Who is mission.ch?

Mission.ch is a branch of the AEM Switzerland – Association of Protestant Missions. The team is made up of employees from various Christian mission organizations. Mission organizations and has the following goals:

  • We want to win young people in German-speaking Switzerland for a missionary lifestyle and encourage them to use their gifts for the glory of God in this world.
  • We want to promote personal growth in faith and the cultural expansion of borders for world mission in German-speaking Switzerland.
  • We inform, network and accompany people in their vocational process and arrange a variety of job opportunities and courses all over the world.
  • We work in partnership with churches, associations and schools and participate in God’s mission in a variety of ways (locally, regionally and globally).

WHO IS AEM?

Who we are

The Association of Evangelical Missions (AEM) in German-speaking Switzerland functions as an umbrella organization with a network character of the Swiss missionary movement and unites the common concern of spreading the gospel in word and deed across all cultural barriers, locally and globally. The AEM is oriented towards the faith basis of the European Evangelical Alliance and the Lausanne Commitment.

We would like to participate in this:
The good news that God has already begun to establish his reign will be proclaimed throughout the world. All nations shall hear it. (Matthew 24:14)

The AEM was founded in 1972 as a working group from the missionary movement of the 1960s to strengthen and encourage those responsible for missions. It developed into a competence center and network for intercultural, holistic missionary work. The AEM was constituted as an association in 1989.

Vision

Bringing the gospel to all people – overcoming borders together

  • Reaching people with the gospel from local to global
  • Promoting the independence of Christian communities and their local and cultural roots
  • Effectively supporting credible national and international cooperation

Purpose

The AEM is an umbrella organization of ministries that are jointly committed to the mission of Jesus to spread and live out the Gospel in its entirety throughout the world. In every nation, independent, locally and culturally diverse churches are to emerge that are able to multiply and carry out their specific mission. The AEM takes the experiences of congregations from other cultures seriously and makes them accessible to the congregations in German-speaking Switzerland. This is based on the conviction that Christian traditions also need to be supplemented in Switzerland. The AEM is a common voice in public for its members and represents their interests in overarching networks.

Values

We look and act! We do not tolerate any sexual exploitation, abuse of power or other boundary violations.

As AEM, we are committed to the basic principles of the Charter on Boundary Violations, which takes a stance on the prevention of sexual exploitation, abuse of power and other boundary violations. The principles apply to all persons who work in our organizations and who participate in, are accompanied or supported by our services, as well as to our members. With this in mind, we signed the charter in Dec. 22 and are committed to its preventive implementation.

We are also guided by the European Evangelical Alliance’s Basis of Faith and the Lausanne Commitment of 1974.

Partnerships / Networks

As an umbrella organization, the AEM works together with all persons and organizations that can identify with the vision, purpose and values of the AEM. In particular, it aims to promote the coexistence of Christians in the spirit of the Evangelical Alliance SEA. The AEM in German-speaking Switzerland works together with the Western Swiss missionary movement and its sister organization Connect Missions (formerly FMEF Fédération de Missions Évangéliques Francophone). The AEM is part of the European Evangelical Missions Association (EEMA) and the Mission Commission of the World Evangelical Alliance ( WEA ). AEM Switzerland maintains a special cooperation with AEM Germany and increasingly with AEM Austria.

Structure

The AEM is strategically managed by a Board of Directors. The Managing Director is responsible for implementing the objectives and maintaining contact with the members. AEM’s services are financed by membership fees, compensation and donations. Legislative responsibility lies with the General Assembly.

Management Board

  • Beat Leuthold (SMG), President
  • Clemens Böhme (OM), Vice-President
  • Benjamin Pang (SIM), Member of the Management Board
  • Alex Flor (EMD), Member of the Board of Directors


Office

  • Lorena Marti, Head of Operation & Mobilization
  • Michael Girgis, Facilitator Mission
  • Uta Widmer, Membercare
  • Stefan Eisenhut, Facilitator TCK

Members

Guests

Membership information

AEM - Who are we?

The AEM is a working group of the Swiss Evangelical Alliance SEA. It is an umbrella organization of around 45 missionary organizations and theological training institutes, as well as some individual members and guests. AEM Switzerland works together with the German, French-speaking and Austrian partner organizations. The Executive Director is responsible for implementing the objectives. The association is mainly financed by membership fees and the financial resources are used exclusively to fulfill the association’s purpose.

The AEM aims to promote the proclamation and spread of the Gospel in word and deed.

This purpose of the association is served in particular by:
a) The promotion of networking, exchange and cooperation among the members and with organizations with similar objectives.
b) The provision of services to promote the efficiency, effectiveness and quality of the members’ work.
c) The representation of the members and their interests in national and international working groups, networks and committees.
d) The promotion of the mission interest.
e) The promotion of education and training.

  • Community and exchange among leaders
    We promote unity among the member plants, network leaders and deal with current topics. Meet other leaders and benefit from their knowledge and experience. Exchange ideas with them on an equal footing. Use the opportunity for friendship, mutual support and companionship.
  • Using synergies
    We pull together! The AEM uses synergies and provides working materials. Leaders work together on current topics that concern many facilities, such as:
    – Child protection guidelines
    – Crisis counseling and training
    – Services
    – Insurance solutions with special conditions
    Together we save time, nerves and costs and can prevent possible critical situations.
  • Member care for your employees
    A member care team coordinates offers for our member plants throughout Switzerland. It organizes training and courses for employees in the home office and abroad. These include the short-term course (KUK), returnee weekends, debriefing offers, training courses on social skills or intercultural cooperation, safety courses and many more.
  • Further education, training courses
    We offer up-to-date seminars, training courses and a wide range of further education courses. Mission strategy, theological and politically relevant topics are regularly addressed. The AEM actively promotes the cause of mission in various churches and free churches (Kairos course, DUK). Employees of member organizations benefit from discounts on AWM Korntal offers.
  • Sharing benefits
    Member plants have the opportunity to insure their employees in a collective health insurance fund through aem.
  • mission.ch & MissioNow
    With www.mission.ch, we offer Switzerland’s largest digital platform for missionary assignments around the world. Members can prominently present their missions and personnel requirements and recruit short-term and long-term workers. With MissioNow, aem organizes a Switzerland-wide event to mobilize young people for missions and foreign assignments.

There are three membership categories:
a) Collective members
b) Individual members
c) Guests

  • Invitation and documents for general meetings
  • Invitation to participate in working groups
  • Voting, election and co-determination rights (in working groups)
  • Discounts on AEM offers with course and conference fees, incl. AWM
  • Newsletter (AEM News)
  • Access to internal resources via intranet
  • Full use of the services via the mission.ch website
  • Priority for stand allocation at mission exhibitions
  • Any administrative / contractual advantages through joint purchasing, group contracts, Helsana group insurance
  • Course discounts for staff training, training discounts for employees
  • Use of the AEM Member Care System at discounted rates
  • Priority for stand allocation at mission exhibitions
  • Association representation in government circles for foreign assignments
  • Presence with contributions on the mission.ch site
  • Representation of AEM interests in Christian media (idea Spectrum, EM, ERF, Livenet)

Organizations, congregations and individuals who have been involved in evangelical mission in word and deed for at least two years and/or who train employees for this purpose can become members of the association.

Further requirements for membership are:
a) a business or residential address in Switzerland
b) written agreement to the purpose and religious basis of the association
c) written agreement to the Border Violations Charter

The membership fee is based on the AEM’s specifications for the size and type of organization.

Get in touch with us! You can do this via the “Register interest now” contact form (see below) or contact the AEM office directly:

Association of Evangelical Missions (AEM)
President: Beath Leuthold
E-mail: beat.leuthold@aem.ch
Tel. 043 344 72 07

REGISTER FOR THE AEM NEWSLETTER

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Contacting AEM

Would you like to contact the AEM directly? Then you can do so here. We look forward to hearing from you.

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Mission.ch is a branch of the AEM Switzerland – Association of Protestant Missions.

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