Peru

Land & People

Peru is the third-largest country in South America. The greater part of the Indian population lives in the rural, central Andean mountain zone and in the eastern jungle area of Peru. In the western, coastal region the people are mainly mestizo and European.

Religion

Constitutionally, religious liberty is granted. The prominent religion is Roman Catholicism, which is protected by the state.

Year Established

1937

Past & Current Work

Since 1937, over 50 missionary couples and singles have labored in Peru under Baptist Mid-Missions.  By 1965, there were five churches and five mission works. About this time God started using Peruvian workers in a marvelous way to start many more churches than the missionaries have.  Over 500 churches trace their ancestry to BMM.

The work in Peru has focused on three major areas: the Cuzco area, the Northern Peru area, and the Greater Lima area.

Cuzco region
The work in Peru began in 1937 in the Cuzco area. Today in this area there are around 100 organized churches or mission works with which BMM works.  Peruvians pastor almost all the churches, and the great majority have been started by Peruvians.  Renewed church planting efforts by a team of Americans and Peruvians in the city of Cusco have been successful.  Most of the services in the countryside are in Quechua.  An FM radio station in Urubamba aids evangelism and edification.  Churches in this part of Peru now have the benefits of a Bible college and a Christian camp, fruit of American and Peruvian teamwork.

Northern region
Baptist Mid-Missions next began working in the northern Peru area in 1938.  The work has centered in the coastal city of Trujillo.  Today in the broader Trujillo area, BMM fellowships with over 40 churches.  Here, the Seminario Bautista del Perú is a joint effort between Peruvians and missionaries for training laborers from the entire country.  The area also enjoys a camping ministry, with its own property since 1998. 

In the late 1950s and early 1960s, the Lord enabled BMM to start a church in both Chiclayo and Sullana. Since the middle 1960s, BMM has not had resident missionaries there and has only provided indirect help. The Peruvian pastors of these two churches and their daughter works have started over 300 churches in the northwest area of Peru.

Lima region

Baptist Mid-Missions’ efforts in the capital city, Lima, began in 1954.  With over 10 million people, it is the largest city in Peru.  Thirty percent of the people in Peru live here.  As in the other areas, God has raised up many Peruvian laborers to multiply BMM’s efforts.  Today BMM fellowships with over 40 established churches in the Lima area.  Since the late 1960s, Lima’s camp has bolstered church planting by producing many decisions for salvation and full-time ministry.  In 2010, Stan and Ruth Templeton began a radio ministry, Integrity Radio Network, to reach Lima.  This ministry helped them start two churches, and now they are establishing additional radio stations across Peru.

Since 2002, Lima has been the home base for the Arriba program.  Arriba is an 11-month missions internship program for college students who have a heart for missions.  Over 30 hours of academic credit are earned in conjunction with Faith Baptist Bible College.

Goals

Lima personnel needs

Church planters, camp director

Trujillo personnel needs

Church planters, Bible college professors with postgraduate degrees (theology, pastoral, women’s ministries, music), camp director

Cusco personnel needs

Church planters, Bible college professors with postgraduate degrees (theology, pastoral, women’s ministries, music), camp director, computer technician

Additional Facts

http://www.britannica.com/plac...