History
At the dawn of the 20th century, the doctors told Harry and Susan Strachan they were not healthy enough to be missionaries in the black and unforgiving soil of the Congo. So instead, the young couple boarded steamships across the Atlantic and planted themselves deep in the black soil of eastern Argentina's rolling farmlands.
The doctors did not know it, but Latin America would never be the same.
Harry, a Canadian-born Scot, and the Irishwoman Susan Beamish met and fell in love while studying ministry in London. They both desired to serve as missionaries to Africa with the Regions Beyond Missions Society. Both were denied the chance because of health concerns that ultimately never materialized.
Susan was sent to Argentina first in 1901 — after rejecting Harry's first marriage proposal — and Harry followed her there a year later. His second proposal to her was a success, and the couple married in Argentina in 1903.
The couple served faithfully there for nearly two decades, launching local evangelism efforts and raising three young children. But Harry felt a growing desire to reach communities far outside Argentina's borders.
In 1921, the Strachans moved north to San José, Costa Rica, the only foreign missionaries in the country at the time. There they founded the Latin America Evangelism Campaign, an ambitious ministry with an ambitious plan to reach the entire region of Central and South America for Christ.
In its early years, the ministry focused not only on revival-style evangelism campaigns, but also on other initiatives including women's ministries, Bible training, outreach to street children and founding what is today one of Central America's premier hospitals. In addition to prayer, the ministry built its work on an attitude of interdenominational cooperation, desiring to set aside differences and do whatever it took to bring the gospel to as many Latins as possible.
In 1938, the ministry changed its name to Latin America Mission, a better reflection of its holistic approach. After his parents' deaths, Kenneth Strachan assumed leadership of LAM in 1952, followed by successive presidents.
By the 1970s, LAM had a presence in multiple countries across Latin America, and its ministries had grown to include programs in publishing and radio ministry, theological education, children's homes, and many others.
In 1971, under the conviction that Latins should be empowered and encouraged to take charge of ministry efforts in their communities, General Director Horace Fenton, Jr. turned over administrative control of all LAM's major ministries to Latin leadership. LAM, in turn, shifted its focus to equipping these and many other grassroots Latin ministries by partnering with them in providing personnel, counsel and fundraising support.
The network of ministries was originally called the Community of Latin American Evangelical Ministries (CLAME). Although the name CLAME no longer exists, LAM's philosophy of transformational alliances remains: Growing a global community of Christians who are transforming lives together in Jesus' name.
Today, the LAM community includes seminaries and pastoral and leadership training programs across Latin America. Its missionaries work with nationally led ministries in evangelism, church planting, health care, children's nutrition, education, youth and university ministry, Latin missionary mobilization, and many other fields of service.
Rev. Steve Johnson has served as LAM's president since 2009, having worked for five years as a missionary in Argentina and more recently planted and led several U.S. churches on the West Coast.
By Andy Olsen, LAM Director of Communications
Contributions from Kenneth MacHarg, Dayton Roberts, Paul Pretiz, and Randal David Smith
