PC(USA) leaders engage congregations to re-imagine Hispanic, Latino and Brazilian ministry

As Hispanic, Latino, and Brazilian Presbyterians gather this week in Puerto Rico for the last of six regional re-imagining encounters across the denomination over the past five months, organizers are clear about where the work begins.

Latin American liberation theology famously emphasizes “theology from below” — prioritizing the faith and lived experience of everyday people, particularly those on the margins, over top-down authority within the institutional church. For Hispanic, Latino and Brazilian leaders in the Presbyterian Church (U.S.A.), re-imagining the church has likewise begun with listening to the wisdom of the people in its pews.

From 2022 to 2023, more than 70 Hispanic, Latino and Brazilian Presbyterians engaged in a comprehensive discernment process that began with grassroots conversations about the needs, gifts, and available resources of their communities as they looked toward the future of ministry. This deep communal work led to RSG-05, “A Resolution Addressing Diversity, Equity, Inclusion, and the Realities of Hispanic Latino-a-e Ministry,” which was overwhelmingly approved by the 226th General Assembly in June 2024.

Image

According to a report written for this summer’s 227th General Assembly, the goal of these conversations and eventual resolutions was “re-imagining before God how to serve during a time when the Hispanic/Latino/a/é and Brazilian constituencies face unique realities shaped by the U.S. sociopolitical context.”

The resolution directed the Presbyterian Mission Agency and the Office of the General Assembly (since jointly succeeded by the Interim Unified Agency) to organize an in-person gathering to re-imagine Hispanic Latino ministry in the PC(USA), develop resources and follow-up plans, and allocate $180,000 in additional funding over the course of 2025 and 2026 to that work. With the institutional church officially on board, the Re-Imagining Coordinating Team returned to where the work started: the Hispanic, Latino and Brazilian congregations within the PC(USA).

In partnership with the National Presbyterian Hispanic/Latino Caucus and IUA staff, the coordinating team has organized and facilitated five Re-Imagining Hispanic/Latino/a/é Ministries Regional Encounters in synods across the United States along with this week’s reimagining event in Sínodo Boriquén in Puerto Rico.

The previous gatherings have taken place in Synod of the Pacific, Synod of the Northeast, Synod of the Sun, Synod of the South Atlantic, and Synod of Southern California and Hawaii.

Image

The Rev. Rosa Miranda, who serves in the IUA as the U.S.-based Global Ecumenical Liaison serving Hispanic and Brazilian ethnic communities, says they were intentional about calling these events “encounters” or “Encuentros” in Spanish to emphasize the contextual and collaborative nature of the re-imagining process. Organizers also wanted participants to feel empowered to lead and take ownership of the re-imagining work in their own communities.

Each regional event has been unique, informed by the particular identities, communities and realities of the various contexts. Miranda points out that Hispanic, Latino and Brazilian ministry— while a relatively small percentage of the overall denomination — is actually a large umbrella. In fact, Miranda says that diversity of context and needs informed the decision to facilitate multiple regional gatherings rather than one large national event.

“It’s not the same to do ministry in Puerto Rico as it is in Alaska or North Carolina or Texas or California. It’s very different,” Miranda said. “This is also a way to break away from paternalism and colonialism. It’s not one program fits all — this is our program, in our own context and in our own realities. It’s not a translation or adaptation.”

Organizers developed a Re-Imagining Toolkit to help regional encounter participants. The toolkit includes foundational essays with questions for critical reflection. Participants were challenged to identify two priorities to pursue in the re-imagining process with their faith communities, and then share their learnings with others, inviting collaborators into the ongoing process of discernment and transformation.

Nearly 300 people have participated in the regional encounters, with an estimated impact reach of 5,800 Hispanic, Latino and Brazilian Presbyterians.

Immediately following this week’s reimagining encounter in Puerto Rico, 30 participants — representing the diversity of Hispanic, Latina and Brazilian constituencies involved in Re-Imagining Hispanic Latino/a/é Ministries in the PC(USA) at different times and in various roles — will gather at Iglesia Presbiteriana en Bayamón in Puerto Rico to evaluate the process so far, engage feedback and collaborate on priorities for the future.

Image

What exactly comes from that reflective gathering remains to be seen, but those centrally involved in this process so far are clear that there is much more work to be done. The General Assembly report notes that roughly 30% of Hispanic, Latino and Brazilian Presbyterians has not yet been engaged in the process. More funding will be necessary to host additional regional gatherings in addition to future stages of the process.

In the meantime, organizers are currently working to translate the Re-imagining Toolkit into English as a gift to the rest of the denomination. 

Miranda points out that while Hispanic, Latino and Brazilian churches— along with other ethnic communities — are a minority within the PC(USA), they are the emerging majority among Christians globally.

“This is a time in which the PC(USA) needs to — in Spanish we say 'turn around the tortilla' — turn around and say ‘OK, you are the experts doing this. You know what you need. How can we come along, journey and support our Hispanic Brazilian Ministries in the PCUSA?’”