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The International Association for Mission Studies is an international, interconfessional and interdisciplinary professional society for the scholarly study of Christian witness and its impact in the world and the related field of intercultural theology.

After some preliminary meetings, IAMS was inaugurated in Driebergen, The Netherlands, in 1972.  Since then, every four years an international conference has been held on the different continents.  There are now more than 400 scholars who are members of IAMS as well as over 50 institutions that are corporate members.

Every four years, an Executive Committee is chosen by the members and is responsible for the development of the association and charged to organise the next quadrennial conference.  On this Committee, different regions of the world are represented.  The Secretariat of the association is usually taken charge by one of the associated institutions. Currently the Secretariat is located at Lund University, Sweden.

The objectives of the association are:

  • to promote the scholarly study of systematic, biblical, historical and practical questions relating to mission and intercultural theology
  • to disseminate information concerning mission studies to all those engaged in that and related study fields
  • to promote fellowship, cooperation and mutual assistance in mission studies
  • to organise international conferences of missiologists and intercultural theologians
  • to encourage the creation of centers of research
  • to stimulate publications in missiology and intercultural theology

 

 

Conference registration is already open!

The International Association for Mission Studies will convene for its 15th Assembly in Sydney, Australia from July 7 to July 11, 2022. Occurring for the first time in Oceania, the IAMS Assembly will be hosted by the Australian Association for Mission Studies and the meeting will take place at Morling College in greater Sydney.

More information about the academic side of the Assembly can be found here: IAMS Call for Papers Sydney 2022

More information about the conference in general can be found on the conference website.

Deadlines:

  • Proposals for Thematic Panels are due by December 31 2021.
  • Paper proposals of 250 words, whether for Study Groups or Thematic Panels, are due by December 31 2021.
  • Applicants will be notified of the acceptance of their papers in January 2022.
  • Conference registration opens in February 2022.
  • Draft papers of 2000 words are due 31 May 2022.

Panel and paper proposals should be sent to: conferencepapers2022@missionstudies.org.

For general questions regarding the conference: conferencesecretary2022@missionstudies.org.

 

IAMS 15th General Assembly postponed due to COVID-19

Edit: It has now been decided that the Assembly will take place between 7-11 July 2022, at Morling College, Sydney. 

Dear members and friends of the International Association for Mission Studies (IAMS),

It is with a heavy heart that I announce the postponement of our 15th Assembly, which was to have taken place this July in Sydney. I do so on behalf of the entire IAMS Executive Committee and our local partners at the Australian Association for Mission Studies (AAMS).

This has been predictable, of course, given the global news of the expansion of COVID-19 and the threat to welfare that it represents. Recent restrictions on international travel make any consideration of moving ahead with the Assembly as planned impossible. Australia’s current restrictions, which may or may not be extended to July, are as follows:

(1) the government has banned all non-citizens and non-residents from arriving in Australia;

(2) the government restricts all gatherings to no more than fifty persons; and

(3) Australia (and most other governments) have in place and likely will continue to require a fourteen-day self-quarantine, which would doubly impact travelers upon arrival and return.

Unavoidable as this postponement is, I regret that our meeting—which ordinarily takes place only every four years—will be delayed. We could have all benefited from the quadrennial days of fellowship, intellectual stimulation, and professional encouragement that previous meetings have represented!

In addition, we are considering what to do about registration payments already made. We are also looking at the IAMS Constitution closely to determine our next steps. As soon as we have come to these and related determinations, we will be in touch with you. We will also seek to keep you up-to-date about our ongoing conversations with our local partners in Australia at AAMS, especially local chair Darrell Jackson; our local travel coordination company Christian Fellowship Tours; and Morling College in Sydney. I want to thank them, and many others, for all the work done so far to prepare for what will be—regardless of when it happens—an inspiring IAMS Assembly. In particular, a heartfelt thanks goes also to all of you who have already contributed to our future Assembly by setting aside time and energy in myriad ways. It suffices only to know that more than 200 paper proposals were made in study groups, and 80 proposals offered in thematic panels.

I am struck these days by the timeliness of our Assembly theme, “Powers, Inequalities, and Vulnerabilities: Mission in a Wounded World.” Little in my experience has shown the clarity of the wounded context in which Christian mission takes place, with its attendant shared vulnerability and inequalities of resources and opportunity, than the current crisis.

Know of our prayers for you, your loved ones, and all of our partner organizations in this difficult time.

Sincerely,

Paul Kollman

IAMS President

 

New books series for IAMS

Theology and Mission in World Christianity is a new peer-reviewed series which treats theology, mission, and the interface between them in view of the development of world Christianity. It is edited by Kirsteen Kim, Stephen B. Bevans and Miikka Ruokanen. The series is published by Brill Publishers and also functions as a supplement series for the IAMS journal Mission Studies. The editors welcome scholarly monographs, edited volumes, and outstanding dissertations on contextual and inter-cultural theologies, mission theology, and historical and practical questions relating to mission and Christianity worldwide. For further information, click here.

 

 IAMS Facebook Page

IAMS Facebook page is the place to go to for most IAMS related news and information. It is not necessary to be a member to join, the group is open for all scholars interested in missiology, global Christianity and related subjects.

https://www.facebook.com/International-Association-for-Mission-Studies-IAMS-345324249216792/.