MISSION DURCH MIGRATION

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ish or Portuguese. Practical, legal or administrative advice is also available as well as lan-
guage and culture courses. There are also at least two Swiss mission societies dedicated
to working among and with foreigners. But on the whole, the Christian Latin groups and
churches in Switzerland have little contact with their Swiss counterparts. Apart from lan-
guage or cultural differences, the author thinks that another reason lies in the Latin atti-
tudes of spiritual superiority over their Swiss brothers and sisters. There is great poten-
tial in the Latin way of looking at life, relating to people and doing mission, but there is
also potential for conflict.
CHAPTER 3 - Switzerland as a Mission Field:
Problems and Potential of Latin American Mission Efforts
3.1 Latin American Idiosyncrasy as a Potential for Conflict in Mission
Núñez and Taylor summarize in ten points areas which characterize Latins in Latin
America today. This thesis takes six of these as a basis, since most areas characterize
Latins in Switzerland also. Firstly, they have difficulties with a secularized society. The
Swiss not only accept secularism, but value its materialistic and individualistic virtues.
Latins find it hard to cope with Swiss secularism coming usually from under-privileged
backgrounds and strong extended family structures. They often embrace it totally or re-
ject it totally. Most do not succeed in looking for a balanced approach. The sad result is
often losing their faith on the one hand or falling into the trap of spiritual superiority on
the other.
Secondly, they are used to fast church growth. The statistics are clear and al-
though one can quibble over the figures, the record demonstrates unprecedented evan-
gelical growth. While the general population grows at an annual rate of 2.2%, evangeli-