The Hispanic population in New York has grown more than any other group since 2010, as waves of Spanish-speaking immigrants have come to New York City in pursuit of the American dream.
This reality has brought great opportunities to the Hispanic churches in the area, but also considerable challenges.
“The pastors want to serve and reach out to their community, but among them there’s a hunger for resources, a hunger to find new ways to work together,” said Luis Felipe Fernández, local pastor and church mobilizer. “When I talk to the pastors, the thing I hear the most is that they have been praying for something that will bring them together as one church.”
For many, their prayers were answered this weekend as the Billy Graham Evangelistic Association brought the Summit de Evangelismo conference to New York City, seeking to encourage and equip pastors in the work of evangelism.
Based on the Schools of Evangelism that Billy Graham started in the 1960s, the summit’s one-day training includes a dynamic mix of live and video presentations from more than 15 renowned speakers—all seeking to remind pastors that the church’s calling is to proclaim the Gospel of Jesus Christ.
“If we want to reach the world for Christ, we have to start working within the church,” said author and speaker Sebastián Franz from the stage. “The key secret for church growth is to revive those who are already in it and mobilize them to actually go and reach those outside.”
Hector Guerrero, who was among the more than 500 people in attendance, thinks this is exactly what local pastors needed to hear. He has been pastoring a church in New York City for over 18 years, and he believes the churches have been so focused on their Sunday services and weekly routines that they’ve de-prioritized evangelism.
“In my denomination, churches come together only once a year to do evangelism,” Guerrero said. “But it blows my mind what I’m hearing here today—the fact that we haven’t told our church members that we need to do evangelism one-on-one, and not just that, but do a proper follow-up with discipleship.”
Another attendee, 20-year-old Marcos Rodríguez, was born and raised in Honduras and has been living in New York City for about three years.
He admitted that living out his faith in the big metropolis has been difficult, surrounded by negative cultural influences and seeing life’s hardships everywhere he turns. But for him, this event was a reminder of how powerful and active God is.
“This is one of the best events I have ever attended,” said Rodríguez. “I never even thought it was possible to see God working in so many people from my community. I sincerely believe that today, more than anything else, we have to be united for Christ.”
He shared that all the messages he heard from the speakers have changed his outlook, and now he feels empowered to share “the treasure of the Gospel” with others.
“My intention is to talk about this with my friends. I want them to see that Christ is real, that He has the power to change lives … because He changed my life.”
Seeking Evangelism Training From the Southern Hemisphere
As Pastor David Quilodrán and his wife Fabiola Hernández were praying last year in their hometown of Santiago, Chile, they felt God leading them to find training on evangelism. They wanted to start leading evangelistic efforts within their denomination, Ejército Evangélico de Chile, which includes over 700 churches.
As they searched online, they learned about the Summit de Evangelismo conferences that were to take place in the fall of 2024. After looking at their budget, they realized they would need to save for a full year to be able to pay for tickets to come to the United States—but they knew it would be worth it.
“At first we had signed up for a less expensive option, which was to fly to Miami, but as the summit dates changed later on, we realized we would have to wait until the last summit of the year, here in New York.”
“Where are you visiting from?” asked an usher at the event. “From Chile,” Quilodrán answered.
“She couldn’t believe it,” he shared with a big smile. “But we are here just in obedience with what the Lord put in our hearts. We leave this place feeling full; we go back strengthened to focus our efforts on the message of the cross.
“In this event the Holy Spirit was just working in me constantly. He reminded me of all that He has done for me and I felt convicted to say ‘I cannot remain quiet.’ We have to go out and share what God has given us. The Gospel is active today, and we have to deliver it today.”
Please pray for these Hispanic leaders—and for their churches across the U.S. and the world. Ask God to use them in powerful ways as they share the Good News with their communities.
