BIOGRAPHICAL
SKETCH OF
CLIFTON L. HOLLAND
President of IDEA Ministries and Director of the Latin American
Socio-Religious Studies Program (PROLADES)
- PERSONAL
- Birthdate/Place: July 9, 1939 in Little Rock,
Arkansas
- Marital Status: Married to Linda J. Ives (July
26, 1958)
- Children: Richard L. (born 1961) and Suzan L.
(born 1962)
- Current Residence: San Jose, Costa Rica (since
1972)
- EDUCATION
- Diploma, Christian Education Major, Moody
Bible Institute, Chicago, IL (1961-1964)
- B.A., General Bible Major, BIOLA College (now
BIOLA University), La Mirada, CA (1965-1967)
- M.A., School of World Mission, Fuller
Theological Seminary, Pasadena, CA:
Missiology Major/Cultural Anthropology, 1968-1971
- Graduate Studies at the Latin American
Biblical Seminary, San Jose, Costa Rica:
Dept. of Christian Ministry, Licentiate program,
1975-1977
- Doctoral Studies at the School of World
Mission, Fuller Theological Seminary,
Pasadena, CA: Missiology Major/Church History,
resident studies 1980-1981, Doctoral Candidate
1981-1991 (discontinued program in l99l)
- CHURCH WORK EXPERIENCE: 1964-1972
- 1964-1965, Director of Christian
Education & Youth at Bethel Baptist Church,
Anaheim, CA (North American Baptist Association)
- 1966-1967, Director of Christian
Education & Youth at Sunkist Baptist Church,
Anaheim, CA (North American Baptist Association)
- 1969-1970, Associate Pastor at Altadena
Baptist Church, Altadena, CA (Baptist
General Conference)
- 1971-1972, Associate Minister of Pastoral
Visitation, Lake Avenue Congregational
Church, Pasadena, CA (Conservative Congregational
Christian Conference, CCCC)
- CHURCH AFFILIATIONS: 1969 to present
- Lake Avenue Congregational Church,
Pasadena, CA (Conservative Congregational
Christian Conference, CCCC);
- Trinity United Presbyterian Church,
Santa Ana, CA (Presbyterian Church in the USA);
- Iglesia Bíblica Nazaret (Costa
Rican Bible Church Association, AIBC), San
Francisco de Dos Ríos, Costa Rica; and
- Iglesia "El Camino de Emaús"
(Independent) San José, Costa Rica.
- MISSIONARY WORK EXPERIENCE: 1972-1989
- 1972-1989, Missionary Affiliate with Latin
America Mission of Coral Gables, Florida
(interdenominational mission agency, member of
IFMA); resided in San José, Costa Rica
- 1972-1982, assigned to the International
Institute for In-Depth Evangelization (INDEPTH)
and served in the following positions: Director
of In-Depth Publications and Editor of the
quarterly bulletin IN-DEPTH
EVANGELISM AROUND THE WORLD
(1973-1975); Secretary of Financial
Administration and Publications (1975); Secretary
of Public Relations & Financial Development
and INDEPTH advisor for Nicaragua (1976-1977);
Director of PROCADES (Central
America Socio-religious Studies Project) and
INDEPTH advisor for the Republic of Panama
(1978-1980); Director of Dept. of Strategy &
Research and Founder and Coordinator of the Latin
America Socio-religious Studies Program (PROLADES),
1981-1982.
- 1983-1989: Assigned to the Missiological
Institute of the Americas (IMDELA) in
San Jose, Costa Rica as Executive Director; and
to In-Depth Evangelism Associates (IDEA)
in Orange, CA, as President & Chairman of
Board of Directors (IDEA is the support arm of
IMDELA).
- 1988 to present: Chairman of the Latin
American Church Growth Task Force (LACGTF),
a network of researchers/missiologists who are
seeking to monitor the Growth of the Protestant
Movement in Latin American/Caribbean and track
the development of new religious movements.
- MISSIONARY WORK EXPERIENCE: 1990 to present
- Executive Director (CEO) of IDEA
Ministries (resigned from the LAM
effective December 31, 1989; signed new service
contract with IDEA effective January 1, 1990);
resides in San José, Costa Rica.
- Professor of Missiology & Social
Sciences at IMDELA/School of World Mission in
San José, Costa Rica; Coordinator of extension
programs in Mexico City and Los Angeles; IMDELA
is now part of the Evangelical University
of the Americas (UNELA).
- Director of the Latin American
Socio-Religious Studies Program (PROLADES)
in San José, Costa Rica.
- COURSES TAUGHT
- Non-formal Education (1974-1989). Taught over 50
seminars/workshops in ten countries of Latin
America and among Hispanics in USA.
- Formal Education (1975-1999). Taught over 30
courses at university or post-graduate levels for
academic credit at the Latin American Biblical
Seminary (3) in San José, Costa Rica; Fuller
Theological Seminary (2) in Pasadena, CA; the
Venezuelan Baptist Seminary (1), Caracas,
Venezuela (1); the School of World Mission/
IMDELA (25), San José, Costa Rica; and the Int'l
Urban Institute/Los Angeles Field Site (1) for
Grand Canyon University, Phoenix, Arizona.
- PUBLICATIONS/ARTICLES/SPECIAL PROJECTS
- 1974, The Religious Dimension in
Hispanic Los Angeles: A Protestant Case Study
(Pasadena, CA: Wm. Carey Library)
- 1977-1986, produced a series of National
Protestant Church Directories for
Costa Rica (1978, 1982, 1986), Nicaragua (1979),
Panama (1979), Guatemala (1980), El Salvador
(1981), Honduras (1981) and Belize (1981); served
as chief technical advisor for these projects.
- 1981, World Christianity: Central
America and the Caribbean (a series
of Status of Christianity Country Profiles),
edited by Clifton L. Holland (MARC/World Vision)
- 1982, "A History of the Protestant
Movement in Central America,"
unpublished Doctor of Missiology Dissertation
(Fuller Theological Seminary/School of World
Mission)
- 1983, "Hacia una Historia del
Movimiento Protestante en America Central,"
unpublished ms. based on doctoral dissertation
(currently being updated)
- 1986-1995, produced Urban Church Growth
Studies series on the Mexico City Metro
Area (5 volumes) as a joint venture between
PROLADES and VELA; served as chief technical
advisor for the project; created the National
Evangelical Center for Research and Information
(CENII, 1994)
- 1986, general editor of A Directory
of Hispanic Protestant Churches in Southern
California (AHET/ICAS/IDEA)
- 1990, "Toward a Classification
System of the Protestant Movement in Latin
America and the Caribbean" (IDEA/
PROLADES: English and Spanish editions; updated
1995).
- 1991-1992, served as Executive Director of the
Steering Committee for an Urban Conference in Los
Angeles: "Celebrate Christ's
Presence in the City of the Angels!"
(held in April 1992 at Emmanuel Presbyterian
Church)
- 1992-1993, Director of the Resource
Center for Urban Ministry for the
Greater Los Angeles Metro Area (GLAMA), located
on the campus of the William Carey International
University, Pasadena, CA.
- 1993, produced the ICDS User's Manual
(366 pages) for IDEA Church Directory
Software (Orange, CA: IDEA Ministries);
producer of IDEA Church Directory
Software (ICDS) with technical
assistance from Alan Young & Associates.
- 1993, wrote "Una Historia de los
Primeros 120 Años de la Iglesia Evangélica
Hispana del Sur de California,"
chapter 1 of Hacia Una Historia de la
Iglesia Evangélica Hispana de California del Sur
(Montebello, CA: AHET, 1993); member of AHET's
History Committee and producer of the book.
- 1993-1996, Director of the IDEA/GLAMA
Resource Center for Urban Ministry,
Orange, CA
- 1993-1996 Producer/Compiler of A
Resource Directory on Ethnic and Religious
Diversity in GLAMA: Regions I-VII
(7 volumes, one for each region) and Los
Angeles County (two volumes) (Orange,
CA: IDEA)
- 1994, produced A National Directory
of Hispanic Protestant Churches and Ministries in
the USA (Pasadena, CA:
IDEA-PROLADES/HABBM)
- 1995 to present, Editor of the monthly news
journal MESOAMERICA,
published by the Institute for Central American
Studies in San José, Costa Rica: mesoamer@racsa.co.cr
and www.mesoamer.org
- 1996 to present, Coordinator of research for the
Latin American/Caribbean volume of the International
Directory of World Religions and
the International Encyclopedia of
World Religions, edited by Dr. J.
Gordon Melton of the Institute for the Study of
American Religion, Santa Barbara, CA; created a
data base on all religious movements known to
exist in 45 countries of Latin America, the
Caribbean, Spain and Portugal.
- 1996 to present, Moderator of two e-mail
conferences on MAFxc: Brigada-research-LATAM@xc.org
(public) and Brigada-research-LACGTF@xc.org
(private for members of the LACGTF and its
affiliates).
- 1999 to present, Moderator of the eGroups.com
conference: religion_latinamerica@eGroups.org
(a public conference).
- 1997, compiled A Resource Directory
on Spiritual Mapping for GLAMA
(about 1,000 pages) for the California Prayer
Evangelism Network (CPEN).
- 1997 to present, translator (Spanish to English)
of a series of publications for the International
Cooperative Alliance (ICA) in San José,
Costa Rica (for example: Doing
Business With Healthcare Cooperatives in the
Americas, ICA, 1997, 124 pages).
- 1998, produced a series of five research
reports on the Protestant Movement in Costa Rica (average
of 15 pages each) for the Center for
Socio-Religious Research (CISRE) and the
Evangelical Alliance of Costa Rica (EACR).
- 1999, compiled a research report on the
Province of Cartago (90 pages) for CISRE
and EACR.
- 1999, served as technical advisor for an update
of the Mexico City Directory of
Protestant Churches, produced by
VELA Ministries in Mexico City.
- RESEARCH ACTIVITIES: Conducted church and
mission-related research projects in the following
regions and countries between 1968-1999.
- NORTH AMERICA: Hispanics in the USA (Los Angeles,
Chicago and Miami) and Mexico (Mexico City and
Baja California)
- CENTRAL AMERICA: Costa Rica, Panama, Nicaragua,
Honduras, El Salvador, Guatemala and Belize
- CARIBBEAN: Jamaica, Dominican Republic, Haiti and
Puerto Rico
- SOUTH AMERICA: Colombia, Venezuela, Ecuador, Peru
and Argentina.
- MEMBERSHIPS/HONORS
- Member of the General Council of the
International Institute for In-Depth
Evangelization (IINDEF)
in San José, Costa Rica; former member of the
staff of IINDEF.
- Member of the Association of Professors
of Mission, APM (founding member); and a
member of the Evangelical Missiological
Society, EMS.
- Research Associate for Latin America with
the Lausanne Committee for World Evangelism (1980-1995)
- Member of AHET (Hispanic Association for
Theological Education), Montebello, CA
(1985-1997); also a member of AHET's History
Committee.
- Member of the Board of Directors of HABBM
(Hispanic Association for Bilingual-Bicultural
Ministries), Santa Ana, CA (1985-1992)
- Member of the Academy for the Study of
the Hispanic Church in America (APHILA),
1993 to present.
- Member of the Association of Hispanic
Theological Educators (AETH), 1993 to
present (APHILA and AETH have now merged into one
organization).
- Member of the National Hispanic
Ministerial Association (AMEN) in the
USA, 1994 to present.
- Member of the Center for Socio-Religious
Research (CISRE) in San Jose, Costa
Rica; affiliated with the Evangelical Alliance of
Costa Rica, 1997 to present.
- Member of the Board of Directors of the
Evangelical University of the Americas (UNELA),
1998 to present.
For further information, send e-mail
to: prolades@racsa.co.cr
(last revised on April 15, 2000)