When the church steps outside its walls
Mission pioneers are coming together and forming a movement in Latin America
Photos: A group of pioneers from across Latin America came together in Honduras to share ideas, pray, worship – and created a mural to communicate hope in the community
Latin America is often seen as predominantly Christian, but in reality, many people have no connection with church.
A CMS-facilitated network of Christians, Misión Pionera Latinoamérica, brings together pioneers finding creative ways to share the hope of Jesus.
Francisco Aguirre, part this network, explores some of the key elements guiding the team’s pioneering projects
“What wonderful projects for sharing the gospel. Without a doubt, these are things Jesus would do to draw close to people.”
These words are the response of one of those pioneers as she heard the breadth of work others in the network are doing. Luisina, who shares Jesus with people in small villages through a project giving away good quality clothes in Argentina, touches on something essential about pioneering mission: how can the church draw close to people who are no longer drawing close to the church?
Across Latin America, more and more people consider themselves “non-religious”, while others have moved away from the church because of experiences of spiritual abuse or exhaustion with religious demands. In some contexts, legalism has reduced the Christian faith to a list of rules, focusing more on human efforts to change than on the transforming work of the Holy Spirit, who makes us more like Jesus. So what can we do?
Not abandoning church
The answer is not to abandon the local church. The church remains fundamental to God’s mission. Rather, in Misión Pionera Latinoamérica (MPL), we ask how the church can step outside its walls and its usual ways of doing things, faithfully taking the gospel of Jesus to people and places where traditional expressions of church struggle to reach.
MPL seeks to make visible, inspire, come alongside and equip pioneering missional initiatives in and from Latin America. We believe pioneering creativity does not mean changing the gospel, but finding new ways of living it out and sharing it that connect with our community, whether that is supporting street-connected children or engaging with questions of faith in a local park.
Growing God’s kingdom
MPL currently has five smaller networks bringing together local pioneers and mission partners in Central America, Peru, Chile, Brazil, and Argentina, Bolivia and Uruguay. This summer we held the fourth Misión Pionera gathering in Honduras from 3–7 August, where pioneers from all the groups had the opportunity to visit two initiatives where the gospel is the driving force behind holistic care for street-connected children and young people.
We also looked to the future, considering how together we can share the hope of Jesus, see new expressions of Christian community emerge and equip others to join in with what God is doing.
Mission together
We do not work in mission alone. As pioneers, we need to walk alongside others who are also responding creatively to what the Holy Spirit is doing outside the church.
There are four pillars that shape the way we develop pioneering mission in Latin America: community, communicate, catalyse and cultivate.
1. Community: persevering together
Hebrews 10:23–25 calls believers to hold firmly to the hope we profess, trusting in God’s faithfulness and encouraging one another to persevere. For pioneers, community is not simply about friendship or networking. Mission can be lonely, especially when we are exploring new ways of sharing the gospel. We need people who encourage us to remain faithful to Jesus and his calling.
At our recent gathering in Honduras, Mildred, who works with prison inmates in Guatemala, commented: “It is hopeful to know we are all walking together in similar challenges.” Anna, who connects with communities through art in Peru, added, “We can mutually support and encourage each other, sharing tears of laughter and tears of sadness.”
After a recent exchange between two groups of pioneers, Gabriela from Peru, who supports people going through grief or pain, reflected: “It was very valuable to bring our experiences together and serve as one team. We encouraged one another and learned from each other. We saw the importance of working together for the kingdom of God.”
2. Communicate: sharing what God is doing
At the end of their first missionary journey, Paul and Barnabas returned to Antioch and shared all that God had done through them (Acts 14:25–28). When we pioneers share our experiences, churches and other pioneers can recognise where God is at work, celebrate it and invite others to take part in his mission. I love to hear of different projects where fellow pioneers have observed the needs of their communities and found creative ways to share Jesus and his love, from painting murals to a Bible study in a public toilet (see page 6).
3. Catalyse: helping pioneering initiatives to develop
Luke 8:1–3 gives us a significant picture. Jesus was proclaiming God’s kingdom, supported by group of women using their own resources. Even in Jesus’ mission, others were invited to participate and make the work possible. To catalyse pioneering initiatives means recognising what God is bringing to life and providing the relationships, resources and support needed to empower it to grow through others, not doing everything ourselves.
4. Cultivate: sharing what we have learned
Paul’s words to Timothy in 2 Timothy 2:1–2 show a vision for multiplying mission: what Timothy had received from Paul was to be entrusted to faithful people who would also be able to teach others. Therefore, cultivating pioneers means much more than giving them tools or skills. It means creating opportunities to learn, grow and equip others.
There are many who long to know Jesus. That is why we pioneers encourage one another, share, support and equip one another, hoping to see new disciples of Jesus who make disciples and new Christian communities where God’s kingdom can become visible. In this way, the gospel can reach people beyond the walls and usual ways of the church.
