The “Obra Hispana” in the Christian Church

By Pablo A. Jiménez

Introduction

The Christian Church (Disciples of Christ) in the United States and Canada has been involved in Hispanic Ministries for over one hundred years. The first missionary efforts among Hispanics were undertaken in the late 19th century (1897-1899) our Church reached out to Hispanics in Northern Mexico, Texas, and Puerto Rico.

These evangelistic efforts resulted in the organization of three different Disciple denominations in Mexico and Puerto Rico:

• The Evangelical Fellowship of Christian Churches in Mexico
• The Evangelical Alliance of Christian Churches in Mexico
• The Christian Church (Disciples of Christ) in Puerto Rico

They also fostered the development of Hispanic and Bilingual congregations in the United States. During the first part of the 20th century, our Hispanic congregations were concentrated in Texas. Toward the middle of the century, we organized Hispanic Churches in the Northeast.

Hispanic Conventions

From the beginning, our Hispanic congregations formed Hispanic Conventions that provided both fellowship and opportunities to develop joint projects. The first convention, the State Mexican S.S. Convention, was established around 1915. Today, there are six Hispanic and Bilingual Conventions that group congregations from different states:

• Arizona (Arizona)
• Midwest (Colorodo, Illinois, Indiana, Iowa, Kansas, Ohio, Missouri, South Dakota & Wisconsin)
• Northeast (Canada, Connecticut, New York, New Jersey, Pennsylvania, & Washington D.C.)
• Southeast (Alabama, Florida, Georgia and North Carolina)
• Southwest (Oklahoma, Louisiana & Texas)
• Pacific (Washington, Oregon, & California)

Coordinating Hispanic Ministries

The work of the different Hispanic conventions was originally coordinated by The Director of Services and Programs for Hispanic Congregations (first the Department of Domestic Missions of the United Christian Missionary Society, then at the Division of Homeland Ministries of the CCDC). The following Hispanic leaders served as Directors of this office:

• Rev. Domingo Rodríguez (1918-2005)
• Rev. Lucas Torres (Retired)
• Rev. David A. Vargas (President, Division of Overseas Ministries)
• Rev. Luis Ferrer (Retired)
• Rev. Dr. Pablo Jiménez (Christian Board of Publication Senior Editor for Chalice Press; Pastor, Iglesia Cristiana (D.C.) Espinosa, Vega Alta, P.R.)

A National Organization

Under the leadership of this Office, the different Hispanic Conventions organized the National Hispanic and Bilingual Fellowship of the CCDC. The First National Assembly took place June 24 to 28, 1981 in Indianapolis, IN. The Rev. David Vargas was the Director of the Office at the time.

The Central Pastoral Office for Hispanic Ministries

During the late 1980’s the National Hispanic and Bilingual fellowship explored several ways of restructuring the Office of Services for Program and Services for Hispanic and Bilingual Congregations. This resulted in the creation of the Central Pastoral Office for Hispanic Ministries (CPOHM) in 1991. The CPOHM has the following objectives:

• To develop programs and to offer pastoral care to Hispanic ministers, lay leaders and congregations.
• To advise and counsel the different regional and general bodies of the CCDC on Hispanic ministry.
• To be an advocate for Hispanic Disciples.

The CPOHM is a general organization of the CCDC. As such, it responds directly to the General Board of the Church and it is supported by the Basic Mission Finance fund. It is also supported by direct contributions from individuals, local congregations, regions and other organizations.

The Pastoral Commission for Hispanic Ministries

The Pastoral Commission for Hispanic Ministries serves as the executive board of the CPOHM. The Commission is composed by representatives of the Hispanic Conventions and representatives of the General Board, among others.

The National Pastor for Hispanic Ministries

The director of the CPOHM is the National Pastor for Hispanic Ministries of the CCDC.

• The first National Pastor was Rev. David A. Vargas, who served from 1991 to 1992.
• The second, Rev. Lucas Torres, served from 1992 to 1999.
• The third, Rev. Dr. Pablo Jiménez, who served from 2000 to 2005

The current Moderator of the Pastoral Commission for Hispanic Ministries is the Rev. Lyndon Rogers, pastor of Iglesia Cristiana Principe de Paz, Austin, TX. The current National Pastor for Hispanic Ministries is the Rev. Dr. Huberto Pimentel, who began his tenure April 2006.

Focus on Leadership

The CPOHM, the Pastoral Commission for Hispanic Ministries, and the National Hispanic and Bilingual Fellowship have determined that the focus of their work for the next decade will be Leadership Development. We are developing programs for youth, lay leaders and licensed ministers.
We need more leaders because the Hispanic community in the US is growing at a fast pace. According to the U.S. Census Bureau, there are 31.7 million Hispanics living in the nation (11.7% of the population). These numbers do not include the 3.88 million Hispanics living in Puerto Rico.

The “Obra Hispana” among Disciples is also growing at a fast pace. We have about 200 established and developing congregations in different parts of the US. There are also Hispanic congregations in Canada. One of them is bilingual, worshipping in Spanish and French.

Resources

At some point in time, every Disciple minister will have to interact with Hispanic people and with Hispanic Disciples. You may prepare yourself for such encounters by learning more about the Hispanic community, and about Hispanic theology. You may begin your research by reading the following materials.

• The Hispanic Population in the U.S., U.S. Census Bureau, March 1999.
• Justo L. González, Mañana: Christian Theology from a Hispanic Perspective (Abingdon Press, 1990).
• Manuel Ortiz, The Hispanic Challenge: Opportunities Confronting the Church (InterVarsity Press, 1993).

Get in Touch!

We hope this information about the Obra Hispana will enhance your ministry, preparing you to better serve the growing Hispanic community in the United States. For more information, email us:

Oficina Pastoral Central para Ministerios Hispanos
P.O. Box 1986 - Indianapolis IN 46206
Tel: 317-713-2584 or 317-713-2583
Fax: 317-635-3700
E-mail: somosuno@cpohm.disciples.org

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