BUSINESS formación is about encouraging ethical employment, creating social enterprise and providing microfinance.

This is a new area for Latin Link and one we feel passionate about. It springs from seeing poverty and underemployment, and a general lack of development and investment in many places. One of the most urgent needs, we see, is to help create employment that is accompanied by Christian ethics.

Business formación is about providing opportunities for disadvantaged people and to give them the dignity of providing for their own physical and material needs and those of their families. It’s about training in business, using Christian, biblical principles such as honesty, integrity, good stewardship and generosity. We believe these values will form the bridge between the purely material and whole life, spiritual transformation.

Economic transformation through business is just one part of the process which results in improved standards of living and a renewed sense of dignity for the poor.

Social transformation happens as families are better provided for, with spare resources that can be spent on healthcare and education.

Spiritual transformation goes beyond the economic and the social. When people become disciples of Christ, the resulting transformation has the potential to influence all aspects of society.

If you’re a businessperson or an entrepreneur with a heart to invest in Latin America, please contact us. This is an area where we urgently need to recruit. Do you need help to run your business along ethical, Christian lines? Contact your national office.

COMMUNITY formación is about meeting practical needs, restoring broken relationships and encouraging local Christians to play their part.

Latin Link supports churches in their involvement with their neighbours and the communities around about them.

Many of the churches Latin Link works with are in poorer communities, but not exclusively. We recognise there are needs in all areas and all levels of society. Some places may be lacking in any kind of meaningful community – here, the church can provide a centre.

Basic necessities. Housing, education, healthcare, sanitation, employment, green issues… could you bring knowledge, skills or training to any of these areas?

Better relationships. In cities, turf wars over drugs and between gangs can paralyse normal community activity. The church has a message of reconciliation and restoration – can you help bring it?

In rural areas in Latin America, communities are being torn apart by the arrival of modern technology, attractive to young people, and the traditional, unchanging way of life valued by older generations. Quechua young people seek better study and work opportunities in the larger towns and cities while the elderly are left in a state of abandonment with no state services and no-one to take over the farming of the land. In some places, there is huge pressure on land which can be commandeered, or sold over the heads of its informal ‘owners.’ Churches could have an advocacy role here – can you help?

How can Latin Link help your church reach out to a local ethnic community? Contact us. See where the skills gaps are in Latin America by visiting our opportunities. Or contact us to discuss what you can offer.

EDUCATIONAL formación includes theological training and preparation for mission supported by publishing and resources.

From teaching a module to supervising a PhD thesis, Latin Link sends well-qualified people to teach in Bible colleges and institutes, mission training institutions and Christian universities throughout Latin America.

Huge church growth has increased the demand and the need for trained leaders, and produced a new generation of people who want to go into mission in other parts of the world.

Latin American training institutions often struggle to pay staff, and in turn students may struggle to pay fees. Yet good training is invaluable.

Local study weekends and informal training sessions go some way to meeting basic training needs, particularly with pastors who may only be educated to primary level. Extension studies using prepared study materials have been effectively used in villages. Latin Link can help in all these areas.

To support training and teaching Latin Link is also involved in Christian publishing specifically for a Latin American readership. A large project being coordinated by one of our members is a Contemporary Bible Commentary (CBC).

Other members produce Sunday school teaching materials for all ages.

If your interests are in teaching, publishing or the media, why not search our database of current opportunities? If you don’t see what you’re looking for there, contact us.

COMMUNITY formación is about meeting practical needs, restoring broken relationships and encouraging local Christians to play their part.

Latin Link supports churches in their involvement with their neighbours and the communities around about them.

Many of the churches Latin Link works with are in poorer communities, but not exclusively. We recognise there are needs in all areas and all levels of society. Some places may be lacking in any kind of meaningful community – here, the church can provide a centre.

Basic necessities. Housing, education, healthcare, sanitation, employment, green issues… could you bring knowledge, skills or training to any of these areas?

Better relationships. In cities, turf wars over drugs and between gangs can paralyse normal community activity. The church has a message of reconciliation and restoration – can you help bring it?

In rural areas in Latin America, communities are being torn apart by the arrival of modern technology, attractive to young people, and the traditional, unchanging way of life valued by older generations. Quechua young people seek better study and work opportunities in the larger towns and cities while the elderly are left in a state of abandonment with no state services and no-one to take over the farming of the land. In some places, there is huge pressure on land which can be commandeered, or sold over the heads of its informal ‘owners.’ Churches could have an advocacy role here – can you help?

How can Latin Link help your church reach out to a local ethnic community? Contact us. See where the skills gaps are in Latin America by visiting our opportunities. Or contact us to discuss what you can offer.

PERSONAL formación is about our relationship with God, an openness to lifelong learning, growing into spiritual maturity, and encouraging others to begin or continue this process.

One-to-one or small group discussion about what it means to be a Christian can take place anywhere – in universities, in the workplace, in homes, in a coffee shop, on the street, even in church!

Latin Link members see the importance, not only of evangelism, but also of discipleship. Often, after making a first commitment, new Christians are left to their own devices. We want to get alongside people, to see them grow in faith and knowledge as they learn what the Bible teaches, and experience God in their lives day to day.

But what of the spiritual formation of Latin Link members themselves? Just because you’re in mission doesn’t mean you’re perfect, or immune from life’s difficulties! We all experience these at times in our lives. To help Latin Link members to flourish in their ministries and calling, we encourage lifelong learning and personal development through further study and retreats. Latin Link expects its members to be part of a worshipping community, have interests, take breaks and holidays.

Members on our Stride programme of up to two years are given a personal mentor to meet with on a regular basis. And each year our country teams have a conference. This is a time to share experiences, pray together and recharge the batteries. Rather than being set apart and isolated, we expect our people to play a full part in the local community as well as the Latin Link community and live life to the full.

Is evangelism and discipleship your calling? Search our current database for openings. Or contact us to discuss what you could offer.