The Great Omission

[Jorge Daniel Garcia]

Facts:
-The nation’s Hispanic population reached 45.5 million on July 1, 2007, or 15.1 percent of the estimated total U.S. population of 301.6 million.

-Nearly half of the new 9.4 million American residents added since 2000 are Hispanic.

-Today, more than 1 in 7 people in the U.S. are of Hispanic origin.

Question:

The Hispanic population is booming in the U.S. However, a lot of resources are spent abroad in spring break campaigns to Mexico with minimal results, while Hispanics in the U.S. are ignored and many times persecuted by the church.

Therefore, what can we do to reach to the Hispanic community in the US? What is the best way to integrate Anglo and Hispanic churches?

[Gailyn Van Rheenen]

Thank you, Daniel, for you statistics, the cartoon, powerpoints, and question. Dan Rodriquez's presentation is specifically important. The most significant ways of reaching North American Latios is grassroots church planting. Mission Alive (www.missionalive.org) is both equipping Latino ministries like Genesis Alliance and working directly to equip and nurture church planters. For example, we are working closely with Sixto Rivera to not only equip him as a church planter but also to launch Genesis Alliance. We have worked with him to develop their Discovery, Theology, and Strategy Labs. We have taken four Latino leaders through the Mission Alive training labs and then guided and encouraged them to recontextualize these labs for Latio culture. This process is continuing and developing. Tod Vogt, Mission Alive's Director of Church Planting Equipping who as a Certified Coach through CoachNet, is equipping Sixto as a coach. In the process Mission Alive has helped Genesis Alliance plant the Latio church at Highland Oaks (Dallas), where Sixto preaches, and Highland Oaks (Plano), where Carlos Lopez (a graduate of ACU) is ministering. Mission Alive, Genesis Alliance, and Nexus is partnering with the Duncanville Church of Christ to plant another church this year in Grand Praire in the D-FW area.

We are also equipping Latio church planters directly in Mission Alive. Frank and Deanna Saldivar are beginning a church planting movement in the Rio Grande Valley. Another Latio leader is coming into Mission Alive Discovery Lab on Jan. 29-31. A new ministry, called Houston Mission Alive, is raising support to partner with us to plant a Latino church in Houston.

We are awed by what God is doing!!

[James Nored]

Hi Daniel. Thank you for these resources! I somehow missed this post (I'm sure it was because of the holidays).

I was once part of a church that really supported mission trips to Mexico. While it helped transform those who went, I was never sure that it helped the locals.

I know that Hispanics are often ignored. I would like to know how you think they have been persecuted by the church. I had not heard this.

To your question about integration, it seems that there should be different approaches for 1st, 2nd, and 3rd generation Hispanics. High Pointe, the church I am a part of, has planted a Hispanic church with Carlos Lopez. This is in partnership with Genesis Alliance. In addition to providing funding, coaching, and prayer, our members are helping teach the 2nd generation Hispanics who speak fluid English and are really American in outlook.

[Zach]

I didn't know what he meant by persecution either. Then I thought for a moment. Must be a political statement about how closely associated churches are with the conservatives who call for strict enforcement of existing immigration laws.

That's probably what he meant, but one can never be sure.



James Nored said:

Hi Daniel. Thank you for these resources! I somehow missed this post (I'm sure it was because of the holidays).

I was once part of a church that really supported mission trips to Mexico. While it helped transform those who went, I was never sure that it helped the locals.

I know that Hispanics are often ignored. I would like to know how you think they have been persecuted by the church. I had not heard this.

To your question about integration, it seems that there should be different approaches for 1st, 2nd, and 3rd generation Hispanics. High Pointe, the church I am a part of, has planted a Hispanic church with Carlos Lopez. This is in partnership with Genesis Alliance. In addition to providing funding, coaching, and prayer, our members are helping teach the 2nd generation Hispanics who speak fluid English and are really American in outlook.

[Wilmer Christopher Rivera]

Wow, I think that's a great question Jorge, I believe that the future is going to be in planting and starting Latino and American Hispanic Churches. (American Hispanic churches referring to those that are of 2nd and 3rd Generation Latinos). I think that these numbers will keep growing, and we also see that that is where the influence is. More education, more opportunty. But, the issue is not with language for American Hispanics, but it's culture. Especially 2nd Generation Hispanics, we sometimes feel more Hispanic but can integrate pretty well into Anglo or Caucausian services. So,  I think that one, we need to focus more here. You're right, there is a big, huge, mission field here. By 2050, the numbers will be 130 million Latinos in the U.S.! What we should be doing right now, is focus on church planting one at a time. Genesis Alliance is doing just that. They look for key people to start off, because not everyone is fit to be a church planter. And there's a lot more training involved but that's where it starts.