ARLINGTON, Texas (ABP) — The Baptist University of the Americas has joined a 3-year-old partnership with other Baptist groups to start Spanish-language churches across the United States.
The San Antonio, Texas, school signed on to the partnership with the Hispanic Baptist Convention of Texas, the Baptist General Convention of Texas and the Cooperative Baptist Fellowship. Leaders from all four groups held a ceremonial signing during the annual meeting of the Hispanic Baptist Convention of Texas.
According to the partnership, the BGCT provides church-starting training, BUA trains ministers to work in Hispanic contexts, CBF recruits congregations that want to start Hispanic churches and the Hispanic Baptist Convention of Texas and BUA help identify individuals who may make good church starters. All entities help promote the partnership.
The Hispanic population is growing nationwide and the need for more churches is clear, said Alcides Guajardo, president of the Hispanic Convention. Demographers expect Hispanics to make up 50 percent of the Texas population by 2015. But only 2 percent of the current Hispanic population in Texas is Baptist.
Charles Wade, BGCT executive director, said Baptist University of the Americas is the premier equipping institution for recruiting, educating and training the large numbers of cross-cultural ministry leaders that will be needed by tomorrow's Hispanic churches.
BUA President Albert Reyes said all four organizations play a crucial role in this partnership.
“We know that the BGCT plans to start 100 more Hispanic churches each year in Texas, and we are aware of the need to plant 500 churches throughout the USA,” he said. “BUA receives weekly calls from all across the country for church starters. Over the last 60 years we have provided ministry leaders and church planters to 75 percent of Hispanic pulpits in Texas. We will continue in that role with this agreement.”
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