Ministering to Pastors and Leaders—Monthly Meetings

At the end of last year, and beginning of this year, we have been investing significant time ministering to pastors and leaders residing in the Kansas City area and sometimes even beyond. We have been having monthly meetings in which we try to achieve five fundamental objectives: sharing a meal, fellowship, having a specific training based on the need of the moment, praying for each other, and exploring ways in which we can work together to plant more churches. In the last few months, we have been learning about the specific challenges they face in each of their churches as well as their victories and successes. We invest a lot of time just learning about the situations they face and then we go through the process of finding ways we might be able to assist them if possible.

Through these meetings we have realized that pastors today, more than ever, need to spend time with other colleagues in ministry who understand them and help them better deal with the daily challenges of ministry. We have seen that pastors and leaders have been strengthened; that there is more unity and a spirit of cooperation and understanding between them. I am glad that we can invest time and resources ministering to them in a such a personal way.

Educational Development

We are collaborating very closely with the leaders of Spanish Studies at Midwestern Baptist Theological Seminary, with the objective of starting a program of basic theological study that will benefit Hispanic pastors and leaders who have not had the opportunity to attend seminary or finish their college education. This program has three goals:

  • To better train the pastors and leaders currently serving.
  • Train and develop new leaders to serve either in established churches or starting new churches.
  • Encourage pastors and leaders to continue and improve their levels of theological training.

We are targeting this program to begin by the end of April. At this time, we have communicated this new opportunity, in which many of them have received with excitement and anticipation.

Newcomers

Lately, we have been ministering to new families coming from different Latin-American countries. In our case, we have focused on helping people from Honduras, Nicaragua, and Ecuador as much as possible. We help them learn how to live here in the United States. Examples include learning the laws of this country, finding a place to live, getting jobs and many other things that a new arrival would not know how to handle. We also help them providing the guidance they need regarding their immigration status.

At the same time, whenever we have an opportunity, we share the gospel with them when we find out that they are not yet believers. On some other occasions, if they are already believers, we take the initiative to involve them in some churches. And in that way, they can begin to serve and make use of their spiritual gifts.

New ministries

We have opened the facilities of the International Welcome Center to start two new ministries in the community. English classes for non-English speakers and a food pantry program for young people in need in our community. They have been distributing more than two hundred meals every week, to young people from different nationalities.  At the same time, we are currently working hard to reach the goal of starting a music school and a program of continuous training for pastors and leaders. It is our desire to see this goal become a reality next year. International churches have always had a hard time finding worship leaders and enough trained leaders who can help them to achieve their basic ministerial goals. We are glad we can partner with Blue River-Kansas City, and its churches, to accomplish all the goals and ministries mentioned above.