DALLAS (ABP) — Hispanic congregations face a familiar struggle — how to preserve church traditions without losing younger generations.
The problem is becoming all too common among Hispanic congregations, particularly in Texas. They are filling their pews with older generations of Hispanics who prefer worship services in Spanish. But they often see their children grow up and leave to become members of English-speaking congregations.
New generations of Hispanics grow up speaking English and become more Americanized than their parents, ministers say. The children grow up wanting better facilities and specialized programs in English like they find at Anglo congregations. Many of them want the contemporary worship services they see in Anglo churches, not the Hispanic-influenced traditional services common to congregations of immigrants.
Hispanic ministers say the youth drain is becoming a serious issue. Those children are more likely to be economically mobile and represent a potential source of income. When they leave, they also take their gifts and talents, leaving Hispanic congregations largely as they found them.
“Once you have second generation, everyone is going to have to deal with this problem,” said Ernie Chapa, pastor of Iglesia Bautista Emanuel in McAllen, Texas. “And we're not dealing with that problem very well.”
In some cases, churches develop separate English and Spanish services. Other congregations have pastors preach in Spanish while translating for themselves into English.
But having separate services to accommodate two languages can divide a congregation, pastor Robert Cepeda noted. This approach also can separate families as adults go to the Spanish services while their children go to the English worship.
These potential problems do not mean bilingual services cannot be effective, Cepeda insisted. Congregations simply need to be aware of the risks involved and address them.
Johnny Musquiz, pastor of Primera Iglesia Bautista in Houston, has seen bilingual efforts work well in his 25 years of ministry. His church has separate English and Spanish services on Sunday mornings and bilingual services on Sunday evenings.
Though he said he understands the argument that separate language services can divide a congregation, Musquiz counters that youth typically sit with their friends, not their parents during any service, language-oriented or otherwise. It is natural for people to come together because of common interests and cultures.
Musquiz believes there needs to be more bilingual churches like his. They are capable of serving the continuing influx of Spanish-speaking immigrants while also meeting the needs of later generations.
“We're trying to reach anybody and everybody,” he said. “I don't want anyone to come and say 'You don't have it in my language.'”
Ernie Chapa said he feels combining Spanish and English in one service is a temporary solution at best. The notion may be met with initial excitement, but eventually will wear on the congregation as members are lost for parts of the service, he said.
His church has separate English and Spanish services, and the English worshippers are to break away this fall to become a separate church. “In our culture there is so much diversity, it is hard to bring everyone together happy,” he said.
Teo Cisneros, pastor of Iglesia Bautista Templo in Victoria, Texas, said congregations need to be flexible to meet the needs of the diverse Hispanic population. Cisneros led his congregation from a Spanish service to bilingual worship, then to an English service. Now the church is back to bilingual worship.
With the willingness to switch back and forth to and from bilingual services must come flexibility on the part of the minister, Cisneros said. Cisneros transitioned the congregation during a 10-year period that allowed him to learn English.
Then a primarily Spanish-speaking couple began coming to the church. The pastor explained to the congregation he was reintroducing some Spanish to help this couple. The members accepted the change.
“If you have a bilingual ministry, not only do you need to consider making yourself bilingual, you need to bring the other ministries with you,” he said.
Proponents of bilingual ministries insist their methods keep the family together for worship, an important factor in Hispanic culture. They also note that bilingual efforts make their ministries more accessible to other cultures, including that of Anglos.
Leaders are not looking to reach Hispanics only. They are wanting to spread the gospel to all who will listen. “My church is open to everybody,” Musquiz said.