Who is AEM?

The Association of Evangelical Missions (AEM) represents Swiss Mission Organizations in predominantly German-speaking Switzerland, yet with some members located in the French speaking part of the country. Thus they actively support the francophone mission movement. AEM functions as an umbrella organization of its members who are united in the common concern of spreading, teaching and implementing the Good News across all cultural barriers, locally and globally.  Currently it represents 38 mission organizations and 6 theological training centers with ministries rooted in the following statement of Jesus:

And this gospel of the kingdom will be preached in the whole world as a testimony to all nations, and then the end will come. (Matthew 24:14)

AEM emerged as a registered association in 1972, following the establishment of a mission prayer movement in the 1960s in order to strengthen and encourage mission leaders. It developed into a center of competence and network for intercultural, holistic missionary work. In 1989 AEM was legally constituted with a board. Since 2001, there is an agreement of cooperation between AEM and SEA (Evangelical Alliance of Switzerland). The two offices   work in close connection with each other and AEM is one the three shareholders of the AWM gGmbH (Academy of World Mission) in Korntal, Germany. AWM serves as an Intercultural University with programs in applied sciences as well as academic, internationally accredited Master′s diploma and doctoral (DMin and PhD) courses, to train personnel within AEM Switzerland for culturally sensitive challenges in international services, thus adding tremendous value to several local mission training programs.

Vision

Bring the gospel to all people – overcome boundaries together…

…to reach the people with the Gospel of Christ, locally and globally.
…to promote the autonomy of Christian Churches and their local and cultural roots.
…to support efficient credible cooperation, nationally and internationally.

Purpose

AEM is an umbrella organization of entities who are committed to the mission of Jesus to spread and live the gospel in its holistically throughout the whole world. Each ethnic people group should have autonomous, locally and culturally diverse churches who are capable of multiplying and performing their specific mission. AEM processes the experiences of cross-cultural churches to the churches of German-speaking Switzerland. This is based on the observation that local Christian Swiss traditions can learn from other Christian traditions. AEM serves as a voice of the Swiss Mission Movement today throughout the media to address issues in line with its vision for the body of Christ in Switzerland, events and its higher-level networks, thus supporting its member organizations in their efforts.