Peru

Short-term missions (STM) especially from the United States and Europe have grown exponentially in the last decades. Most research in STM in the past has focused on the perspectives of the short-termers. Dr. Robert Priest and others recognized the need to research the effect of STM upon the local church and host countries. The Conference in Lima, Peru was held following a survey in summer 2006 of 544 evangelical pastors in Lima, 58 percent of whom had hosted a STM visiting group from many denominations and countries. The overwhelming response of these pastors was positive. The purpose of the Conference was to explore the scope and impact of STM upon the changing Latin American evangelical church.

Dr. Priest reported the beneficial effects of STM for the Peruvian evangelical church of linking social capital, resource-sharing, and opening doors within their own community and government. The Conference led a special edition in 2006 of Missiology: An International Review, Short-term Mission (vol. XXXIV number 4. Ed. Robert J. Priest and William A. Burrows); a Short-term Missions Conference at The Maria House, Techny, Illinois in March 2007; a Special Issue on Short-Term Missions in Latin America in the Journal of Latin American Theology English edition to be published early 2008; and an upcoming Conference on Short-term Missions at TEDS Summer 2009.

Conference Schedule

August 1, 2006

Dr. Samuel Escobar - Eastern Baptist Theological Seminary

Migration and Mission

August 2, 2006

Dr. Robert J. Priest - Director, PhD Program in Intercultural Studies at Trinity Evangelical Divinity School

Investigando el Fenomeno de las Misiones a Corto Plazo

Dr. Francisco Cerron - Seminario Biblico Alianza del Peru

Misiones a Corto Plazo: Una Evaluacion Inicial desde la Experiencia

Dr. Hartwig Eitzen - Institutio Biblico Asuncion, Paraguay

Misiones a Corto Plazo: Una Perspectiva Latinoamericana

Dr. Tite Tienou - Trinity Evangelical Divinity School