A CHRONOLOGY OF PROTESTANT BEGINNINGS:  BOLIVIA

By Drs. Daryl Platt and Clifton L. Holland

(last modified on May 27, 2003)

      Historical Overview of Bolivia:                                                                                

            Independence from Spain:                                                                                        1825
Peru-Bolivian Confederation:                                                                             1836-1839
Independent Republic established:                                                                            1839
Religious liberty established:                                                                                    1906

Number of North American Agencies in 1989:                                                                74
Number of North American Agencies in 1996:                                                                61
Indicates European Society *

Significant Protestant Beginnings:

     1827       -    *British and Foreign Bible Society - BFBS (first colporteur, Luke Matthews)

     1846       -    *Anglican Indian Mission (founded by Allen Gardiner)

     1877       -    *BFBS (colporteur Joseph Monguiardino, first martyr)

     1883       -    American Bible Society - ABS (colporteurs Milne and Penzotti)

     1890       -    American Bible Society (resident colporteur and house church, J.B. Arancet)

     1895       -    *Christian Missions in Many Lands (Plymouth Brethren), William Payne (permanent work in 1911)

     1898       -    Canadian Baptist Convention, A.B. Reekie

     1901       -    Methodist Episcopal Church Board of Foreign Missions

     1903       -    Andes Evangelical Mission (originally known as the Bolivian Indian Mission, now part of SIM)

     1906       -    Peniel Missionary Society

     1907       -    Seventh-day Adventist General Conference

     1915       -    *San Pedro Mission to The Indians of South America

     1920       -    The Salvation Army

     1920       -    Swedish Pentecostal Mission

     1920       -    Oregon Yearly Meeting of Friends Church (INELA)

     1922       -    South American Missionary Society (Anglican)

     1922       -    South American Indian Mission (note: in 1970 became SAM)

     1925       -    Central Yearly Meetings of Friends

     1928       -    International Church of the Foursquare Gospel (1931)

     1931       -    Evangelical Friends Mission

     1932       -    New Testament Missionary Union

     1937       -    Gospel Missionary Union (USA and Canada)

     1937       -    Evangelical Union of South America

     1938       -    World Mission Prayer League (Lutheran)

     1942       -    New Tribes Mission (note: first country entered)

     1943       -    World Gospel Mission

     1943       -    Child Evangelism Fellowship

     1945       -    Church of God (Holiness) Mission

     1945       -    Wycliffe Bible Translators

     1945       -    Church of the Nazarene, World Mission Division

     1946       -    Assemblies of God, Foreign Mission Department

     1948       -    United World Mission (Independent Church Movement)

     1951       -    Grace Ministries International

     1957       -    Heifer Project International

     1959       -    Mennonite Central Committee

     1960       -    Church of God World Missions (Cleveland, TN)

     1961       -    World-Wide Missions

     1963       -    Maranatha Baptist Mission

     1965       -    Baptist Missionary Association of America

     1965       -    Campus Crusade for Christ

     1966       -    National Association of Bolivian Evangelicals (ANDEB)

     1969       -    Baptist International Missions

     1969       -    Evangelical Mennonite Mission Conference (Canada)

     1971       -    Every Home For Christ

     1974       -    Church of God (Anderson, IN)

     1974       -    Church of God of Prophecy

     1974       -    United Pentecostal Church

     1976       -    Partners International   

     1976       -    Servants in Faith & Technology

     1977       -    Evangelistic Faith Missions

     1977       -    Food for the Hungry

     1978       -    Baptist Bible Fellowship International

     1978       -    Evangelical Methodist Church

     1978       -    Mennonite Economic Development (Canada)

     1979       -    Southern Baptist International Mission

     1984       -    Habitat for Humanity International

     1984       -    Pioneers

     1985       -    Primitive Methodist Church in the USA

     1986       -    American Baptist Churches in the USA

     1986       -    MAP International

     1987       -    Apostolic Team Ministries International

     1988       -    World Concern

     1989       -    World Indigenous Missions

     1990       -    Latin America Mission

     1991       -    ISOH/Impact

     1994       -    Correll Missionary Ministries

     Date of Origin Unknown:

                        Brethren Assemblies (USA)

                        Brethren Assemblies (Canada)

                        Christian Aid Mission

                        United Evangelical Churches

                        United Methodist Church

                        Youth With A Mission (YWAM)

     NOTES:   (1) Dates listed are the earliest recorded ministry or in case of discrepancies, the date most frequently indicated by the sources.

                      (2) Dayton Roberts and John Siewert, editors:  Mission Handbook of U.S. and Canadian Christian Ministries Overseas (MARC 1989).

                        (3) John A. Siewert and Edna G. Valdez, editors: Mission Handbook of U.S. and Canadian Christian Ministries Overseas (MARC 1997).

(4) Daryl Lynn Platt, “Who Represents the Evangelical Churches in Latin America?  A Study of the Evangelical Fellowship Organizations,” an unpublished doctor of Missiology dissertation, School of World Mission, Fuller Theological Seminary, Pasadena, California, 1991.  Used by permission of the author.

 

(5) Clifton L. Holland is director of the Latin American Socio-Religious Studies Program (known as PROLADES in Spanish), with headquarters in San José, Costa Rica:  www.prolades.com