History

The idea of an Association of Catholic Missiologists was first ventilated in 1996 at a meeting of the professors of Missiology from the two faculties of Missiology at the Pontifical Gregorian University (PUG) and the Pontifical Urban University (PUU), both in Rome, Italy. At the preliminary meeting held at the PUU, six professors including the deans of the faculties of Missiology took part. It was the task of the core group to draft a set of statutes to guide the International Association of Catholic Missiologists (IACM). After some discussions over several meetings, a general consensus about the nature, scope, and the statutes to guide the eventual IACM gradually evolved.

From 2010 until the present, more than 200 Catholic missiologists from all over the world, who have doctorate and licentiate degrees in missiology and who are at the frontiers of missionary work and education, have taken part in the life of the Association.

The International Association has become an avenue for Catholic missiologists to do research on the missionary situations in the Church today in the light of the teachings of the Church particularly the Second Vatican Council. The present contexts of doing mission have also impacted on the missiological research and practice of its members who are involved in the ongoing efforts towards new evangelization.

Milestones of IACM

21 Oct 2000, Rome (Italy) First Plenary Assembly
3 Oct 2004, Cochabamba (Bolivia) Second Plenary Assembly
2 Sep 2007, Pieniezno (Poland) Third Plenary Assembly
2 Aug 2010, Tagaytay (Philippines) Fourth Plenary Assembly
21 July 2013, Nairobi (Kenya) Fifth Plenary Assembly
15 July 2017, Pattaya (Thailand) Sixth Plenary Assembly