa, the largest non-Western missionary society in the world. The largest mission in Norway, the Norwegian Lutheran Mission, and the Church Missionary Society of England have also expressed great desire. to participate.

The Pasadena and Seoul Committees are only two of a number of local committees which will jointly sponsor this Consultation. Discussions are underway in Taipei and Toronto which will result, no doubt, in the formation of their committees, as well as in London, Oslo, Fort Wayne, New Jersy, Nigeria, India, Australia, Hong Kong, Latin America and Stockholm.

Because the WCFM follows the Thailand Consulation by several months, the participating agencies hope to be able to use the findings of hte prior consultation, supplementing them with related data from the field, in determining how best to implement plans to reach the Hidden People.