Some ideas shared at a conference on Hispanic ministry in Hampton, VA, USA, September 17 & 18, 2009

Introductory comments:

I participated in this conference thanks to the invitation of Pastor Andy Counterman of Anchor Baptist Church and with the help of Pastor Troy Calvert of Fairfax Baptist Temple. The first told me about the conference and the latter took me there.

The speakers at the conference were Dr. Rick Armstrong, Dr. Troy Calvert, Pastor Steve Kohnert, and Pastor Jack Ramos. These four servants of God have experience working with Hispanics. The conference was in English, but there was translation available for those who didn’t speak English. From what I could see, there were only two of us who didn’t speak English.

What I heard really encouraged me. I am impressed and moved by the fact that more and more American pastors and churches are becoming interested in reaching Hispanics who are in North America. It is a fact that many North American Christians are an example by their compassion, vision and missionary action.

Space does not allow me to share everything that I heard from the speakers. I have the materials they shared. It is full of statistical information and demonstrates a great heart to reach the Hispanic world. One of my friends in ministry may take the time to translate the materials and share it. If that should happen, it will be available to anyone who asks for it.

I want to share with you the observations that I made and shared with those who were at the conference. Time was given to dialogue, exchange ideas and comments among all those of us who were present. That was the right time for me to participate and express what I’ve seen in my 6 visits to the USA.

1. God should direct the lives of those who are converted to Jesus Christ.

I made this comment because I believe that no one has the right to tell an individual who is converted to Christ what he must do.

What I said was the following: “We should allow God to manage and govern the life of the believer.” This means that if a foreigner is converted to Jesus and God guides him to return to his country to reach his own… then he should return; if God guides him to stay… let him stay; and if God moves him to go to another country… let him go.

What I emphasized was that whatever option God should guide his child to choose, let him fulfill the Great Commission and let him become an instrument to extend the Kingdom of Christ wherever he goes.

I made this comment because it seemed to me that with good intentions and almost without realizing it, some seemed to want to decide what should be the will of God for Hispanics who are converted to Jesus. This is inadmissible.

We believe that every child of God is a priest before God, who has the Holy Spirit to guide him and has the Bible to instruct him. These Biblical concepts should guide the ministry that we begin, whether we are Hispanics, North Americans, Japanese or of any other nationality. We should trust that God knows what he wants to do with those that he brings into his Kingdom.

2. The missionary potential of the Hispanic who is converted to Christ.

Every person that is converted to Christ has an enormous missionary potential and we need to find the way to develop that potential to its maximum expression.

The Hispanic who is converted to Christ is a missionary instrument if God should return him to his country or if He should leave him here or takes him to another country.

I made this comment because several were asking what could be done so that Hispanics would feel and see that they are a part of the bigger church family that begins a ministry to them.

I mentioned that this was the same struggle that missionaries to Peru and other countries have experienced. How do we get the converted to become committed to the work of God? My observation attempted to make clear the goal to involve the converted in the Great Commission the first day they are converted to Jesus Christ.

I believe that we take too long to talk to the converted about the Great Commission. Because of this, if we want more people that cooperate and work at supporting the work of God on local, national and worldwide levels, the best we can do is to get them involved in the Great Commission from the beginning.

3. Strengthening the arm of the servants of God who work among Hispanics.

In my travels in this country I have observed that if there is a difficult ministry in the USA it Hispanic ministry.

The pastor or missionary’s work among Hispanics is an immense test and challenge.

The difficulties that discourage and frustrate the Hispanic minister are the following:

-The Hispanic is in constant movement, especially the illegal. It is very frustrating to train someone who is going to help you and then, they leave.

-The Hispanic works more than normal because he wants to send money to his home country making it very difficult for him to cooperate with the missionary or pastor in their ministry.

-The Hispanic who is legal and has a good job has become equally or more materialistic as the average American and has lost his heart for God and His work.

-The Hispanic minister is not free to develop the ministry as he considers God to be guiding him. This is especially true when he is under the leadership of a pastor or a group of pastors or a church that wants to exercise control over that ministry.

-The Hispanic minster doesn’t receive enough financial support for his family’s expenses nor for the ministry expenses. There are many Hispanic ministers who do not have a good house or a good car compared to American pastors or missionaries. His limitations are so great that he and his wife must work at other jobs to cover their basic needs.

-The Hispanic minister doesn’t see fruit very quickly nor very much. This fact is terrible and demoralizing by itself. It is even greater when behind him is a pastor, a pastoral team or church which demands numerical results.

-The Hispanic minister has conflicts of conscience because he knows that many Hispanic Brothers “lie.” This is terrible for pastors that know that God is holy and just. Pastor Troy Calvert told us his experience that amply illustrated how a brother lied to him and used him as defender of his lie before a court of law in the USA.

-The Hispanic minister doesn’t have genuine companionship with the pastor that is over him or with other pastors. This is a problem I’ve also noticed among North American pastors. This is dangerous since there isn’t a human arm that could encourage these pastors.

My question to the audience was this: “What is being done to strengthen and encourage the Hispanic pastors?”

Pastor Jack Ramos of Temple Baptist in Fairfax mentioned that conferences were being organized, that he made phone calls to other Hispanic pastors and that he was trying to contact other pastors. He would try to encourage the growth of fellowship among pastors in his area. That was a great response.

I hope in the Lord that much more will be done to encourage and strengthen the arm of those who work among Hispanics. I believe it will be rewarding to make sure that the spiritual health and ministerial joy of Hispanic pastors and their families are cared for.

4. Consistent discipleship to Hispanics.

As is often the case in Peru, discipleship to those who are converted in this country is often very weak. This true not only because of the job instability among Hispanics, but its true due to negligence on the part of those who work with Hispanics.

My question was: “What is being done to consistently disciple Hispanics who are converted to Christ?”

Pastor Acevedo, who came from New York, mentioned the Won by One book as a very good book for discipleship. He said he used it and that it helped him to disciple those who were being converted to Christ.

My concern about discipleship and its importance for growth of the Christian in becoming a better and more efficient instrument in the fulfillment of the Great Commission has to do with the fact that the Great Commission to all of Judea, Samaria and unto the Ends of the Earth was fulfilled when the brethren were scattered because of the persecution that occurred when Stephen died. (Acts 8: 1-4; 11:19-30).

There will always be migration. The movement of people from one place to another is an inescapable historic reality. We can’t do anything to prevent it. If on a particular day we prevent people from moving, then God will intervene and people will have to move. Because of this, churches should strengthen their ministry of discipleship so that the brethren can be growing and maturing constantly.

If God wants to move his children from one place to another and these children are strong due to a consistent discipleship plan it is very likely that they are going to extend the Kingdom of God into the place where they are going. If they are not discipled consistently, it is more than likely that they will be absorbed by the world either here or in the place to which they are moving.

Therefore, it is vital that every pastor and missionary that Works among Hispanics take advantage of the fact that God has brought the Hispanics to him and that he should disciple them in season and out of season.

5. The migration of people is under the sovereignty of God.

I made this comment because of the conflict that exists among some pastors and Christians in the USA concerning the legal or illegal status of Hispanic immigrants.

Pastor Steve Kohnert gave Biblical guidelines concerning this issue. He quoted several Old Testament texts about the care of the foreigner. His focus exhorted one to have a Biblical attitude toward the foreigner. Also, the key text included in the conference materials was Deuteronomy 10:19.

What I mentioned was that God controls the movement of people. The foundation of this statement is in the Old Testament (a proof text is Amos 9:7). The history of humanity is plagued with migration, conquest and liberation.

As Christians we are led by the Bible and we should see God working either salvation or judgment in people movements. As for Mexico, which is a bastion of Catholicism in this part of the world, many would not have been converted to Christ if they would not have come to this country.

With my comments I wanted to encourage those who have a heart to fulfill the Great Commission among Hispanic people who are in this country. With this way of thinking, in this country one could take advantage to fulfill the Great Commission among those who come from Moslem countries.

The United States has people from many nations. Christians shouldn’t enter into political discussions nor should they be in support of or against immigration whether legal or illegal (I say this with great care and I hope not to be misunderstood). What Christians should see is God working in this movement of peoples and take advantage of this historical moment to win people for the Kingdom of Christ and to disciple them to extend this same Kingdom to other nations.

In conclusion:

This conference was very edifying for me. I really enjoyed observing the conference organizers’ interest in Hispanic ministry. It was also great to see and hear the men who are working to reach Hispanics.

It is my prayer to God that as Hispanics we would begin to be a powerful instrument in world evangelization. I pray that we would stop seeing ourselves as a mission field and instead begin to see ourselves as a missionary instrument.

God wants to use us in the extension of His Kingdom wherever we are. He wants us to speak of Him and that we would do whatever is within our reach to evangelize and disciple people.

May we put ourselves in God’s hands and may He be the One who prepares us, strengthens us, motivates us and uses us in the evangelization of the world!


Segundo Rodríguez
Evangelista
Ministerio de Avivamiento Habacuc (Habacuc Revival Ministry)
Cooperación Misionera Bautista Interacional (International Baptist Misionary Cooperation)
http://mahabacuc.blogspot.com/
www.ministeriocombi.com