how can my church reach "latinos"?

Latinos are by far the fastest growing major people group in America.  There is no comparison.  From my understanding, the influx of Latinos into the US has actually facilitated the growth of American evangelicalism significantly,  in the midst of a modest churchgoing decline in other segments of the American population.

Many pastors and leaders ask me about how to reach out to the Latino community in their American city.  The first thing that comes to mind is that I am not a Latino and so perhaps my counsel may not be all that helpful.   But the truth is, sometimes someone from "the outside" can help give at least a different perspective.

I've got some experience in this.  I've co-planted a church in Central Florida, a Latin hotbed.  But more importantly, I've lived in Brazil for over 6 years, where I'm married to a Brazilian, with Portuguese as the primary language in our house.  Besides that, I'm pastoring a Brazilian church where I get the privilege and challenge of preaching in Portuguese every week.  My life is steeped in "Latino" culture (although some Brazilians don't consider themselves Latinos, nor Hispanics).  Yet the truth is, there are a lot of similarities among South American, Central American and Caribbean cultures that probably justify the generic name Latino.

At the risk of over-justifying myself as authoring this post, I simply want to share seven considerations for a non-Latino pastor or leader interested in reaching Latinos.  So let's get to it.

seven considerations for reaching latinos through your church

1.  all latinos are not the same.

This is probably obvious, but all Latinos are not the same.  If you are trying to target a people group such as Latinos through broad-based approaches, good luck.  There are vast cultural differences among Latinos, whether they are from Chile or Puerto Rico, or from Mexico or Brazil.  Take your time to learn about the different cultures and countries from which people come, and for God's sake, avoid generalizing.   All Latinos are not the same. 

2.  Don't just start a separate worship service.

Many churches want to outreach through Spanish services. "We've got a lot of Spanish speakers, let's start a service!" Slow down.... While most Latinos will respond very graciously to non-Latino's attempts of outreach in general, this does not mean that your efforts will be effective.  Some churches attempt to start separate services too early.  They don't have proper leaders in place, or they don't "vet" well the Latino pastor/leader for a new service, or the church is not large enough to provide all of the resources necessary for a Spanish-speaking service.  In some cases, this creates a "second class" feel to the Spanish-speaking service.  Not the message your church wants to send.

3.  consider live translation as a first step.

"We include Spanish choruses in our music!"  Singing a chorus in Spanish here or there is great, but at the end of the day, that is not a strategy to serve Spanish-speakers in your services.  Most Spanish-speakers prefer listening to preaching available in Spanish.  The preaching of the Word of God is the most critical element of the service to be translated.  I consider live, simultaneous translation as one of the best ways to initially outreach to the Spanish-speaking people who are already coming to your services.  Invest in several headsets as well as a solid, capable and reliable translator.  Even if only a few people opt for the in-service translation each week, it speaks volumes to the Spanish-speaking community and says that your church is thinking of them.

4.  Consider LAtino community groups.

While it's true that most Latinos already have a good sense of community in their family, it may not always be a Biblical sense of community.  Developing Spanish-speaking community groups in your church, with translated curriculum, can be a great step towards reaching Spanish speakers.  I know of several churches that have first started with Spanish-speaking community groups, and then an entire Latino church plant developed out of it.  Whatever your objective, people need community, and a mid-week gathering in their language goes a long way.

5.  Consider a spanish/portuguese speaking church plant.

It takes a real kingdom perspective, but in some cases, it is just best to launch a new church plant out of your church.  Perhaps there is a catalytic, strong leader who is ready to plant.  Consider putting him in a church planting residency or apprenticeship and planting a new Spanish or Portuguese speaking church out of it.  Send many of the Spanish-speakers in your church out along with him.  At the end of the day, church planting is ultimately the best form of evangelism.

6.  don't forget to Get to know latinos.

All of these considerations will ultimately be unhelpful if you are not actively engaged in the lives of Latinos.  Do you have a Latino friend?  Have you ever discipled or been discipled by a Latino?  From the highest levels of leadership in a church, there must be a commitment to growing in awareness and in engagement with the Latino community.  If not, any attempts at church outreach will likely remain on the fringe and relatively ineffective. Good pastors get their church engaged in reaching out to all kinds of people in your community who are non-majority, not just Latinos.

7.  consider a mission trip to latin/south america.

Living in Brazil, it breaks my heart to see so much continued racial tension in the US.  Not necessarily between Latinos and other peoples, but between peoples of any type.  I believe that growing your people to love missions is the best way to grow them to love people outside of their culture.  All of the forums, protests, and speeches in the world will have a lesser impact on reducing racism than a Church full of Christians who have a heart for the nations.  Christians with a heart for the nations know that racism is never an option, but rather, that the mission of God calls us to love all peoples.  As to the Latino community, getting involved in missions in Latin/South America is a great way to engage your people to grow in understanding Latino culture.  It also sends a message to your church that Latinos are important.  

Friends, there is a lot more that could be said.  I have primarily shared considerations for church leaders, as opposed to ideas regarding specific community outreach or social programs, which can also complement the above.   By the way, if you need references... There are a lot of churches doing Latino outreach really well, all across the US.  I'd be happy to put you in touch with them.  

Jay

​For more information on missions with Restore Brazil in Rio de Janeiro, feel free to contact us.