Implement step-by-step strategies according to the priorities your team identifies
A – How to increase Hispanic attendance in Anglo churches
- Offer sermon translation so they (adults) can hear in their own language
- Add Spanish words and music and prayers to your worship time & Powerpoint
- Start a Spanish-speaking or multi-lingual adult class or small group Bible study
- Provide transportation to your children’s ministry activities
- Provide camp scholarships to Latino Camp at Hidden Acres
- Host outreach events, such as “free food fairs” with family activities, music, etc
- Start a soccer team or league in your church, neighborhood or city
B – How to develop ministries to reach out to Hispanics
- Start a Spanish-speaking department or church-within-a-church or kids ministry
- Offer ESL or SSL classes at your church or elsewhere
- Offer marriage or parenting or finance classes at your church or elsewhere
- Work with local charitable or service organizations that can help meet needs
- Assist or lend resources to sports or youth organizations (soccer, scouts, etc)
- Start a food pantry or “free store” for clothing and other household needs
C – How to plant new Hispanic churches
- Provide your facilities and other resources to a Spanish-speaking church plant
- Or start a “church-within-a-church” to provide supervision and support
- Structure your worship and class times to share facilities, resources, staff, etc
- Or provide facilities, finances, personnel, to help plant a new off-site church
D – Supporting district-wide ministries
- Latino Family Camp
- Provide financial or human resources for this annual event
- Make sure someone from your church attends or assists
- Distribute publicity to other churches and businesses
- Hispanic Ministries Summit
- Participate in this forum to share information and experiences
- Contact the Central District office for details on the next Summit
- District Multi-cultural Ministries
- Provide finances, prayer, personnel and other assistance for the EFCA staff person (Brad Wos) directing Central District Multi-cultural ministries and support the needs of EFCA churches working to reach minority groups
- Donate to Multi-cultural Ministry (Brad Wos)
Evaluation: Keep Praying, Talking, and Working as You Build on Your Foundation
Involve more people as you evaluate your progress and keep trying new approaches
A – Look at opportunities, challenges, strategies from different perspectives.
- How does your church as a whole see what’s going on with Hispanic ministry? Your community? Your target groups? Other ethnic groups? Other churches?
- What does God think about what you’re doing or not doing?
- What do Hispanics really think about your church or ministry efforts?
B – Consider what it would look like if you tried something different.
- Realize it will take a long time and requires working from different directions.
- Involve more and more people (both Anglos and Hispanics) with new ideas.
- Start small or with a narrow focus, utilize and empower people as they surface.
C – Talk with other people, organizations & churches for different approaches.
- Get out of your comfort zone to connect with others who care about Hispanics.
- Be willing to try new things, be willing to fail, but equip your people to succeed.
- Realize that it takes time to build trust, relationships, and personal growth.
D – Support other district activities to learn and encourage more outreach.
- Especially if your church is not in a position to become actively involved in your own area, or if you need more time to develop resources and strategies.
- Your support of other projects will jump-start your own ministry learning curve.
E – Pray & plan on a continual basis, to re-focus your activities and objectives.
- Gather interested people and leaders in your church for feedback sessions.
- Make sure you are utilizing your resources and meeting the needs of people.
- Be willing to cultivate, plant, and water, as well as harvest.