Rene Padilla was General Secretary for IFES Latin America and later of the Latin American Theological Fraternity (FTL).
He is currently International President of Tearfund (UK and Ireland), President of the Micah Network, and President Emeritus of the Kairos Foundation in Argentina, and author of several books on holistic mission and theology.
EB: What was your family background?
RP: I was born in Ecuador the son of a tailor/evangelist, but we moved to Colombia when I was a toddler. At that time, it was very difficult to be a witness to Christ in much of Latin America, but my father was especially active. My parents would move to different areas in the city, renting houses so we could start a church. We were seven children and that was enough of a little group to start a Sunday School class. We would bring our friends, and he would invite the neighbours and have Bible study, and that was the beginning of a new church. Eventually he left tailoring to give himself fully to evangelism through HCJB Christian radio, and as a hospital chaplain.
