Faces of the Future

 

If you don’t recognize the faces of these four emerging Hispanic church leaders, chances are you soon will. Meet the men and women whose innovative philosophy and methodology is shaping the future of the Hispanic evangelical Church in America.

 

By Andrea Bailey

Most of us know the Hispanic evangelical Church in America is mushrooming at a remarkable rate, but few of us know the key leaders at its helm. Who are the individuals acting as role models for Latino churches across the country—men and women with powerful voices and callings whom God is using to unfold His Church?

To answer this question, we’d like to introduce you to four key church leaders from diverse backgrounds and ministry settings, taking the Hispanic Church in fresh and definitive directions in the days ahead. Whether they’re speaking at the White House, raising up women in leadership or embracing the needy in their midst, these are names and faces you need to know. Both locally and nationally, they are establishing the paradigms of the future North American Church.

Elizabeth Rios
empowering female leadership

Raised by a single mom in a community of single mothers in the Manhattan projects, Puerto-Rican born Elizabeth Rios never questioned Hispanic women in leadership roles—until her uncle brought her to visit his church when she was 10.

“I noticed that in the Spanish evangelical Church, women were supposed to be strong, but not too strong,” says Rios. “They were supposed to have ideas, but never better ideas. I wasn’t really good at wearing that mask.”

The first to become a Christian in her Catholic family, 41-year old Rios now sees her childhood label—the outspoken “rebel” of the church—as prophetic of who she’d become over the next three decades. With a doctorate in organizational leadership from Nova Southeastern University, and 10 years’ experience as vice president of institutional development at the Latino Pastoral Action Center in New York City, the now wife and mother of two founded the Center for Emerging Female Leadership (CEFL; cefl.org) in 1996—a national organization helping 650 women gain opportunities for voice and visibility in the church. It’s traditionally unacceptable for Latina women to venture outside “the church kitchen, the prayer circles or Sunday schools,” but Rios believes it’s time for women to step up and become ministers in society.

“Women are the backbone of the Hispanic Church because they greatly outnumber men in attendance,” Rios says. “They can make great inroads for the Kingdom—they don’t have to do it as a sidekick to their husband, but in their own ministry capacities.”

Rios’ life is true to her words: A magazine columnist, conference speaker, professor, church planter and life coach, she co-pastors 25-member Grace Fellowship Church (becauseofhisgrace.org) in Miami, the only English-speaking Assemblies of God church plant in the Spanish Southeastern District, which she planted with her husband Hiram in 2005. In the past two years, she also founded Renew, a New York-based, year-long ministry mentoring program that trains and empowers seven women in various stages of ministry development; and a women’s coaching and consulting company, Rebound Life Architects, allowing her to share her life experience in education, building a healthy marriage and caring for a son who suffers from blindness, cerebral palsy and hydrocephalus.

“Liz has a unique ability to dialogue with the Church, the academy and the powerful for the betterment of the Church and the Hispanic community, particularly on behalf of women,” says Dr. Fernando Arzola, director of interdisciplinary studies at Nyack College in New York City where Rios taught the class “Women in Urban Ministry.” “She serves as a role model for emerging Christian female leaders.”

And a much-needed role model, says church planter Marcy Ramos, a Renew graduate from New York City. “Women come into ministry with a lot of idealism. But everybody has questions on the practical how-to’s, and Liz knows how to answer those.”

For women church planters in particular, Rios found a dearth of resources. She herself picked through book after book geared only to men—prompting her forthcoming effort, Adventures in Church Planting: The Feminine Perspective, which describes her own and others’ struggles with funding, denominational support and core teams. Rios’ writings also include a chapter in Latino Religions and Civic Activism in the United States (Oxford University) called “The Women Are Warriors,” highlighting the social activism of Latina Pentecostal women in New York City.

Rios hopes to encourage more than just Hispanic women, however. Her personal influences include black ministers like Elaine Flake, Jacqueline McCullough and Millicent Hunter, producing Grace Fellowship’s distinctive leadership style she calls “blatino”—a mixture of black and Latino leaders and ministry philosophies. At her Women in Ministry conferences and gatherings, she helps the two groups learn from and partner with each other.

“Elizabeth Rios is uniquely talented to teach churches how they can reach out to the Latino community and engage in social justice and service ministry,” says Gaston Espinosa, Ph.D., assistant professor of philosophy and religious studies at Claremont McKenna College. “Her ministry to Latina evangelical women is even more vital because she empowers them to take control of their lives, families and ministries.”

Says Rios of her vision for the future, “As generations continue, more and more young Hispanic women are going to realize they can be the leader at the table. They’ll realize they can step up and do whatever God’s calling them to do, whether it be in church or society.”

Danny de Leon
advocating for equality

Before 1977, Danny de Leon had no desire to be a pastor. In fact, when the people of Templo Calvario in Santa Ana, Calif. (templocalvario.com), the church where he was serving on an interim basis, insisted he be their pastor, he told them, “No. God knows my heart, and I have no interest whatsoever.” He planned to use his Bible degree from Southern California’s Vanguard University as a professor at a Christian college. But the congregation of 60 persisted, and after a near unanimous vote to make him senior pastor, de Leon struck a deal with them: If, within two years, Templo Calvario had not grown so much that it had to move into a larger building, he would leave because it wasn’t God’s will for him to be there.

To his surprise, two years later 750 people were attending the church, housed in a bigger building downtown. Some 31 years later, Templo Calvario is the nation’s largest bilingual church according to a Hudson Institute’s Faith in Communities report, drawing 6,300 weekend attendees and helping transform one of the poorest U.S. cities through Obras De Amor (Works of Love), a food ministry de Leon pioneered that provides 15 tons of free groceries each week—along with a variety of other community initiatives like low-income daycare and career development. De Leon and his wife, Ruth, also oversee Templo Calvario Community Development Corporation, a nonprofit organization they founded in 2003 to address economic development, education, relief work, and child and family services in their 75% Hispanic community.

“To help the needy, the poor, the starving—that is where my heart is,” de Leon relates.

Once a reluctant preacher, the 66-year-old Texas native and former schoolteacher is now an influential public figure. He has traveled to Washington D.C., on several occasions to speak to senators, congressmen and President George W. Bush about comprehensive immigration reform. “The 700 Club” welcomed him as its first Hispanic host, and Promise Keepers asked him to speak to 32,000 men at its inaugural event.

“Before faith-based initiatives became common verbiage from the beltway to the pulpits, Pastor de Leon spearheaded programs in Santa Ana in a missiological context that demonstrated transformational ministry in a community with great need,” says Samuel Rodriguez, president of the National Hispanic Christian Leadership Conference. “He is to the Latino community what Joel Osteen and Rick Warren are to the Anglo evangelical world.”

And using his influence to represent Hispanics in faith and government is paramount to de Leon—he has dedicated himself to ensuring that in both American politics and the Church, Hispanics have equal leadership rights and privileges. He is troubled that many religious denominations still maintain an upper echelon of Anglo leaders despite ever-growing numbers of Hispanic congregants.

“Churches are failing to capitalize on their Latino brothers’ and sisters’ passion for God, for family, for good values and a strong work ethic,” says de Leon. “The Hispanic Church can introduce these values into mainstream America, if Anglo churches will place them in positions of authority.”

His challenge to Anglo churches, then, is to change the face of their leadership team.

“My people have not always been well received,” he says. “Because of that, they hesitate to make their presence known. But we bring something good to the table.”

Whether distributing pallets of food from the church-owned warehouse or advocating for Hispanics in national government, de Leon is breaking new ground and challenging outsiders to rethink their views on the way Latinos live and worship.

“Pastor Dan is a visionary leader that Hispanic churches can learn much from,” says Eldin Villafane, professor of Christian social ethics at Gordon-Conwell Seminary. “He’s a pioneer in the development ofabilingual church, thusresponding to the linguistic and cultural needs of the new Latino and—as Jer. 29:7 describes—he leads a church truly seeking the ‘shalom of the city.’ ”

Wilfredo De Jesús
embracing social needs

The assignment was simple. One of Wilfredo De Jesús’ professors at North Central Bible College in Minneapolis asked the class to write a description of their ideal church, the church they would someday like to pastor. Before  the words left the professor’s lips, De Jesús was already scribbling in his notebook.

“I wrote that I would have shelters for homeless people, and I would try to help runaway teenagers, gang bangers and prostitutes,” he recalls.

Even some 15 years later—after graduating and working his way from administrative staff to senior pastor of 4,000-member New Life Covenant Church in Chicago, one of the city’s fastest-growing Hispanic churches—De Jesús’ assignment was still on his mind. But when he approached the church board about starting a homeless shelter specifically for Hispanics, he was met with cold stares.

“The church hadn’t done any type of outreach or social ministry in 30 years,” the 43-year old says. “Everyone was skeptical because we’d just spent $40,000 redoing the banquet hall. I blocked the door and said, ‘What kind of church are we? We have poor people around us!’ ”

De Jesús knew his Hispanic church wasn’t alone in its fear of outreach. “They wanted to stay inside their four walls and speak the ‘heavenly language’ or Spanish,” he says. “But I determined that every weekend we would be fishing—throwing lines and nets into the river to pull people out.”

Thus began his ongoing crusade to improve homelessness, hunger, unemployment, housing, immigration and education in Chicago—and to encourage the Latino evangelical Church in America to do the same in their communities. From that point on, when the city had a need, De Jesús and his church filled it. Now, at the request of the city’s department of commissioners, the church operates the River of Life Shelter that houses thousands of homeless women and children.

And through a church and city partnership called Hope Fest, New Life Covenant recently provided immunizations, dental care, haircuts and 800,000 pounds of food to more than 820,000 people in its low-income Humboldt Park neighborhood. In addition to community-focused outreach, De Jesús’ ministry also includes caring for ex-prostitutes, drug addicts and gang members.

“Pastor De Jesús’ church exemplifies compassionate outreach ministry,” says Pastor Abner Adorno of Living Word Church in Orlando, Fla. “He has inspired me, as well as many other young Latino pastors in America, to become more compassionate and intentional about outreach.”

Moreover, De Jesús’ civic platform gives him a unique reach into the community. Experience as the Assemblies of God district youth director for 11 states and executive assistant to the CEO of the Chicago public schools prepared him to be appointed in 2005 by Chicago mayor Richard M. Daly to be commissioner on the Chicago department of zoning. Since then, he’s been able to advocate for Hispanic churches seeking building permits and coach them through appraisal procedures.

Billy Ocasio, alderman of Chicago’s 26th Ward, says the soft-spoken Chicago native is a natural advocate for the needy.

“Pastor De Jesús’ voice is one that many pastors are hearing and understanding. What Pastor is doing not only locally but nationally is going to determine the direction of the Latino Church.”

That crucial direction, De Jesús demonstrates, is empowering Latinos like himself to be politicians and active civic servants, representing minority concerns and faith-based initiatives.

“God is opening up that door for me to become a voice for Latinos on housing, school and immigration,” he says. “Many Hispanic politicians and clergy are saying, We want you to be our voice.”

And God continues broadening De Jesús’ sphere of influence in Chicago and throughout the Hispanic Church in America. “Pastor De Jesús will continue to break the limiting mentalities that Hispanic leaders constantly deal with,” says Pastor John Murillo of Christian Worship Center in Sacramento, Calif. “His achievements have paved the way for the rest of us to learn what can be done with a local Hispanic congregation."

Victor Rodriguez
raising up the next generation

Standing beside his parents, 16-year-old Victor Rodriguez stared up at the gleaming walls of Dr. Robert Schuller’s famous Crystal Cathedral in Garden Grove, Calif. The huge church looked like a castle compared to the abandoned buildings and barbed wire fences of the boy’s south side San Antonio neighborhood.

“Look around, son,” his father, a first-generation Hispanic pastor, whispered. “Why not us? The God here is the same God that’s in San Antonio. Why not us?”

Those words would stick in Rodriguez’s mind for the rest of his life—the endless possibilities for the Hispanic Church in America, and for a poor pastor’s kid who helped his dad clean churches at night. It helped him survive the rough, gang-infested barrio where he grew up, and now after 24 years in ministry, including starting a church at age 18 and currently pastoring South San Filadelfia Church in San Antonio—one of the fastest-growing churches in the Baptist General Convention ofTexas (BGCT)—Rodriguez takes his own staff of five pastors to visit bigger churches and repeats the words his dad shared with him.

“It’s caught on with them, too,” he says. “They see that the sky is the limit and God is always bigger than we make Him in our minds.”

The 45-year-old husband and father of two teenagers instills these possibilities in each of his 900 Hispanic-American congregants, but especially the burgeoning population of third and fourth generation Hispanic youth in his 78211 zip code. They face even harsher odds than he did—the highest percentage rate of teen pregnancy in the city along with drugs, gangs, graffiti, violence and homes steeped in negative thinking—but he still believes in God’s call on their individual lives.

“You can overcome people’s criticisms. You can become educated and have a good job,” Rodriguez, the first one in his family to earn a master’s degree, told an audience of 2,800 at the 2007 Baptist General Convention of Texas Hispanic Youth and Singles Congreso in Houston. “God created each of you with the exact characteristics you need to accomplish His purpose for your life. He has plans for you.”

Case in point: a good-looking young man who recently approached him after a church service. “Pastor Victor, do you remember me?” the man asked. “You used to be my pastor, and now I’m a chaplain in the military.”

Such stories attest to Rodriguez’s methodology, says Dr. Roland Lopez, Hispanic church consultant in church planting for the San Antonio Baptist Association. “He’s moving into a disciplemaking approach with youth—duplicating himself. That is the next step to impact the Hispanic community, the church constituency, nationwide. He’s definitely a model.”

Dr. Bernia Moraga, national consultant for the Cooperative Baptist Fellowship, also dubs Rodriguez an innovator and a catalytic leader in reaching the new generation of Hispanic youth. “If he succeeds, he can develop a new network of capable leaders who know how to relate to today’s facts of life: child abuse, drug problems, sexuality,” he says. “Talking about those subjects in church like he does is critical.”

Rodriguez is innovating on other fronts—he merged his Hispanic church with a dying Anglo church in 2004 and moved into its building. This year, he signed a collaborative agreement with Buckner Children and Family Services, Inc., a Dallas-based international multi-service agency, becoming the first Hispanic congregation to collaborate with Buckner to impact children and youth in his community.

“This is a watershed event, setting the pace for collaborations with other churches,” says Albert Reyes, Buckner president. “Victor is rapidly becoming an icon in the Latino community due to his visionary leadership.”

Meanwhile, every neighborhood kid Rodriguez picks up for Sunday school fuels his hope for the future. “There is something in their minds that clicks and says, ‘You know what, I can do this!’ ” he says. “I feel such a passion and obligation to teach these kids that God is going to do good things!”

-Excerpted from Outreach magazine, "Features," November/December 2007

 

 

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