Mission and Migration

Mission and Migration is the first comprehensive history to be written by Latin American Mennonite historians about Mennonite church life in Central and South Americas from its beginnings. From the Introduction to the volume: "The story of the coming of Anabaptist-descended churches to Latin America begins, not in the Spanish colonial period, but in the late nineteenth and early twentieth centuries, in the period following Latin American political independence from Spain and Portugal. " The first Mennonite church to take root in Latin American soil gathered for worship in 1919, in the town of Pehuajo, Argentina. It was the result of North American mission efforts and represents one major impulse for the planting of Mennonite churches in Latin America. "The second major impulse came with the settling of Mennonite colonists in Mexico, Paraguay, and Brazil, in the 1920s and '30s. The Mennonite colonists did not come to Latin America as missionaries, but rather to settle as ethnic and religious communities, seeking new life and a future. "Given the variety of Mennonites who live in Latin America, the question, 'Who or what is a Latin American Mennonite Christian?' is a recurring theme that runs throughout our story, including the present day."

John A. Lapp was professor of history for many years at Eastern Mennonite University, Harrisonburg, VA. Later in his career, he served as Dean of Goshen (IN) College. He is Executive Secretary Emeritus of Mennonite Central Committee, the global relief and service organization. He is Coordinator and Co-General Editor of the Global Mennonite History Series.