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Bolivian Evangelical Lutheran
Church
The Bolivian Evangelical Lutheran Church (Iglesia
Evangelica Luterana Boliviana -- IELB) is the outcome of missionary work started
in 1938 by the World Mission Prayer League (WMPL) among Aymara Indians near La
Paz and in the Andean highlands. Over the decades the work expanded, and by the
early 1960s, WMPL had 30 missionaries in Bolivia. By using vernacular language
in its evangelism programs, the church grew rapidly, especially in the early
years, as the Aymara and Quechua people were able to share the Gospel in their
own language. In 1972 the American missionaries left the country, as the local
people claimed greater participation in the decision-making process of the
church. The IELB was officially organized in 1972 and became a member of LWF in
1975.
 The IELB currently has 18,000 members. It is
composed entirely of indigenous people. Its members are scattered mostly in the
Andean highlands in and around La Paz and northward into Peru. Today the IELB
has more than 160 congregations, over 80 lay pastors and five ordained pastors
with seminary training. It is organized on a congregational basis and divided
into six districts: Lago, Muneacas, Caranavi, La Paz, Sorata, and Fanz Tamayo.
The main work of the Bolivian Evangelical
Lutheran Church is carried on in Aymara, though a few congregations use the
Spanish language. This accounts for its rapid early growth, as Aymaras
themselves shared the gospel in their own language. There is also some work in
the Quechua language.
The Bolivian Evangelical Lutheran Church is the
largest Amerindian Lutheran church in the continent. It is a church committed to
the poor and the excluded. Its ministers, both lay and ordained, continue to
receive training through a special theological and Christian education program
financed by the Department of Mission and Development of the Lutheran World
Federation.
Empowerment of the indigenous communities is a
high priority for this church. This is done mainly by creating opportunities for
development, both personally and cooperatively. A rural development project
provides start-up seed money for small agricultural projects and assists
subsistence farmers in developing more productive and efficient gardens.
The IELB has a Division for Mission and
Development to promote a holistic approach to evangelism and service. The church
is involved in a variety of projects: alternative agriculture, animal husbandry,
provision of potable water, educational campaigns to prevent cholera, elementary
education, vocational training and communication. All these projects are planned
with community residents and respond to their needs and priorities; at the same
time, they provide good opportunities to introduce the Gospel in a natural way
to the communities involved.
The IELB is sending a missionary to the Valleys
of Santa Cruz to provide pastoral accompaniment to the development work of
Lutheran World Relief. The LWR is involved in the communities of Cochabamba (200
miles west of La Paz) and Santa Cruz (400 miles west of La Paz). The IELB is
also seeking ways to reach out to several Quechua-speaking villages and improve
their ministry with women.
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