About Us
History of the Latin America Mission
The beginning of the Latin America Mission (LAM) and the story of the Strachan-Beamish family are inseparable. One could almost say that the LAM sprang from the moors of Aberdeen and from the meadows of County Cork, the native soils of Harry Strachan and Susan Beamish. Harry, though born in Canada during his family's brief residence there, was raised and converted in Presbyterian Scotland. Susan, his wife and LAM co-founder, was from Ireland.
By God's providence, Harry and Susan met in London where both prepared to serve overseas. Married in Argentina, they labored almost two decades in Tandil under the Regions Beyond Missionary Society, which merged with other missions to form the evangelical Union of South America.
It was Harry Strachan's call to engage in full-time evangelism that led them to step out in faith in 1921 and to establish the "Latin America Evangelization Campaign," with headquarters in San José, Costa Rica. In addition to the continental campaign outreach led by Harry Strachan, local institutions were born largely under the leadership of Susan Strachan, and in 1938 the name of the organization was changed to "Latin America Mission."
Harry and Susan continued as directors until Harry's death in 1945. Susan and their son Kenneth were co-directors from 1945-1950. After his mother's death, Kenneth was general director from 1952-1965. Horace L. ("Dit") Fenton, Jr. served as general director after Kenneth's death, from 1965-1971, at which time all of the Mission's ministries were made autonomous. Fenton continued leading the LAM (USA) until it was again restructured and in 1976 Clayton L. ("Mike") Berg, Jr. became president. J. Paul Landrey assumed the presidency in 1990 and on November 1, 1995 moved sideways to become president of an LAM project partner, Christ for the City, while former missionary and trustee David M. Howard became LAM's president. He served until February 1, 1999 when Dr. David R. Befus assumed the presidency.
Latin Americans receive control of LAM's ministries
The LAM relinquished administrative control of all its major ministries in 1971,
giving them their autonomy. LAM (USA) became one of the entities on equal footing
within the Community of Latin American Evangelical Ministries (CLAME). The Mission
was largely a support organization, providing personnel and project funding
for its sister ministries, now administered by local Christian leaders in their
respective countries. The dramatic increase in Latin leadership, the bases of
financial support, improved missionary-national relations and an increased outreach
all testify to God's blessing on this step.
CLAME was the organizational link providing fellowship and services for the nationally operated ministries. When these services were felt to be no longer needed, CLAME was dissolved in 1985.
Evangelism
LAM's primary emphasis has always been evangelism. Before the Christ for the
City efforts, there were three identifiable periods of extensive campaigns in
the Spanish-speaking world:
- Harry Strachan's 1921-1939 citywide crusades, providing a tremendous boost to the struggling, underdeveloped Protestant church.
- The post-World War II campaigns under Kenneth Strachan, 1950-58, climaxed by the Caribbean Crusade of Billy Graham and his team.
- Evangelism-in-Depth, 1959-1971, which impacted at least eleven Latin American countries on a nation-wide scale and influenced evangelistic movements around the globe.
Evangelism-in-Depth, emphasizing the mobilization of all believers in witness and focusing on the centrality and unity of the church and on the values of a structured program has enjoyed enduring influence within the LAM and around the world. Evangelism is now understood to be more centrifugal rather than pulpit-centered, requiring a new pastoral orientation and church lifestyle, and the multiplication of many lay people in witness rather than the multiplication of a hearing for professional evangelists. These concepts of Kenneth Strachan, along with an emphasis on discipleship, are being promoted by former LAM entities, such as the International Institute of In-Depth Evangelization (INDEPTH), and are important ingredients in Christ for the City efforts.
In addition to the E/D program of MILAMEX (Latin America Mission of Mexico), LAM's focus on evangelism today involves participation in the training of leaders for evangelism in the VELA program in Mexico.
Church Planting
Although frequently focusing on other ministries, LAM people have been used
to plant churches in Costa Rica and Colombia. Two prospering denominations,
the AIBC (Association of Costa Rican Bible Churches) and the AIEC (Association
of Evangelical Churches of the Caribbean), both dating from 1946, along with
the hundreds of congregations that they represent, bear witness to the effectiveness
of this witness and strategy.
Other churches, including the large PAS (Perdonados para Amar y Servir) Community in San José, have been established in Costa Rica, Colombia and Mexico.
Theological Education
The LAM founded the Costa Rican Bible Institute in 1923 which became the Latin
American Biblical Seminary in 1941. Controversy over significant trends in the
Seminary's position and program led to a later decision of the LAM Board to
no longer promote it.
LAM personnel and resources are now directed to other programs of theological education, among them the Castle of the King (Mexico), the ESEPA Seminary (Costa Rica), the Evangelical Seminary of Caracas (Venezuela) and the Biblical Seminary (Colombia).
The LAM has also promoted the program (publications, conferences) of the Latin American Theological Fraternity.
Publications and Literature Distribution
Apart from sporadic projects, the LAM's literature program really started in
1949 when it was offered the Spanish-language rights and inventory of the American
Tract Society. Editorial Caribe, LAM's publishing arm, gained a reputation for
outstanding Bible study books. It moved to Miami in 1960, where it became known
as Latin American Mission Publications (LAMP). Editorial Caribe now operates
under private ownership.
Retail Christian bookstores have been founded by the LAM and turned over to other owner operators in Panama and New York City. LAM continues to loan personnel to Librerķa Caribe in Costa Rica.
Colombia
LAM work opened on Colombia's north coast in 1937. In addition to the planting
and nurture of churches (AIEC) among the ministries established were the Caribbean
Bible Center (CBC) in 1953 in Sincelejo, a school for girls (1948) and for boys
(1955) in Cartagena. The last two merged in 1970 to form the present Colegio
Latinoamericano with an enrollment of over 1,000. The CBC program was later
dropped in favor of a ministry emphasizing training by extension. Two additional
ministries in Colombia involved LAM personnel: United Action, a rural development
program, and the Association for Christian Care for Colombian Children ("Four
C's").
Radio and Communication
LAM-founded station TIFC, "Lighthouse of the Caribbean," has been on the air
since 1948 in San José, Costa Rica. The station hosted the headquarters of the
Pan American Christian Network (now Difusiones InterAmericanas, or DIA) in its
early years. LAM personnel also helped launch Christian stations in Nicaragua,
Mexico and El Salvador and for nine years operated station HOXO in Panama jointly
with the HCJB organization and the participation of the Conservative Baptist
Home Mission Society.
Latin America Mission of Mexico (Milamex)
MILAMEX was established in 1964 as an autonomous entity to engage in ministries
of radio, evangelism, camping and publications. Its magazine, PRISMA, and continuing
Evangelism-in-Depth programs, have gained a wide acceptance in the Mexican community.
Other Ministries
Several student ministries began under the MINAMUNDO (Ministerio al Mundo Etudiantil)
name. A MINAMUNDO program still operates in Ecuador and the MINAMUNDO-founded
program known as the Unidad Cristiana Universitaria (UCU) has chapters in several
Colombian cities. LAM loans personnel to the International Fellowship of Evangelical
Students in several countries.
Other local ministries in Costa Rica related historically to the LAM are the Bible Hospital, the Roblealto Child Care Association (a children's home in San José de la Montaña and several day-care centers in the capital city), Colegio Monterrey, the Christian Ministries Center (AMCA) and Camp Roblealto.
The LAM also provides specialized personnel to other organizations it did not establish such as Christian Camping International (Latin America and Brazil), Good Will Center, The Evangelical Center of Andean and Amazonian Missiology (Peru), ALFALIT of Costa Rica and the Spanish Language Institute (Costa Rica).
LAM's Spearhead program involves young people each summer who go to Mexico (and other countries) for an experience in cross-cultural witness. An increasing number stay in Latin America for one or two years as volunteers.
The Christ for Miami program has focused principally on creating a climate of unity, prayer and service in racially and linguistically mixed Miami. Research, witness to Middle East immigrants and counseling services are some of the special forms of outreach.
LAM (USA) has always maintained a close relationship with LAM (Canada).
