James and Ruth Padilla DeBorst

Vision

What happens if you take a plant, no matter how fruitful and thriving, and plunk it in a new place, where temperatures, rainfall, and soil bear no resemblance to those of its native land? Even if it did survive, the plant is highly unlikely to yield much fruit. Likewise, theology, publications, models of church life and Christian discipleship need to grow out of local soil if they are to engender and nourish new life.

During our years of service in Latin America, we have become increasingly aware of rampant violence, injustice, poverty, corruption, family breakdown, ecological degradation, and hopelessness. We believe, however, that even in the midst of it all, there is Good News for Latin America! We are convinced that God has not abandoned these beautiful lands He created or the wonderfully diverse people that inhabit them. God yearns to work through the integral witness of the Church far beyond the walls of its buildings: in personal lives and communities, homes and streets, markets and businesses, universities and rural villages, rivers, and mountaintops!

But in order to grow as a witness of God’s love, the Latin American Church—as all others around the world—needs to grow not only in width but more importantly in depth, striking deep roots in God’s Word and in their particular corner of God’s world. Theology, publications, models of church life, discipleship, and service must be generated locally, out of the dirt and nutrients of the Latin American context, so that God’s people can contribute relevantly to God’s re-creation of all things in Christ and by the power of the Holy Spirit.

Mission

Our ministry out of Costa Rica is local, regional, and global through Casa Adobe, the Center for Interdisciplinary Theological Studies, the Cohort of Missioners, and the International Fellowship for Mission
as Transformation.

• Casa Adobe. We live as members of this intentional Christian community in which and through which we seek to live out the Good News of God’s good creation: in our relationship to one another, in our neighborhood, and with the rest of creation.    
  casaadobe.org
   
• The Cohort of Missioners. This program brings young people from North and Central America together to live, serve, and learn alongside one another in a year of intense discovery of how their lives tie into God’s purposes for the world. resonateglobalmission.org/cohort

• The Center for Interdisciplinary Theological Studies (CETI). Jim is president and Ruth serves as provost of CETI, a learning community of students, faculty, and administrators that uses a Master’s and Certificate program to strengthen the capacity of church people, leaders, pastors, and professionals from many different fields to build bridges between their faith and their life for the sake of integral transformation of their families, churches, work, and society.    www.ceticontinental.org

• The International Fellowship for Mission as Transformation (INFEMIT). This community of theologian practitioners, stretched across the globe, seeks to nourish the vision and capacity of local Christian communities to embody the Kingdom of God through transformational engagement with the challenges of the day from a biblical perspective.   www.infemit.org

As we provide leadership to these different ministries, we are grateful for your partnership in prayer, fellowship, service, and financial support.

Thank You

We are grateful for your partnership in prayer, fellowship, service, and financial support as we continue adjusting to this new ministry phase, another country, version of Spanish, local church, neighborhood and school. Thank you.