What We Do & Why It Is Important
The need. One of the greatest challenges that churches in Latin America and the Caribbean face is the training of its leaders. About 80% of the pastors and leaders lack formal theological and ministerial training, which results in the mishandling of situations, spiritual abuse, propagation of bad theology, inability to effectively engage with socio-political realities, such as political corruption.
Our mission. We train leaders serving the church in these contexts so that they can efficiently serve not only the church but also all members of society and the broader creation. Our aim is to help people think deeply about God, the world, others, and ourselves so that we can cultivate a society where everyone flourishes. Moreover, we have been actively serving communities in Puerto Rico before, during, and in the aftermath of hurricanes Irma and María, which hit Puerto Rico last year, claiming over six thousand lives. As Samuel Escobar writes, “As Latin American thinkers we [choose] to do our theology not contemplating Christ from the comfortable distance of the balcony, a secure and easily received orthodoxy, but following him on the troubled roads of our Latin American lands.”[1]
Method. Our approach is three-fold.
- First, I serve as teaching pastor of a congregation in San Juan, Puerto Rico. There, we focus on discipleship and outreach. In the wake of hurricanes Irma and María, our church partnered with other congregations, forming what is now the Christ Collaborative, to serve different communities providing food, water, and other resources. This initiative also organizes training for church and community leaders and volunteers, giving them tools to assess and respond to the needs more effectively.
- Secondly, I serve as theology professor in various educational institutions in Puerto Rico, including the Universidad Interamericana de Puerto Rico. Also, I occasionally teach in seminaries in Latin America.
- Thirdly, I serve the broader church by providing online theological resources in Spanish and English.
Partner with us. I invite you to partner with us through prayer and if you believe that our work is important and want to support it economically, feel free to reach out to us!
[1] Samuel Escobar, “Doing Theology on Christ’s Road,” in Global Theology in Evangelical Perspective: Exploring the Contextual Nature of Theology and Mission, Jeffrey P. Greenman and Gene L. Green, eds. (Downers Grove, IL: InterVarsity Press, 2012), 71.