5 Things I have learned on Hispanic Ministry in the USA

One of the greatest opportunities that the Lord has given me is to come back to the US and to begin working towards a Hispanic Ministry.  The work has been a joy so far, I have just started and Im learning and keep seeing my need of learning on this beautiful journey.

What I want to share are some things that have helped me to wide my view of ministry but adhering biblical and contextual perspective of the uniqueness of Hispanic Ministry in the USA. My goal is to encourage your heart and empathize with your journey as you consider to start a hispanic church plant or a ministry, here is some things to consider. I want to also say that this is something I am learning and so this is not a list of must but this is a list of things to navigate and start asking wisdom around you of those who have done it before. So I am going to write these things from the perspective of a student not of a teacher of it.

Now a few things that I have learned about Hispanic Ministry in the US and this list is a compilation of meeting, talking and fellowshipping with pastors who are already doing it. 

1. The Hispanic Community is Multi-Cultural: Sometimes there is things that I have in common with other hispanics culturally and sometimes the only thing we have in common is that we speak Spanish. This is something key to understand for each city has a particular demography for hispanics in the area. Whether is from Central America or South America, big city versus small town, urban area versus rural. You pick. We may find commonalities but we also may be very distinct and at times it will be very marked among us. Its like English speakers around the world, in the USA you have the north, south, west and east accents and idioms. But if you bring English, Irish, Australians and south africans it is another mix of not just accents but also of cultures. Now this is not something that should alarm you or scare you but is something you need to be aware that we can be hispanics and at the same time doing cross cultural work among ourselves.

2. The hosting culture is a big help: Sometimes we think that all you need for a hispanic ministry is someone who speaks Spanish. But what I have seen is the impact of the hosting culture in the hispanic community when they are the ones trying to enter into the hispanic world. Most first generation hispanics can be for decades and never entered into a home of the hosting culture. The isolation its the perfect formula to create misconceptions of the hosting culture and how their christianity is linked. Inviting hispanics to your home is a means of learning but also stating that Christ is above the distinct cultures aiming for the Glory of God through the salvation of people. 

This being said, enter the world, sit at our table, let us sit at your table. Let us learn how you make your meat loaf and learn how to make Lomo Saltado, arepas, enchiladas or pupusas. The cultural exchange of the church is an evangelistic statement to a whole community that the Kingdom of God is not of this world. And for some hispanics, that can be counter cultural of the little they may know about evangelical Christianity. Or sometimes how new it is compared to the tainted view that they have from Christianity because of legalism or prosperity gospel.

3. Multigenerational Gaps: One thing you will realize when you talk to hispanics in the US is that the first, second and third generation are very different. Most first generation immigrants still assimilating as well having strong tendencies of their home culture, which is normal almost anywhere in the world. Second generation are like Missionary Kids. They grow with a culture at home and they have another culture when they do things in the public settings (like school, sports, camps and etc). Third generation tend to gravitate more towards American culture. 

So the question is, if the aim is to keep the families together, should we aim to have something in Spanish and English? Well that is complex, that depends of various factors. But let me talk more about that in our following point

4. There is no just one way to do it: the complexity makes this kind of ministry have different forms. Some English speaking churches decide to have a planter and start an autonomous hispanic church because it makes sense in cities like Miami or California. Some decide to have a Spanish service around the same times, whether with translation or with their own preaching in Spanish and preaching the same text. Or some churches decide to begin a hispanic ministry as a part of the overall church.

Which one is the right one for you? I don’t know. But what I can tell you is to have as much conversations with others who are already doing the work to give you the best advice on how to do this well. As example: I know of a Hispanic Church planting a church in English among second and third generation hispanics that their first language is English but they feel more comfortable with a hispanic culture.

        5. It has a longer incubator period: There is no way to microwave a hispanic church in the US. And that is because of the multicultural aspect of it. Hispanic ministries tend to take long to grow and to establish. Some of them will take twice or three times longer than an average anglo church plant. Which requires patience. Most hispanic churches are not financially autonomous which makes most pastors be bi-vocational. The average hispanic church that has 5+ years has an attendance between 30 - 50. 

Having these things in mind, I want to give three encouragements as we consider this kind of work. 

First: Stay faithful, seeing these kind of work take a lot of time, sometimes feels like beating the air, but remember that God is in control. Be faithful to diligently work, or support the hispanic work but do not grow impatient if there is not a lot people joining or getting involved in the ministry. And if you know of anyone who is doing this kind of work encourage them, take them to dinner, pray for them or do something kind that will refresh their souls. 

Second: Network as much as possible. Because of the complexity of this ministry we need a lot of wisdom on how to do this well. And we would be well served if we pick the brain of those who are faithful and are already doing it. We can pick the mind of those who are already pastoring. And we can even have regular monthly meetings with other pastors to encourage one another. Facilitate these meetings or initiate them. 

Third: If you are a church that knows of a faithful brother or congregation on your area, partner with them financially and work shoulder to shoulder in ways that you can. This is a big relief for the hispanic churches since Pastors can have more freedom to shepherd better or to get resources for discipleship and more. 

I am privileged to work with an amazing church that has loved me well as we began this journey together and we have taken ownership of this work. They have connected me with wise and loving brothers who want to Glorify Jesus that I can go for counsel or questions like Victor, Michael, Alexis and Alejandro. American brothers and sisters are also helping this work by practicing their Spanish and doing life with the people who are starting to come.

Press on, we almost home. But meanwhile, call others to join us in this race where Jesus is the end and the prize.

Questions to ask while you are fighting sin

While we are alive, we are being sanctified and there are times when we start fighting with particular sins that leech unto us in a more frequent way. As we navigate the christian life, we are at times left clueless on how to navigate our fight with sin. We do not know where to start our fight with sin. 

I want to offer a series of questions that you can ask yourself as you navigate your fight with sin with the intention to help you fight better. And this will have scripture that will aid you to navigate these questions in a more practical manner. 

If you are struggling with sin, ask yourself the following questions: 

1. Do you like it? (Romans 3, 7: 14 - 25) I think this is a question where we need to be honest and for some may be an obvious duh, but for some others may be a time where you feel confused because you are trying to avoid this. The purpose of this question has to see the root of your desire towards this particular sin. The drive for sin is sometimes because we have entertained thoughts that have merged into temptations. Acknowledging our enjoyment of sin helps us to see that something is twisted in our thinking, which leads us to our next question.

2. Why do I like it? (Jeremiah 17: 9 - 10, Ephesians 2: 1- 3) We tend to run to sins that we like because we have believed a lie about something. Most sins are the distorted expression of something good that God has provided. The reason for our enjoyment of sin, helps us discern what we really believe about God and His word or ourselves. Maybe we have bought into the lie that we deserve our sin or we victimize ourselves into it.

The purpose is to identify the scam within your heart. You like it because you have been scammed, just like at times some articles may be overpriced on the internet or you may have thought that you bought something and something else arrives. In the same way we are lured into deception by the lies of the enemy. This does not exclude our responsibility but it helps diagnose the heart which leads us to the next question

3. What should I be believing instead? (John 17: 32 Timothy 3: 16 - 17) Identifying the lie will lead you to the Scriptures which will pierce your heart into conviction. Maybe you are believing the lie that God is indifferent to you and your desires because you do not see an answer to something good you want. Or maybe someone whom you looked up sinned against you and now you feel that you deserve to retreat in your sin. Maybe you feel that there is no hope for you and that God is not truly merciful to you. 

This question should lead you to let the word of God speak truth into your life. This could be a time of confession where you can go to other brothers and sisters who can help you navigate God’s word better. And this should lead us to the next question 

4. How can I fight? (Ephesians 6: 10 - 20, Colossians 3: 1 - 11) This question should begin by always leading you up to the Gospel, you begin fighting your sin in light of your identity. You begin reflecting on what Christ has accomplished for you, how this is something you could have never accomplished and how you should live in light of it. 

 But at the same time you start acknowledging your weaknesses and avoid the sins that you are drawn to. You put filters on the internet, you block numbers, you avoid certain kinds of places; the purpose of avoiding is to cut any avenue where sin or temptation may be a possibility. You put off sin in order to put on Christ. Which leads us to the next question.

5. What could I be enjoying? (Psalm 37: 3 - 4)Fighting sin is not just about losing our sight for the things of the flesh but enjoying the good things that God has put before us: creation, His word, prayer, music and more. Do not just grow in your distaste for sin but also grow in your fervor for godly things that nourish you. Enjoy God and His presence in prayer, enjoy spending time with brothers and sisters who are also running the race and fighting the good battle. 

Do not underestimate the power of God in your life to change your affections in order to enjoy other things. But when we are steering towards enjoying God there is another unavoidable question that follows.

6. How can I be serving? (Romans 12: 10, Galatians 5: 13) Maybe you will not have a particular title or a teaching rep but there are many areas in your local church where you can serve: holy supper, childcare, greeting and more. Sin leads us towards self-service, Christ leads us to serve others. The way in which we serve others will help our hearts to grow warmer towards others and towards God. God will use this to remind you of the Gospel as you serve but also as you live life with those whom you serve with. 

Serving can materialize into sacrificing things where dying to our flesh becomes more normal since our mind is set to put our life for others. 

Sin is deceiving and one of the ways that you can see it's through the hopelessness of those who are chained to him. But praise God that we have a Savior who has freed us from His chains, who gives us a new identification in order to live for something greater than ourselves. May the Lord help us.  

10 Libros que Lei en el 2023 y Recomiendo

Esta lista de libros que recomiendo está compuesta por libros que leí para una residencia pastoral como también libros que leí en mi tiempo personal. Pero quiero antes de ir a la lista quiero citar 2 Timoteo 3: 16 - 17

 “Toda Escritura es inspirada por Dios y útil para enseñar, para reprender, para corregir, para instruir en justicia, a fin de que el hombre de Dios sea perfecto, equipado para toda buena obra.”

Voy a recomendar estos libros pero la fuente de la cual debemos constantemente aprender es la palabra de Dios. Por eso al leer estos libros mi consejo es que los disciernas a la luz de la palabra de Dios

1. De parte de Dios, Delante de Dios -  Sugel Michelen: Personalmente creo que es el mejor libro acerca de la predicación que he leído en mi vida. Sugel Michelen resalta el gran llamado de hablar de parte de Dios y delante de Dios. La reverencia y ver el gran privilegio de poder llevar la palabra de Dios a otros. Es un libro que pastorea el corazón de aquellos quienes ven la predicación como una labor delante de ellos. También da unos pasos prácticos para poder armar un sermón. Es un libro que te va a retar pero te va a animar a ver la gran responsabilidad que hay en la predicación.

   
   

2. Sobre La roca - Justin Burkholder: Un libro que nos habla acerca de la plantación de iglesias. El autor retrata muy honestamente la realidad de cómo empiezan las iglesias en latinoamérica. Muchas veces las iglesias empiezan como resultado de una división y no se ve la necesidad de una plantación. El autor nos anima a confiar en Dios en lo que plantamos en otras iglesias para la propagación del evangelio y del reino de Dios. El autor nos da también pasos en cómo esto puede llevarse a cabo.

   
   

3. La evangelización - Mack Stiles: Este libro nos muestra que la iglesia local es el epicentro de nuestro evangelismo y como equipar a las personas que Dios nos da en la iglesia local para que esto se lleve a cabo. Stiles nos ayuda a ver cómo la evangelización personal y corporal se retroalimentan. 

   
   

4. La fórmula del liderazgo  - Juan Sanchez: Levantar líderes es un tema muy común dentro del ministerio pastoral y Juan Sanchez nos ayuda a navegar biblicamente como crear estructuras que nos ayuden a desarrollar líderes dentro de la iglesia local. Juan nos muestra aspectos importantes del carácter que deben ser evaluados con el tiempo y que esto nos ayudará a poder formar a las personas que aspiran entrar. al ministerio.

   
   

5. Cómo pastorear el corazón de tu hijo - Tedd Tripp: La premisa de este libro es que la crianza cristiana se enfoca en el corazón. Tedd da buenos ejemplos de cómo disciplinar, enseñar y criar bíblicamente a los hijos. También recuerda a los padres que la crianza da una oportunidad constante de mostrar el evangelio a los hijos. Y de cómo aprovechar esas oportunidades para que ellos hagan la voluntad de Dios.

   
   

6. Santidad - JC Ryle: Es un libro práctico, bíblico y entendible. Ryle nos muestra la necesidad de la santidad en nuestras vidas y nos confronta al hacernos ver nuestros enemigos que se ponen como obstáculo en nuestra santidad. Y es que la santidad tiene como propósito el disfrutar de Dios.

   
   

7. Siervos para su Gloria - Miguel Nuñez: El Pastor nos ayuda a recordar acerca de lo que somos antes de servir. El servicio en sí no es la identidad del creyente pero el servicio es como la identidad se va a expresar al ver su posición espiritual en Cristo. El problema con identificarnos con nuestro servicio es que podemos ser llevados a descansar en nuestros esfuerzos como reemplazo de la obra de Cristo. El creyente tiene que ver que su identidad recae en la obra de otro y eso es lo que motiva un servicio que busca la gloria de Dios.

   
   

8. El evangelio y la evangelización personal -  Mark Dever: Dever nos ayuda a examinar las razones por la cual no evangelizamos y nos da pasos para poder evangelizar bíblicamente. Es un libro que nos lleva de la mano al examinar nuestro corazón y al instruirnos acerca del evangelismo.

   
   

9. La Iglesia en Lugares difíciles - Mez McConnel y Mike McKinley: Creo que es un libro muy necesario para los contextos difíciles. Este libro es una mirada honesta a contestar bíblicamente a algunos prejuicios que se puede tener al comenzar un ministerio en un lugar difícil. Los lugares que describen, tiene que ver más con lo que es una baja demográfica socioeconómica. Mike y Mez nos ayudan a ver como la esperanza del evangelio y el amor por las almas deben ir al frente. Personalmente creo que este es un libro que todo plantador de iglesia debe leer.

   
   

10. Membresía - Jonathan Leeman: Un libro que nos ayuda a entender la membresía bíblica como un compromiso de amor. Leeman nos enseña que las iglesia locales son embajadas del cielo en la cual recordamos nuestra ciudadanía celestial. Este libro es muy instructivo tanto como para pastores y personas dentro de la iglesia en cómo implementar una membresía bíblica. También nos ayuda a responder preguntas acerca de la responsabilidad del miembro dentro de la iglesia local. Personalmente este libro cambió mi perspectiva acerca de la membresía la primera vez que lo leí.

Estos son los libros que fueron de bendición para mi vida. Sigamos aprendiendo de la palabra y de otros que han caminado antes que nosotros o que tienen más experiencia para poder amar, servir y enseñar mejor a otros. Personalmente he encontrado en la lectura una fuente de gozo al ver cómo otros han hecho cosas más claras para mí.

Bendiciones.