Hispanic pastors address challenges amid turbulent season of ministry

By Lindsey Williams
Writing Specialist

On March 7 – 8, a group of 50 pastors, their wives, and children, gathered at Lake Tiak-O’Khata for the annual Mississippi Baptist Hispanic Pastors and Wives Retreat. Amid a turbulent season of ministry, the retreat offered the families necessary spiritual rest and replenishment which derives from refreshing fellowship with like-minded brothers and sisters in Christ.  

Over the weekend, the men and women were led by returning guest speaker Samuel Garcia, from the Hispanic Ministry of Bellevue Baptist Church in Memphis, Tennessee, in a study on “Obstacles in Ministry,” from Exodus 18:17-18. 

Last year, without childcare volunteers, mothers struggled to fully participate in the sessions. This year, however, the problem was resolved when family Modestino and Bessy Romano, and daughter Marysol, offered to serve in childcare, and their service was greatly appreciated.

In addition to a more relaxed environment during the general sessions, the wives held their own session led by Garcia’s wife, Janet, whose teaching touched their hearts so much that the wives immediately invited her to speak at their annual women’s retreat.

Rocky Tzib, Hispanic Ministry Contract Consultant for the Mississippi Baptist Convention Board (MBCB) and host of the retreat, remarked on the opportunities for pastors scattered across the state to get to know one another better.

“When they are at work in the church, they are very isolated,” said Tzib. “But with these events, it has been a blessing for them to grow closer and discuss the similar challenges they face.”

As ministry expands, more church plants are needed to meet people where they live and work.

“In the North, we’re trying to plant another Hispanic church to lay a foundation and engage with the people,” Tzib shared. “In Central MS, Bro. Rolando Ortiz has planted a church that held their first worship service in January. In the South, we have a Baptist church which was previously Independent, only because the pastor did not know of other Hispanic Baptist churches, so we are working to engage with him, too. We have another new group which began a Bible study and are now running up to 40 people, but they don’t have a place yet. I am looking to find them a place to meet.” 

Although fruitful church plants are worth celebrating, Tzib recognizes a need which must be met in order for churches to thrive for years to come.

“A lot of pastors have to be bivocational and are not able to devote their full time to the ministry like they want to,” said Tzib. “I want to see more churches plant, but my goal first is to help these pastors working two jobs or more be able to serve full-time.

“Often what happens is that a pastor tries to do everything, and they end up getting burned out. So I am focusing on training the church to be a disciple who is supportive of their leader so that he can work full-time, and looking for key leaders who can mentor and encourage our young ministers the way Paul guided Timothy.”

One heavily discouraging challenge this year has been the panic and uncertainty following immigration policies.

“I understand immigration officers must do their job, but our undocumented Christians are scared to be detained and deported,” said Tzib. “Some arrived when the former president opened the border, and others have been here for more than 10 years.

“I believe the Anglo church is often afraid to work with immigrants, thinking they may be sued, and that is a discussion I have been challenged to bring up. Just this week, I was speaking to someone from the Anglo church who spoke poorly about Hispanics. He said they just need to be picked up and shipped out. So it is hard to hear that from other Christians.

“As the church, we are here to serve both legal and illegal immigrants. Many have come here to have a better life, and by the grace of God, if they do not know Him, they may come to know Jesus. That’s what really makes a difference in their lives.”

Uzziel Reyes, pastor of new church, Iglesia Libertad, has faced these challenges, as well. Last September, Iglesia Libertad was featured in The Baptist Record for its beginnings and the generosity of a dissolved church to freely give its building to the growing congregation.

“People are scared about what is happening in the country,” said Reyes, “But God is good. He’s adding people to our church, and He is using this hard situation to bring people to Him. When they heard the Word of God, they have responded. You can feel it moving in the hearts of the people. So I can say that the Holy Spirit is working on our church, in people’s hearts, because we see, that between fear and all that is happening around us, people are still hungry for God.”

“If you pay attention to the news,” said Tzib, “it will scare you. It spreads the lie that every immigrant is a criminal, or it spreads the lie that every immigrant is in danger of being deported all the time. Our undocumented brothers and sisters just need to live day by day.”

“Sometimes the media makes issues bigger than they really are,” agreed Garcia. “We have people in our churches who are still working and have never been detained. I know a deacon who went to work at 3:00 A.M., and he was pulled over for speeding one morning because he was running late. When the police asked him questions, he was honest and said he was illegal and did not have ID. The police went back to his car, checked something on his computer, and came back to say, ‘We’re behind people like you. So keep going to work. Don’t speed anymore, but keep doing what you’re doing.’

“So I would say to our brothers and sisters in Christ, turn off the TV, keep working, keep living your life. Lean on God’s will.”

Tzib assured that prayer is the best thing the church should do.

“Pray for church leaders not to get into a panic mode, but to trust that God is in control,” said Tzib. “Pray also for church members to be courageous and to keep pressing on, believing that if God is with us, who can be against us? God is the One Who allows things to happen. If someone has to be detained or deported, pray that they will understand God is in control of that situation, too. Pray that our churches will remember how Paul told the church in Rome that whatever happens to a child of God is for our good.

“Ministry is all about people,” continued Tzib. “We have a lot of work to do. The Scripture says the harvest is plentiful, but the laborers are few. All the pastors are struggling and wishing they could do more for ministry. So pray for more laborers.”

For more information on MBCB Hispanic Ministry, contact Rocky Tzib at rtzib@mbcb.org or 662-419-2471. 

For more information on MBCB Multicultural Ministries, contact Director Paula Smith at psmith@mbcb.org or 601-292-3287. 

There are many opportunities for churches to partner together cross-culturally, including the need for childcare services led by a WMU group at next year’s retreat. Contact Tzib or Smith for more details.