International Missions

Vision:  The vision of the International Missions Board is to see the establishment, growth and spread of national Churches of a Biblical Reformed perspective. We want to see these churches being nurtured to maturity and becoming fully indigenous, and then to see them in turn becoming involved in missionary activity to unreached peoples.

Past: The Free Church of Scotland has been involved in international missions since it was formed in 1843.  Over the past 100 years, our mission work has been mainly concentrated in South Africa, Peru and India.

Present: In these traditional fields, independent churches have now been established and most of the work is in the hands of the local believers.  Most of our current missionaries are now involved in the area of theological education – equipping men for positions of ministry and leadership within the churches.

Future: As our Board’s involvement in these countries reduces, our desire is to redirect more and more of our resources to other parts of the world that at present are largely unreached.  In that task, we see to work in partnership, where appropriate, with other mission organisations and with local believers.

India:  The Free Church of Scotland has been involved in mission work in Central India for over 100 years.  The churches started by the mission are now established as an independent denomination – the Presbyterian Free Church.  They have churches in the city of Jabalpur, and the two towns of Lakhnadon and Chhapara in Seoni District.  Medical work in the towns of Lakhnadon and Chhapara has been handed over to Emmanuel Hospital Association ( http://www.eha-health.org/ ) who run over 20 hospitals and community health projects, mainly in Central and North India. A school in Chhapara (picture above), started by the Mission in 1901, is now run locally.  Providing Christian education for over 800 children, it is regarded as one of the top schools in the District.  In more recent times, the local believers have set up a new school in Lakhnadon, which now has over 400 pupils.  The Free Church continues to support the work in Central India through providing finance and also short-term personnel from time to time.

South Africa: The church started by the Free Church in South Africa became the Free Church in Southern Africa and now has over 60 congregations among Xhosa-speaking people, stretching from Cape Town in the West to Transkei.  With the growth in the church, the great need is for properly trained pastors and this has been helped by the setting-up of the Dumisani Theological Institute ( http://www.dumisani.org )  in King William’s Town (opposite).  This provides training for students from many denominations throughout the Eastern Cape and is now the main focus of our mission involvement in South Africa.

Latin America:  The Colegio San Andrés in Lima ( http://www.sanandres.edu.pe ) was started by the Free Church in 1917 and became one of the foremost schools in Peru.  The Free Church continues to provide financial support and missionary personnel for the Colegio.

We also continue to work with the churches established through earlier mission work; our involvement is now mainly in the Moyobamba area where there are plans to set up a Christian university.

With the rapid growth of the Church throughout Latin America, there is a great and urgent need for men to be trained for the Ministry.  Increasingly, our focus is in theological education, with missionaries involved in the Lima Evangelical Seminary in Peru ( http://www.sel.edu ) and in the Medellín Seminary in Colombia ( http://www.unisbc.edu.co ).  We also send several short-term workers to help with the school in Lima, and with education and medical work in Moyobamba.

West and Central Asia:  As we seek to reach into new areas, we are aware that the places of greatest spiritual need in the world are often difficult to access for foreign workers.  However, God is also raising up people in these countries and giving them a burden to reach out to their own people with the Gospel.  We have developed close contact and are now working in partnership with two Muslim background believers who are ministering to those from their own country and background.  They bring us wonderful accounts of God’s grace touching the lives of many people in these countries.  They also tell, however, of harassments, persecutions and dangers that other believers are facing.  Our role is to support them through our prayers, finance and personnel where appropriate.

Jewish Mission: Christian Witness to Israel ( http://www.cwi.org.uk ) was born in response to an initiative by Dr John Duncan, who saw the great potential for a mission to the Jews in London, while on his way to commence his ministry to the Jews of Budapest.
A meeting was convened at Regent Square on 7th November 1842 and the British Society for the Propagation of the Gospel among the Jews (later to become CWI) was founded.
The Church of Scotland enthusiastically endorsed the new society and, after the Disruption, that link was continued between the Free Church of Scotland and the Society.
In 1921, the Free Church made a fresh commitment to “Jewish Mission” by channelling resources into what became CWI. Since that time, the Free Church has made a significant contribution to CWI, by way of missionaries, and also financial and prayer support.
At present, CWI has workers in eight countries.

Chairman
Rev. David MacPherson
45 Quarry Road
Cults
Aberdeen AB15 9TP

Phone: 01224 863690
e-mail: .(JavaScript must be enabled to view this email address)

Secretary
Mr Calum Ferguson
Free Church Offices
The Mound
Edinburgh EH1 2LS

Phone: 0131 226 5286
e-mail: .(JavaScript must be enabled to view this email address)