Women at the centre
How a CMS-backed project is empowering indigenous women in northern Argentina to become leaders
Photo: Women at the CeFA training centre in northern Argentina are studying and growing in faith together
Finding enough leaders for churches and church groups is a challenge familiar in many parts of the world. Yet in the vast Diocese of Northern Argentina, with 187 churches among five people groups who speak different languages, equipping people willing to lead is another major hurdle.
A CMS-facilitated indigenous mission group identified training as a key priority for mission among indigenous peoples in Latin America, and CMS has been supporting the development of a new training centre in the Diocese of Northern Argentina.
The Centro de Formación Anglicano (CeFA) launched in March 2024 to offer leadership and ministry training for students from indigenous communities.
Alongside dealing with long distances to travel, students are learning in their second language (Spanish), are from oral storytelling cultures and have received varying levels of education prior to this course. Students travel to the centre in Ingeniero Juárez and stay for two to four weeks, before returning to their communities to see family and put learning into practice for one or two weeks.
In the first year nine men from the diocese completed the course – and in March 2025 a cohort of 13 women began studying together. Three of them shared with Paul Tester, CMS mission manager in Latin America, how they came to join the course.
“Why me?”
Etelvina is 26 and from the Toba community. Her family is Christian, her dad is a pastor and she has always participated in church. When she was 14, Etelvina started to take her faith more seriously and within a year was helping with church activities for women. She also started studying nursing in the city of Formosa, leaving her rural community when she was just 17.
In autumn 2024, Etelvina received an invitation from Daniel Lescano, the vicar general in the Diocese of Northern Argentina and a key leader at the CeFA. He asked if she would like to start another type of studying: the year-long CeFA course to learn more about the Bible and serving the church.
When she received the invitation, Etelvina had questions: Why her, not other young people? Was this God’s plan or just a human plan? She shared the invitation with her dad, who warned her that studying would not be easy. Etelvina took time to pray and reflect, and came away encouraged that this was God’s purpose.
Since her teens, Etelvina has learned to speak in public about the Word of God, which she found very hard. Etelvina is now a leader in her community, even though she doesn’t always feel confident.
Etelvina wants to know more to be able to help the church and says that this type of study is needed. She wants to use what she learns to help others – to be a spiritual nurse as well as a medical nurse.
A change of plans
Amandina, from the Wichí community of Barrio Collins in Potrillo, had originally planned to study computing, but missed the deadline to sign up. Then a friend told her about a different type of course that would equip Amandina in her role in the church.
Having lived with her grandparents after her mother died, Amandina was discipled by them as she grew up. As a teenager she helped in Sunday school, and she continues to serve there. Yet over the years Amandina’s church responsibilities have grown.
Now 28, Amandina’s community trust her and she has become a leader. Together with her aunt, Amandina is responsible for the AMARE women’s group and she helps lead the church.
Alongside former SAMS mission partner Chris Wallis, Amandina has become a tutor on the SEAN Abundant Life course on the foundations of the Christian life.
Although Amandina sees other people who she thinks are more capable than her, they don’t want to serve, whereas she does. She says she really wants to serve and that she loves God a lot.
So when Amandina’s friend told her about the course at the CeFA, Amandina mentioned the idea to Gladys Garate, an Argentine missionary based in Potrillo. Gladys and Amandina discussed the course with Daniel Lescano, and found out more about what was required.
Discovering that she would have to be able to speak good Spanish made Amandina a little scared, as her first language is Wichí – so for a couple of weeks she had some doubts. Yet she was encouraged by the trust of her community and the way that this opportunity seemed to fit with God’s purposes for her.
Amandina was very happy to be accepted onto the course, as she had thought since she was 16 that at some point in her late twenties she would be involved in sharing God’s Word with others – and now she is being equipped to do just that.
A dream of learning
Long before she received an invitation to study at the CeFA, Iliana, a 19-year-old woman from the Chorote community, dreamed that she was in a classroom in a house. She didn’t know where it was or how she had got there. Outside there were some young people playing; the door was open and she wanted to go and have fun. When the teacher turned his back she went out, but someone asked her, “Why are you out here? You are chosen.” The teacher came out and guided her back into the class.
Iliana didn’t know what this meant, but she kept having the same dream. She shared it with her family, including her father, who is part of the CMS-facilitated indigenous mission team. He suggested that maybe it was about her being trained.
Having always been in the church, in the last year Iliana has been more committed to following Jesus. She leads Sunday school, but other leaders had stepped back and she felt discouraged and alone. As she sat in her room one day she heard a voice say, “You are not alone.” Knowing that God was with her, Iliana decided to be a person of God, teaching the Word. Although she was sad because others were not helping, she felt joy because of God’s Spirit.
In her work with the children Iliana felt she was lacking what she needed. She had always wanted to be trained, yet something had been holding her back. Then Daniel Lescano visited her community and talked about training at the CeFA – Iliana was intrigued, and decided to find out more.
Now Iliana is studying and enjoys what she is learning. When she came to the centre, she found that the teacher from her dream looked very much like Pastor Narciso, the director of the CeFA and one of the teachers there!
Thanks to support from CMS, these women and others studying alongside them are part of the next generation of leaders in the church in northern Argentina – thank you for helping to equip them!
