The “Ecuador Partnership” (or Consociedad Ecuador) was formed around 2000 between Mission Network and:
A core priority since the beginning, theological education and leadership training for Indigenous evangelical churches was requested by groups like FEINE (Council of Indigenous Evangelical Peoples and Organizations of Ecuador). Early workers included Argentine missionaries Mauricio and Sara Chenlo, followed by Colombian couple César Moya and Patricia Urueña, and others.
Delicia Bravo Aguilar and Peter Wigginton serve as Ecuador Partnership coordinators (since 2015). They strengthen:
- Children’s and youth ministries at the Quito church
- Refugee projects
- Broader peace/theological work across conferences and FEINE
- Peter co-hosts the Spanish podcast Merienda Menonita and participates in a peacebuilding program that provides training in peacemaking, conflict transformation, and conflict resolution, helping churches develop practical responses to violence and strengthen a culture of peace.
Key priorities and impact
Theological education and leadership development
Anabaptist biblical training for pastors and leaders, especially in Indigenous communities (Kichwa, Cofán, and others in the highlands and Amazon).
Impact
Strengthened churches and led to new Anabaptist conferences.
Church planting and development
Helped plant the Quito Mennonite Church, which became Iglesia Cristiana Anabautista Menonita de Ecuador (ICAME). Two other conferences formed: Iglesia Cristiana Menonita de Ecuador (ICME, primarily Indigenous, 2018) and Iglesia Evangélica Menonita Ecuatoriana (IEME, coastal).
Impact
- EDUPAZ (Educación por la Paz / Peace Education Program) – Launched around 2003, this is one of the longest-running initiatives. It offers monthly peace education workshops for children (ages 5–12), focusing on nonviolence, values, conflict resolution, and broader learning. It expanded into an after-school program providing homework help and holistic support for local children, including refugees. This program embodies proactive peacebuilding with the next generation.
- Pacificadores (Peacemakers) Inter-Conference Peace Team – An ongoing collaborative effort involving ICAME, ICME and IEME. It includes a 12-module online course on peacemaking, followed by in-person workshops. The team promotes peace centers, youth peace activities, after-school programs and faith-based responses to Ecuador’s rising violence. Peter Wigginton has played a key coordinating role.
Refugee ministry
Since 2002, the Quito church has supported refugees, initially Colombians fleeing violence, now including many Venezuelans and others.
Impact
- Refugee and Migrant Ministry (Proyecto con Personas Refugiadas y en Movilidad Humana) – Started in 2002 and ended in 2025, this was a core peace and justice witness. The church provides holistic accompaniment to as many as 200 refugee families per month (mainly Colombian and Venezuelan) through material aid, psychological support, legal orientation, and community integration. It actively counters xenophobia and violence by creating spaces of welcome, dignity, and shalom. Related efforts include the Yura Project (sewing cloth diapers and sustainable items) and broader peace-with-justice responses to displacement.
Learn more
Peacebuilding efforts continue in Ecuador
Peace and reconciliation workshop empowers Ecuador’s evangelical leaders
