Projects

The Venezuelan Lutheran church finds herself in a country
facing a severe socio-political crisis. For the past 10 years,
inflation has crippled the economy. LCMS Office of
International Mission has continued to assist this daughter
church in the preparation of her people in the areas of elders,
Sunday school teachers, deaconesses and pastors. Juan de
Frias, the Lutheran Bible Institute, so named after the first
Lutheran martyr in Venezuela, is the vehicle for preparing
these men and women.

The project, named VDMA, or Verbum Domini Manet in Aeternum (Latin for “ The Word of the Lord Endures Forever, Isaiah 40:8,” and a classic reformation motto) has provided pastors in Latin America with more than a dozen core theological books available in Spanish with plans to translate five more per year over the next three years
to eventually total 25 titles.

The South American nation of Uruguay is an important mission field,
being the most atheist nation in the western hemisphere, and
home to one of the highest depression and suicide rates in the
world. The extremely secular nation has been the home of a single
Lutheran congregation for nearly 100 years, and joint mission
efforts between Brazilian, Uruguayan, and American Lutherans are
working to reach the population of this country.

In the past five years, missionary efforts have led to planting 40 churches
across 10 Latin American countries. As the Lord blesses the planting of
churches through the preaching of the Gospel, there is a need to prepare
pastors.

The Latin America and Caribbean (LAC) region has church
planting pastors in 10 countries and projects in 7 others,
proclaiming the Gospel in new places while strengthening
the Lord’s church in others.