Hispanic Christian leaders receive training in San Juan

Hispanic Christian leaders gathered in San Juan, Puerto Rico, to worship, network, and share what God is accomplishing among Hispanics in the United States and Puerto Rico.

The Lilly Endowment—through the National Initiative to Strengthen Hispanic Pastoral Leadership and Congregations—organized this annual gathering for Hispanic leaders from various denominations. At no cost to themselves, these leaders traveled to receive training designed to help them develop their ministerial capabilities.

The Lilly Endowment—which has provided support to a diverse array of Christian organizations, including Southwestern Baptist Theological Seminary, the Hispanic Baptist Network, the Hispanic Baptist Convention of Texas, Midwestern Baptist Theological Seminary, and New Orleans Baptist Theological Seminary—is a private philanthropic foundation based in Indianapolis, Ind. Founded in 1937, its purpose is to promote and support educational, religious, charitable, and community development initiatives.

Sustainability needed

Tito Madrazo, director of religious programs at Lilly Endowment Inc., has observed the pressing need for sustainability among Hispanic Christian organizations seeking to reach Hispanics for Christ.

“I want to share with you a single word regarding the state of ministry among Hispanics: ‘need.’ And that ‘need’ has not diminished in recent years; rather, it has grown greater … and we can reflect and determine where to focus our efforts—and how to do so—to ensure that this ‘need’ remains ever-present before us,” Madrazo said.

Addressing the Hispanic leaders present at the event, Madrazo stated: “Twenty-five percent of Christians who gather weekly—within the United States alone—are Latino or Hispanic.”

“It is important to recognize that Latinos in the United States are more likely to identify as Christians than any other demographic group in the country,” Madrazo continued.

“Latinos who identify as Christians are more likely to attend weekly worship services than Christians of other ethnicities … and there is a great need to sustain ministerial work—which is of paramount importance—so that pastors can shepherd their flocks, congregations can gather, and they can continue reaching their communities with the gospel,” Madrazo added.

The leaders gathered to focus on the transmission of the gospel, transforming relationships into opportunities for collaboration and learning, and renewing their inspiration for the mission. They also exchanged practical ideas.

Importance of grants

Attendees also had the opportunity to hear from grants experts, who shared—during a panel discussion—best practices for navigating the initial phase of submitting funding applications.

Among the participating Hispanic leaders were: Agustín Quiles, director of Charla Misionera; Bruno Molina, director of the Hispanic Baptist Network; Ángel Marcial, director for the Church of God of Latin America and Puerto Rico; and Pastor Jesse Rincones, executive director of Convención Bautista Hispana de Texas.

“What an honor that Convención and the Hispanic Baptist Network were invited to be part of the National Initiative to Strengthen Hispanic Pastoral Leaders and Congregations! This network serves as a great source of inspiration and investment in our work, supporting Hispanic Baptist pastors and churches,” Rincones said.

“This gathering has provided much-needed training, and I am grateful to have been invited to attend,” Molina said.

As with others, Molina’s organization has benefited from the generosity of this entity.

“The Lilly Endowment Capacity Building Grant has been a blessing to the Hispanic Baptist Network. It has enabled me to serve full-time as executive director, hire an assistant, acquire technology, and secure consulting services to lay the proper foundation for our network to thrive—both now and in the future,” Molina added.

“The training provided by the Lilly Foundation was deeply inspiring, as it helped us reflect more on how to be more sustainable and how to build an infrastructure capable of making a greater impact. They also helped foster greater collaboration among the other organizations in this cohort,” Quiles, of Mission Talk, said.

The groups of Christian leaders, hailing from various denominations, are recipients of grants from Lilly Endowment Inc. The event took place from April 30 to May 2 at the Puerto Rico Convention Center and will be held next year at the Alexander Hotel in Indianapolis, Ind., where the Lilly Foundation is headquartered.