NASHVILLE (BP) – The Send Conference en Español training sessions Monday morning (June 14) at the Music City Center preceding the 2021 SBC Annual Meeting attracted dozens of Hispanics to each of the workshops designed to equip, enrich and encourage them in missions.
Each of the workshops was specifically designed in Spanish to equip each member of the family to take the Gospel to their city, community and nation while developing disciples that would do the same.
Oscar Tortolero, Hispanic mobilizer for the International Mission Board (IMB), led a workshop for pastors, wives and lay leaders on mobilizing the church for international missions. South Asia missionary Maria* told pastors that more Hispanics are needed in the field and are essential to mission work.
She explained that Hispanics’ ability to blend into the local community because of how they look is incredibly useful to take the Gospel further, even in places where evangelizing can result in jail time.
At the workshop “¿Que Significa Vivir Enviada?” led by Hispanic Council member and author Clara Molina, women learned what a woman on mission looks like and the values she embodies.
“You have to recognize that God is the one who sends you, God decides where you’re going, how long you’re going for and when you’re coming back and you rejoice in the results of the work He does through you,” Molina said.
Ramon Osorio, the North American Mission Board’s (NAMB) director of ethnic church planting, laid out all the discipleship resources available for ministering effectively to immigrants.
During the 45-minute workshop, at which chairs were quickly scarce, Osorio went over the process of gathering demographic information on immigrant populations, determining the spiritual health of a community and the predominant psychographics affecting immigrants in America.
“Understanding these factors is essential to properly engaging and ministering to immigrants in your area,” he said. Some of the most important psychographics influencing immigrant behavior in the United States includes a sense of insecurity and a lack of empowerment in all areas of life.
The new social media platform Equipa by Lifeway was introduced to a group of more than a dozen Hispanic pastors during one of two Lifeway workshops. Ariel Irizarry, leader and developer of Lifeway’s Equipa, helped attendants sign up for the platform and gave them a tour of its discipleship capabilities.
“Equipa is designed for all tech levels, all Spanish language variations and different spiritual maturity levels,” said Irizarry.
Other workshop sessions zeroed in on ministry to fathers, leaders developing other leaders, improving Sunday worship service, church planting and Christ-centered discipleship.
Those who attended the workshop sessions commented afterwards the sessions were useful, and they soon hoped to implement their new knowledge in their local contexts.
