Historical Sketch

In a 1993 historical essay on the International Association for Mission Studies, Joachim Wietzke wrote, "The idea of IAMS was born at the Egede Institute in Oslo, Norway. As early as 1951 its director, Olav Guttorm Myklebust, published a booklet "An International Institute of Scientific Missionary Research". In this the author proposed to set up an institute with the following three objectives: 1) to establish and "international association of missiologists; 2) to organize international conferences for the discussion of missionary subjects" in a strictly scientific spirit"; 3) to publish a "scholarly review of high standards." The argument, hardly to be debated, was: Missionary research by its very nature is global in scope and thus needs an international structure.

The proposal met with a positive response from various outstanding missiologists, both Roman Catholics and Protestants like T. Ohm, J. Beckmann, K. S. Latourette, R. P. Beaver, E. A. Payne, and S. Neill. Others, e.g. Charles W. Ranson and W. Freytag, supported the idea of a flexible instrument like regular conferences, but saw no need for a permanent structure like an institute or an association.

In spite of further attempts by O. G. Myklebust to establish an "International Association for the Scientific Study of the Christian World Mission" nothing actually moved towards the implementation of this idea for more than a decade. Considerable opposition seems to have come from German scholars who showed little interest in dialogue with Anglo-Saxon and with American missiology in particular.

However the proposal to create some kind of "a worldwide interconfessional missiological society" was taken up by the "European Consultation on Mission Studies" in 1968 at Selly Oak Colleges, Birmingham. This led to a conference in Oslo in 1970, where the unanimous decision was taken to establish the International Association for Mission Studies (IAMS) with the objectives "to promote the scholarly study of theological, historical, social and practical questions relating to mission, to promote fellowship, co-operation and mutual assistance in its study, and to relate studies in mission to studies in theological and other fields". The first President elected was H-W. Gensichen with A. Camps OFM being the Vice President and O. G. Myklebust serving as the first Secretary and Treasurer."

Other individuals who have served as Secretary of the association are A.F. Walls, F. J. Verstraelen, J. Wietzke, K. Schafer, B. Nygaard, and F. Dokman. The secretariat of the organization has moved around to the home cities of the secretaries.

IAMS has held the following major assemblies since its formation:

1972 - I. Driebergen, Netherlands
1974 - II. Frankfurt, Germany :"Mission and Movements of Innovation"
1976 - III. San Jose;, Costa Rica:"Tradition and Reconstruction in Mission: Where are We in Mission Today?"
1978 - IV. Maryknoll, New York, USA:"Credibility and Spirituality in Mission"
1982 - V. Bangalore, India:"Christ's Mission to the Multitudes: Salvation, Suffering and Struggle"
1985 - VI. Harare, Zimbabwe:"Christian and Human Transformation"
1988 - VII. Rome, Italy:"Christian Mission Towards the Third Millenium: The Gospel of Hope"
1992 - VIII. Kaneohe, Hawaii: "New World New Creation: Mission in Power and Faith".
1996 - IX. Buenos Aires, Argentina: "God and Mammon: Economies in Conflict"
2000 - X. Hammanskraall, South Africa:"Reflecting Jesus Christ: Crucified and Living in a Broken World".
2004 - XI. Port Dickson, Malaysia: "Mission and Movements of Innovation"