Collection 236 Records of Latin America Mission

Collection

Identifier: CN 236

Staff Only

Scope and Contents

Records of the mission, including correspondence, minutes, reports, memos, financial reports, policy statements, planning documents, promotional material, photographs, etc.

Documents describe the origins of LAM (particularly the contribution of the Strachan family); evangelistic, church planting, educational, medical, and literature activities (primarily in Colombia and Costa Rica, but also many other Latin American countries and the United States); the restructuring of the mission in the 1970s through the 1990s; and the development of Protestant churches and institutions in Latin America.

Dates

Created: 1903-1994

Conditions Governing Access

See http://www2.wheaton.edu/bgc/archives/GUIDES/236.htm#2 for restrictions.

Biographical or Historical Information

Evangelical mission agency; founded by Harry and Susan Strachan in Costa Rica, 1921; focused on church planting, evangelism, camping ministry, orphanage administration, Christian education, theological training, literature production, medical care, agricultural and community development, youth ministry, use of media for evangelism and nurture, and cooperation with other agencies; operation based in Costa Rica, focused there and in Colombia, although extending to other Latin American countries and communities in the U.S.; developed the Evangelism-in-Depth program to involve lay Christians at the local level in ongoing evangelism; actively sought to develop indigenous leaders; restructured in 1971 to become a part of the Communidad Latinoamericana de Ministerios Evangelicos, which consisted of ministries which LAM had helped started in various countries. This structure was dissolved in 1984. The mission continued and several institutions in other countries became independent.