Harley

Describes missionary training at the Antioch mission. (22-24)1 Refers to it as one of the first Brazilian agencies (note “the first” like Tostes) (22)2

need to help young Brazilians overcome cultural naivete. (23)3

focus on spiritual warfare and inner healing (23)4

Ruiz

“While one hundred years ago 95% of Christians lived in the western world, nowadays 70% of believers live in Africa, Asia and Latin America. The most dynamic and growing churches are in this part of the world, with a liturgy, organisation and ministry style that attracts hundreds of people.”1
“1. The missiology of these churches is based more in the local church. The relationship
between the missionary and the sending church is more direct.
2. Most of the Majority World missionaries focus on planting churches and evangelism.
3. The commitment to the missionary work is for lifetime, people do not think of it as
short periods of mission.
4. The new missionary force of the Majority World is growing, while in the West, the
missionary force is declining.
5. In the South-South relationship, there is a bigger ideological proximity.
We have recognised that we have weaknesses to address.
1. Financial support to missionaries frequently is not long term.
2. Many missionaries go to the field with a harvest mentality, like in their own country
and they become frustrated if they only have to sow.
3. There are few candidates for ministries with a less “visible” success, like Bible
translation or cultural interpretation.
4.There is a tendency to send missionaries where the same language is spoken.”2

H Brant “Redefining Missions for the 21st Century” in D Ruiz (ed.), The Two Thirds World Church, Lausanne Occasional Paper No 44, (Lausanne Committee for World Evangelisation, 2004) available online at www.lausanne.org [Accessed August 7 2008] 11–25.

points to the significance of a globalized church.3
“globalized world means that populations are more fluid than ever before. People in
hard-to-reach places are coming right into our back yards. The local churches of our nations
are not doing a very good job at reaching them. Missions, which specialize in cross-cultural
evangelism, are NOT paying much attention to the rapidly shifting demographics of our
Western nations.”4

“Our non-Western colleagues come free from the “arrogance and triumphalism” associated with Western Christianity”5

Lausanne World Pulse

G McClung, “Missions with Spanish and Portuguese Accents” Lausanne World Pulse Homepage available online at www.lausanneworldpulse.com [Accessed August 5 2008]

“I can say that “missions with Spanish and Portuguese accents” will be one of the defining trends in the future of world missions.”1

V Steuernagel, “A Mission Voice from Latin America: Partnering for World
Mission” Lausanne World Pulse Homepage available online at www.lausanneworldpulse.com [Accessed August 5 2008]

Refers to the growth in mission awareness in Latin America at a time of immense church growth. In the light of the secularization in previous mission bases, belief that concern for local missions should be retained.2
“Dependency does harm. To some, it gives a dangerous sense of control; however, to many more it generates a false sense of immobilizing invalidity. The challenge before us is to build a reciprocal partnership; this will be best seen when Latino missionaries work not only with Latino immigrants in Europe and North America, but with mainstream mission efforts and churches as well. The practice of partnership could help us to become a Church that will make a difference indeed.”3

affirms a Brazilian imperialism towards other cultures.4

Need to learn to give over a systematic period of time.5

“we must move from divisionism to an ecclesiastical experience that will respect the church that is already in place, seek to work in concert, and sometimes become integrated, with a posture of submission, into works already underway”6

Escobar

“COMIBAM, the largest coordinating agency of Latin American missions shows that the
number of Latin American missionaries in the year 2001 was 6,455. These figures do
not take into account the number of migrants from the majority world that carry on
missionary work in the countries where they move as migrants or refugees.”(15)1
“Catholics in Latin America are concerned by the fact that though half the Catholics of the world live in Latin America, only 2% of the Catholic missionary force comes from that region.”(15)2

argues that in many marginalized churches a stewardship for survival leads to greater voluntarism and lay involvement. (16)3

points to economic and social disparaties as an obstacle to partnership. (17)4

“Third, participation in global mission requires established and durable institutional
structures. Some young churches in the south are characterized by institutional fragility
and weakness which make difficult the existence of a continuous pattern of support and
care for the missionary effort. In the enthusiastic or charismatic phase of a movement
institutional structures are secondary and there is even a revolt against them, because
revival has broken the structures. However, structures are indispensable and again, they
have to be contextual. This contextuality is very important in relation to the frame of
disparity that we have observed above. The reproduction of support structures that reflect
the needs and demands of an affluent society requires drastic revision.” (17)5

wonders whether the IURD should be invited to Edingburgh 2010. (18)6

S Escobar, “Mission from Everywhere to Everyone: the Home Base in a New Century” Towards 2010 Homepage Available online at www.towards2010.org.uk/papers.htm [Accessed August 4 2008]

Mesquita

Complains against the anti-denominational attitude of many interdenominacional missions, in whom he detects arrogance. Significant quote:
“Rever a idéia de que ‘as agências não são denominações’. Rever o conceito de
ser denominação. Tipificar a estrutura, os conceitos teológicos, e as ações
missiológicas. As agências plantam igrejas que trazem o escopo teológico das
próprias agências e os missionários, quando plantam uma igreja, carregam os
pressupostos teológicos deles mesmos;”1

M Mesquita, “A Diáspora Brasileira: Mitos na Obra Missionária”Diáspora Evangélica Brasileira Homepage available online at http://www.ivconsulta.adiasporabrasileira.com/documentos.htm [Accessed August 4 2008]

DeCarvalho et al

Trend of wishing to develop new church models on the field, and discomfort when dealing with their home church. (4)1
Beyond limited missiological, cultural and linguistic training, problem of lack of re-inforcement training once on the field. (5)2
strong language limitations, yet friends in the host country (7)3
Difficulties in strategic communication (8)4
Need for churches to be more supportive of missionaries in their calling (11) 5

L DeCarvalho, N Jiménez, C González & S Guerreiro, Strengths and Weaknesses of the IberoAmerican Missionary, (Granada: COMIBAM, 2006) available online at www.comibam.org [Accessed August 2 2008]

Comibam

Missiological studies considered less important than Biblical studies; limited language learning and practical anthropology. Lack of recycling courses1 (2)
“The majority of missionaries have the responsibility for raising their own support, even though
they are on the field the majority of the time.
f. The participation of churches and missions agencies is still minimal when it comes to the selection
of field and ministry for missionaries.” (3)2

Problem of back up through things such as health plans and retirement. Issue of women and singles3 (3)
Problem of burnout, yet high percentage of missionaries still wish to stay on the field.4 (4)
points to the financial sacrifice made by Latin American missionaries5 (5)
refers to a cultural problem in Latin America for separating a time for rest and vacation.6 (12)
Problem of denominationalism, and distance between churches and missionary agencies.7 (13)

Links problem between agencies and churches to issues of authority and undefined roles.8 (14)
“The Iberoamerican sending structures in past years has developed: field experience, connections
and support networks with other entities and churches, specialization in areas of work,
communication and an exclusive focus on missions sending that means that now they can offer
their services with greater freedom to be effective in their work. They should capitalize on this
experience.7. There is a need to work better in areas like: the sending of funds to workers on the field, training of personnel to do administrative and accounting work, flexibility in the statutes that allow us to establish and strengthen partnerships with other institutions, constancy in volunteerism, strategies for raising funds, annual work plans, periodic evaluations, legal structures, etc.”9 (14)
problems in dealing with missionary children.10
“Visa problems and issues related to legal residency, together with interpersonal problems
continue to be the first on the list of obstacles to missions work.”11 |(16)

General Report of the III Iberoamerican Missions Congress November 13 -17, 2006, Granada, Spain Comibam Homepage available online at www.comibam.org [Accessed July 31 2008]

Botelho Gigante

Despite the fact, referring to P Johnstone, that Brazil is the third country in sending missionaries, disputes P Wagner's claim that in 2010 Brazil will be the strongest missionary force. Attributes this to a lack of effective partnerships with Northern Churches.1 (1)
Claims that 3000 cross cultural missionaries is a negligible number considering the size of the Brazilian evangelical church.2 (3)
affirms that the divisions amongst missionary agencies weakens them, including producing decent publicity material. Particularly laments divisions between pentecostal/charismatics and historical evangelicals, the former underestimating the importance of cross cultural training and long term work, the latter underestimating prayer and spiritual warfare. (4)3
“Hoje os missionários latinos podem viver bem com cerca de um quinto do sustento requerido pelos missionários vindos do hemisfério Norte.” (5)4
lack of English language often an obstacle, especially in setting up international partnerships. (5-6)5
claims that in Brazil the average individual contribution to missions is R$ 1,30.6 (6)
complains about the resistance of Western Churches and agencies, especially in the US, of partnering with Brazilian churches.7 (7-9)
complains that Latin American innovative approaches get criticised for diverting from “traditional” Western approaches.8 (9-10)
critiques a cultural propensity of not being faithful to promises made. Points to research suggesting that only 5% of pledges are kept.9 (10)
“Há muitas igrejas interessadas em ver suas “extensões” nos países do hemisfério Norte, especialmente entre a comunidade de brasileiros que vivem como imigrantes nos países ricos.” 10(11)
complains about the way in which cross cultural missionaries are treated as less important than pastors, including their wages.11
points to the concentration of churches in Brazil in areas of greater financial prosperity and links this to a lack of interest in cross cultural mission.12
states that with the centralisation of power in Brazilian churches, president pastors tend to show little interest in supporting cross cultural mission.13

D Botelho, “Brasil: O Gigante Adormecido” Associação de Missões Transculturais Brasileiras Homepage available online at http://www.amtb.org.br/home/index.php?option=com_content&task=view&id=180&Itemid=38 [Accesses July 30 2008]

Taylor too valuable

Points to the coming of age of Latin American missions in the 1987 Comiban meeting in Sao Paulo. (143)1
1995 1,764 cross cultural missionaries working overseas, average growth of 9% a year.2 (144)
economic stability linked with increase with sending missionaries.(144)3
Tendency of Brazilian missionaries to concentrate where they can speak Portuguese and Spanish.4 (144)
c.70% of missionaries sent by Brazilian agencies or churches.5 (145)
Only 18% of Brazilian agencies are Pentecostal, the others are traditional or interdenominational.6 (146)
points to financial difficulties, inadequate training, lack of commitment and personal and character issues amongst missionaries as the main causes of attrition.(which Limpic places at 7% a year; far away from popular claims of 15%)7 (149-150)
higher attrition amongst newer agencies.8 (150)
positive attitude towards support agencies provide for missionaries, with weakness in formal support and the education of missionary children.9 (151)
training for missionaries tends to be provided by agencies themselves.10 (152)

Points to the fact that from the start of the 20th century the Assemblies of God, Baptists and Presbyterians in Brazil have sought to share the gospel with other Latin American nations and Portugal.11 (183) Role of YWAM and other youth agencies in stimulating interest even further. (183)12
Candidates vary in social and educational background, but tend to be mainly young (184)13
Points to the role of the AMTB in setting standards for screening and sending missionaries, which are not always followed by all agencies.(186)14
Latin America, problem with an overemphasis on the visible and superficial. (188)15
Brazilian missionaries said to have problems taking Portuguese people seriously, and Portuguese often do not accept Brazilian workers.16 (188)
problem of loneliness and lack of extended family for many L. American missionaries. (189)17

refers to the role of the jeitinho in Brazilian culture and the conflict caused when Brazilian missionaries resort to this technique on the field.18 (213-214)

Oswaldo Prado: refers to missionaries returning broken, or refusing to return from mission field. (314)19
A Nasser: lack of preparation for Brazilian missionaries to work in teams, especially international ones. (316)20
Both Prado and Nasser refer to the problem of a lack of clarity in the roles of the sending church and the agency. (321)21

Rees

"The resulting transformation of Latin American nations from missionary-receivers to missionary-senders is also well documented, and the practical effects of this are felt in the growing number of Latin – particularly Brazilian – Protestant missionaries spread across the globe."¹ (1)

o

"The vitality of any Christian movement has to be seen in its long-term durability, the depth of influence it holds within the Christian population it draws on, its theological maturity, and its creative ability to overcome the inevitable obstacles that it encounters. Certainly as far as Latin America is concerned (I am not familiar with how other non-western missionary movements fare in this respect, and thus cannot comment) much is still left to be desired." ²(1)

o

"I have consistently been surprised how American (i.e. North American) the churches in Latin America are...nevertheless, the Americanisation of Latin American Protestant Christianity is a remarkable phenomenon of cultural transformation... certain trends of “successful” North American Christianity – size of congregation, ambitious building programmes, a conservative socio-political agenda – have been transplanted into the heart of Latin American evangelicalism."

Links this with the dominance of the faith missions model³ (1)

o

claims that the faith-mission model has problems in Latin America

(1) Lack of strong economic conditions which make it viable

(2) Lack of a calvinistic work ethic which ensure that pledges will not be easily forgotten or transferred to another cause ⁴(2)

o

"A good number of missionaries have been sent out, albeit with considerable economic difficulties in many cases. The financial insecurity involved has led to a premature return for many – too many – and condemned others to a permanent state of suspense, awaiting the Damocles’ sword of unfulfilled financial pledges to fall. And this is not to mention those who have been unable to go because of lack of finance, the thousands who will want to be sent in years to come, or those in my own mission who have been trained but cannot find even adequate “promises.”"⁵ (3)

o

"At some point, we need to realise that the concept of “supported missionaries” is ultimately a modern and western phenomenon and cannot be made into the mainstay of contemporary non-western mission strategy." ⁶(3)

o

" Latin American missions will only “take off” when initiative for its financing is put back into the hands of its protagonists, the missionaries themselves. Rather than being taught to wait for an elusive handout, successful missionaries will be prepared – through secular training too – to work their way to the nations. To avoid visa difficulties, appropriate career choices will need to be made in accordance with the particular needs of the regions where different ones are destined. And missionary recruitment must present this reality, rather than simply inspiring people with visions of the unreached. All this must become part of Latin American missionary strategy, actively and diligently researched and applied by mission leaders and analysts, rather than simply left to chance or individual prerogative."⁷(4)

o

"Looking at missions to the old world, Europe, it is inconceivable for most Latin American churches to even imagine providing the £10,000 plus a year needed to keep a missionary family in most of Europe today. Yet with nearly half a million Ecuadorians, for example, living in Spain, there surely is another way. If even 5% of these Ecuadorians are evangelical believers, then there are now some 24,000 potential extra witnesses to Christ in Spain." ⁸(4)"

o

"Space does not permit entering into a discussion of the ethics of entering Europe as illegal immigrants – suffice it to say that many ask God’s blessing on their attempts to get here, and those who have to balance the books for Europe’s ageing social security system are heard to mutter a loud “Amen.” History is the story of the flow of peoples across the face of the globe, and more often than not the gospel – not to mention other ideologies – has travelled with these movements of people. Contemporary Latin American missionary strategy will not be complete without entering this arena.

We thus cannot continue to attempt to raise Latin missionaries for Europe with scarcely any reference to the massive immigration that is taking place across the continent. Beyond attempting to harness existing immigrants, there is also a place for raising a new workforce of committed and called missionaries, who will minister in Europe from the role of economic refugees. Adequate pre-field training, prayer support from home churches, preparation and co-ordination of placements, and on-field support and supervision should all be taken into serious consideration, just as much as for “full-time” workers in any other part of the world." ⁹(4)

o

"Pastoral leadership in the sending church still considers the worker to all intents and purposes a member of that church, ultimately under its authority, and the workers themselves will share this perspective."¹⁰ (5)

o

"The results for overseas workers of this dichotomy of identity and points of reference are numerous. I have witnessed its effects in terms of lack of stability for long-term work, confusion over the source of authority for decisions relating to local ministry, the imposition of foreign denominations or liturgical forms, unavailability of adequate member care and culturally sensitive advice, tensions in relationships with existing evangelical expressions (particularly of the same denomination) and in some instances the discrediting of the whole missionary enterprise in the eyes of the church and the abandonment of any ongoing commitment to cross-cultural missions." ¹¹(5)

o

"Whilst not totally absent, theological reflection on the nature of the cross-cultural missionary task before the Latin American evangelical church, and how to equip its agents to fulfil this mandate, has yet to appear with force."¹² (5)

o

"transformation, and dismissing the whole lot as “of the devil,” few missionaries are in fact prepared for dialogue with convinced devotees of other religions. Superficial evangelistic “chat-up” lines, which (perhaps!) suffice in a nominally Christian culture, cannot be transported for use with people of long-standing non-Christian traditions. In order to offer a challenging, relevant and ultimately credible witness, essentially non-biblical notions such as “inviting Jesus into one’s heart” must surrender to a more biblical and culturally intelligible message."¹³ (5-6)

1 N Rees, 'The Search for a Creative Response to Obstacles to the Growth of Mission out of Latin America', Encounters 10 (2006), 1 [available redcliffe site]

2 N Rees, 'The Search for a Creative Response to Obstacles to the Growth of Mission out of Latin America', Encounters 10 (2006), 1 [available redcliffe site]

3 N Rees, 'The Search for a Creative Response to Obstacles to the Growth of Mission out of Latin America', Encounters 10 (2006), 1 [available redcliffe site]

4 N Rees, 'The Search for a Creative Response to Obstacles to the Growth of Mission out of Latin America', Encounters 10 (2006), 2 [available redcliffe site]

5 N Rees, 'The Search for a Creative Response to Obstacles to the Growth of Mission out of Latin America', Encounters 10 (2006), 3 [available redcliffe site]

6 N Rees, 'The Search for a Creative Response to Obstacles to the Growth of Mission out of Latin America', Encounters 10 (2006), 3 [available redcliffe site]

7 N Rees, 'The Search for a Creative Response to Obstacles to the Growth of Mission out of Latin America', Encounters 10 (2006), 4 [available redcliffe site]

8 N Rees, 'The Search for a Creative Response to Obstacles to the Growth of Mission out of Latin America', Encounters 10 (2006), 4 [available redcliffe site]

9 N Rees, 'The Search for a Creative Response to Obstacles to the Growth of Mission out of Latin America', Encounters 10 (2006), 4 [available redcliffe site]

10 N Rees, 'The Search for a Creative Response to Obstacles to the Growth of Mission out of Latin America', Encounters 10 (2006), 5 [available redcliffe site]

11 N Rees, 'The Search for a Creative Response to Obstacles to the Growth of Mission out of Latin America', Encounters 10 (2006), 5 [available redcliffe site]

12 N Rees, 'The Search for a Creative Response to Obstacles to the Growth of Mission out of Latin America', Encounters 10 (2006), 5 [available redcliffe site]

13 N Rees, 'The Search for a Creative Response to Obstacles to the Growth of Mission out of Latin America', Encounters 10 (2006), 5–6 [available redcliffe site]

Freston UCKG

". From around 400 in 1989, there are now about 2,500 Brazilian Protestant missionaries, nearly 90 per cent of whom are sent by missionary societies resulting from Brazilian initiative. The receiving countries (over 70) cover all the continents."¹ (35)

"The Brazilian missionary effort has not been accompanied by the dose of messianism of many Korean and some Ghanaian missionaries regarding the present or future role of their countries in the world ... Brazilians have wanted to believe that their cultural and racial mix equipped them perfectly for cross-cultural engagement. But ease in breaking barriers and mixing in new environments is not the same as cultural sensitivity; in fact, it may lead merely to quicker mistakes. While Brazil is a country of considerable racial inter-marriage, few people are used to regular contact with other languages and cultures."² (35-36)

"While the historical churches (such as the Brazilian Presbyterians) prefer to work with sister-churches abroad, responding to requests for missionaries with specific qualifications (e.g. in church-planting, youth work, etc.), and many inter-denominational agencies seek to open new autochthonous denominations in the country of destination, allowing the group of new national believers to decide on their course of action, the UCKG and most other Brazilian Pentecostal denominations practise a model of direct ecclesiastical transplant, founding branches of their denomination around the globe and employing everywhere virtually the same techniques that have served them well in Brazil. "³

1P Freston ' The Universal Church of the Kingdom of God: A Brazilian Church Finds Success in Southern Africa',Journal of Religion in Africa 35:1 (2005), 33–65, 35.

2P Freston ' The Universal Church of the Kingdom of God: A Brazilian Church Finds Success in Southern Africa',Journal of Religion in Africa 35:1 (2005), 33–65, 35–36.

3P Freston ' The Universal Church of the Kingdom of God: A Brazilian Church Finds Success in Southern Africa',Journal of Religion in Africa 35:1 (2005), 33–65, 36–37.