Conference to Assess Hispanic Ministry
Participants in the Christian Reformed Church’s upcoming Consulta Hispana 2013 (the CRC’s Hispanic conference) will be discussing and recommending ways in which Hispanic/Latino leaders and members can play a more significant role in the life of the denomination.
“The purpose of this conference is to gather pastors, leaders and members of the Hispanic ministry to discuss, dialogue and take action plans for the Hispanic Ministry,” says Viviana Cornejo, a race relations advocate for CRC.
Consulta Hispana 2013, running June 5-8 on the campus of Calvin College, will feature workshops and a presentation by keynote speaker Érika Izquierdo, a human rights activist from Peru.
Consulta Hispana takes place just before the CRC’s Biennial Multiethnic Conference 2013.
Central to Consulta Hispana will be times to discuss a strategic report titled “The Strategy for the Hispanic/Latino and Bilingual Ministry of the Christian Reformed Church in North America.”
The report comes out of the Hispanic conference held last year in El Paso, Texas. At that time, says Cornejo, participants determined that they wanted to assess their role in the CRC and, if necessary, chart a new course.
"The main focus of our work, the Hispanic/Latino Ministry, is to empower and strengthen the members of the congregations and their leaders to be the church in the communities where they are immersed, with an individual and communal holistic approach that seeks integrity, respect and honor of the Hispanic/Latino community in the U.S. and Canada," says Cornejo.
Among other things, the strategic report calls for greater independence among Hispanic and Latino leaders, allowing them to use their particular gifts in the best ways possible in a bilingual ministry that will benefit their congregations.
“Although the Hispanic/Latino community is very grateful for what has been done, there is also a conflicted feeling of not having had the opportunity to lead its own ministry,” says the report.
“We expect to have around 50 people in total,” says Cornejo. “The event will focus on three main work areas: History of the Hispanic ministry in the CRC; reactions and responses to the history, and developing regional action plans.”
Participants at last year's El Paso conference asked a Catalyst Leadership Team to put together the strategic report.
While the Catalyst Leadership Team identified important areas in order to develop a national strategy, nothing is set in stone.
“It (the report) may be changed and look completely different than as it will be presented, because the directions that come out of this conference will the ‘voice of the people’," says Cornejo.
As stated in the strategy, areas to be addressed are:
- The need for an effective structure in order to better do ministry.
- Providing support and pastoral care -- emotional, ecclesiastical, congregational, etc.
- Enhancing education through certificate programs, continued studies, and other means.
- Developing training programs that focus on discernment, mentorship, and leadership.
- Allocating the finances, benefits and subsidies necessary to maintain a functioning national ministry.
- Ensuring a significant emphasis is placed on evangelism, church planting, revitalization of the existing churches, and assistance for pastoral relocation.
