Journal of European Baptist Studies, Volume 7, No. 3, 2007

als and groups of missiologists started in the early 1990s and grew as the need arose for more regular meetings and exchange of research and practical experience. An important factor for mission in this region is the common reality of post-communism with its different faces and some nationalistic developments in the region. In discussions the issues of minority ethnic groups and issues of immigrants have arisen. Another important issue is the possibility of practical mission in and by the people of the region and partnerships with expatriate missionaries and missiologists. A third major issue is the place of mission education in the theological faculties in CEE, and, fourthly, the need for dialogue and networking between missiologists in the region from different geopolitical and church contexts. At the beginning of the third millennium (2001-2002) CEEAMS was initiated by a core group of missiologists representing countries such as Hungary, Romania, Slovakia, Czech Republic, Bulgaria, Poland, Russia, Ukraine, Serbia and Croatia, with participants representing various church communities such as Roman Catholic, Russian Orthodox, Reformed, Lutheran, Methodist, Baptist, Mennonite, and others from a historic and free church tradition. The first gatherings were devoted to mission in theological education and issues of ethnic minorities (such as Roma). At the forthcoming conference, two major issues will be: (1) Current issues of missiology in Central and Eastern Europe with some emphasis on Central and Eastern European Association of Mission Studies 49 education in mission, and (2) Preparation for the International Association for Mission Studies (IAMS) in Budapest, Hungary, 2008, which is the international umbrella organisation of CEEAMS. CEEAMS and IAMS share the following aims: • To promote the scholarly study of theological, historical and practical questions relating to mission in Central and Eastern Europe; • To disseminate information concerning mission among all those engaged in such studies and among the general public; • To relate studies in mission to studies in theological and other disciplines; • To promote fellowship, cooperation and mutual assistance in mission studies; • To organise international conferences of missiologists; • To encourage the creation of centres of research; • Finally, to stimulate publications in missiology. The organisation is in its early stages and needs promotional activities and encouragement to build a stronger network and involve more missiologists from the region. Conference participation In order to build a network of missiologists in the region, the Executive Committee of CEEAMS has planned a meeting in June 2007, which will also help to prepare for the IAMS meeting in 2008, to connect missiologists from Central and Eastern Europe, to pinpoint the issues and share insights and experiences from the region. The CEEAMS Executive expects between