The face of missions has seen a major shift over the past few decades. Part of that change has to do with the color of the face. Today the majority of Christians serving in cross-cultural missionary efforts are not your typical blonde North American or European, as would have been the case even 50 years ago. The majority of missionaries today have the darker face of a Latin American, an African, or an Asian.
In 1981, a little over 30 years ago, the Central American Theological Seminary/SETECA in Guatemala celebrated the first of several major World Missions Conferences. At the time, it seemed almost a novel idea for churches in Latin America to send out missionaries to other parts of the world. Today, hundreds of churches throughout the region are involved in sending out missionaries, helping to support them, and praying for them.
SETECA now offers a major in missions, and recently began a one-year diploma program for people going into cross-cultural missionary service. Our students are participating in short-term missionary projects during the vacation months, which here are mid-October to mid-January. This last year they went to minister to tribes in the Amazon jungles of Colombia and Peru; Quichua Indians in the highlands of Ecuador and Mixtecs in the mountains of Mexico; people in rural towns of Nicaragua and in urban centers of Costa Rica and Brazil; and even latino immigrants in Tennessee and North Carolina.
It’s exciting to see where God has placed some of SETECA’s graduates: Western European countries like France, Germany, Norway, and of course Spain; other European countries like Albania and Turkey; South Africa and unnamed countries in North Africa, the Middle East, South Asia, and East Asia. And yes, we even have graduates “Down Under” in Australia.
What does this mean to the church in North America? First of all, it reminds us that we are not alone in the missionary enterprise. We work in dynamic partnership with people who represent the world-wide body of Christ. Secondly, it helps us consider how we can partner in the most strategic ways with our brother and sisters from other parts of the world. One of those ways is by contributing to the training of leaders who will be increasingly involved in world missions in the coming years—pastors who will promote missionary vision and involvement in their churches, people who will take on leadership roles in the mission agencies, and candidates who will go out to some of the most difficult mission fields of the world.
Here at SETECA, we are grateful for the partnership of churches and friends in the United States who are helping us prepare men and women of God who will go out from Latin America to serve literally around the globe.
Paul Sywulka – SETECA
February 5, 2012
Today’s post is a guest post from Dr. Paul Sywulka, president emeritus of SETECA, the largest evangelical seminary in Central American, located in Guatemala City. Our church supports SETECA and this past fall I had the privilege of meeting Dr. Sywulka and his wife Jean while visiting the seminary. For more information please check out their website and consider joining us in supporting higher education and pastoral training in Latin America. I personally agree with Dr. Sywulka’s assessment of the changing face of missions and believe that investing in this type of education is a smart kingdom investment.
