Living in a state where more than 81 percent of the residents were white people as of 2008, it would be easy to shove aside racial and ethnic minorities because the word “minority” loans itself to notions of people “on the fringe” and sometimes it is easier to ignore what people aren’t even willing to think about.
But the United Methodist Church is making valiant efforts to be at the forefront of acknowledging Hispanics and Latinos are currently the fastest growing population in America, with close to 50 million people.
Through in-depth discussions and planning, and the allocation of 3.8 million dollars from 2009-2012, the UMC is committed to opening its doors and arms to the largest ethnic minority in the United States.
“It is a vision of ‘a dynamic and growing church, joyously sharing and living the good news of Jesus Christ in a multiplicity of places...and in a variety of cultural settings,’ that affirms the cultural identities and not just the language of those among whom we are called to witness.”
With well over 400,000 people of Hispanic or Latino descent in the Detroit and West Michigan Conferences, according to the 2008 American Community Survey, the Michigan Area has been expanding the reach of its ministries.
There are certainly challenges in dealing with a sector of the population that is statistically less educated (just over 58 percent of Hispanics have high school degrees, according to the 2008 American Community Survey) and less wealthy than average citizens, and one that includes people facing immigration challenges and generational setbacks.
But as the GBGM insists, “we can only reap what we sow as a church,” and the Hispanic/Latino people should no longer be forced to stand in the shadows.
The current reality
Currently every single annual conference has a growing Hispanic/Latino population and according to the US Census Bureau’s projections, by 2011 there will be 25 conferences with 100,000 to 499,999 Hispanics/ Latinos, and 19 with over 500,000.
Taking a proactive approach to that data, the Hispanic/Latino Ministry of the Detroit Conference finalized a strategic plan in December for growth through a series of three visioning sessions.
“The (Detroit Conference) has, like many other conferences, recognized the need to focus on Hispanic/Latino Ministries,” said Sonya Luna, a Hispanic/ Latino Missionary for the UMC, and former Latino Ministry Coordinator at Ypsilanti FUMC. “In the past two years alone the committee has hired a Hispanic/Latino Missionary, has trained 10 lay missioners through National Plan for Hispanic/Latino
Ministries module workshops, has held annual worship services to celebrate the ministries, has completed a visioning/strategic plan process, and has held a workshop on developing Hispanic/Latino Ministry.”
While the National Plan has wide-ranging goals to help provide a blueprint for efforts until 2012, the Detroit Conference Committee was able to bring into focus a three-year plan for the conference.
It is more than just an idealistic vision; there are a variety of tangible goals the ministry wants to accomplish.
The Hispanic/Latino Ministry wants to see one or two Hispanic or Latino pastoral appointments in the conference, as well as 50 new lay missionaries in the ministry.
In the long-term future they also hope to develop 150 new faith communities in the state and 30 new congregations throughout Michigan.
Luna said faith communities will play a major role in new developments.
“They are like small groups, but they are more than small groups because it’s not just about Bible study — that’s part of it — but it’s about forming a community, forming a support system and network,” she said. “A lot of people in the Latino communities are not familiar with the Methodist Church, so one way to reach people who might be skeptical or afraid of going to a church is to have people who are trained open up their house to people to start a faith community. Then you talk about issues going on in people’s lives and you relate that to what God has to say in the Bible and how to deal with those issues.”
Ypsilanti FUMC has held Spanish-English services since 2004 and Luna said that would have never happened without starting at a much smaller level.
While those statistics represent future prospects, the conference currently has just five bilingual pastors and one Hispanic missionary.
A lot of the ministry’s focus will be on getting Hispanic/Latino and non-Hispanic/Latino youth and young adults involved in the Methodist Church, thus creating a bridge to the next generation.
Numbers are only part of the story though, as the ministry essentially wants the Latin American presence recognized in the conferences, with an increased responsibility in decision-making processes.
One of the ways they hope to make that vision a reality is by including the West Michigan Conference
in its undertakings, to accomplish what they call “The Great Commission.”
The following sections highlight the three strategic areas the committee has outlined as essential to their three-year plan.
Strengthen community empowerment
Right now it’s true that many immigrant communities do not have access to a lot of community services and they are often uninformed about community development.
And the vision statement isn’t ignorant to the fact that people all over the state are losing jobs and heading for greener pastures.
Nonetheless, the ministry team believes “ the Hispanic/Latino community has developed the skills to survive” and “there are unreached projects” ready to be tackled.
For participation to take place though, the ministry is searching for people to train local congregations around the topic of community development and guide them through the process.
“We’re working to put together a survey to see what leaders we already have in the conference who could be good for the ministry, and some of the qualities are just people who are self-starters that like to initiate things and aren’t afraid to try things and stay committed for the long run,” Luna said.
It is also important in the eyes of the ministry to “find and connect immigration services/agencies to keep local congregations informed about immigration laws.”
Through raising awareness and training, the conference hopes to start pilot groups on implementing life skills, youth leadership and understanding immigration laws within the three-year window.
Luna said a major part of breaking down some of the barriers will be simply teaching people the truths about the many misconceptions about Hispanics and Latinos.
“I guess some of the misconceptions are that all Latinos look the same and come from Mexico, and they all speak Spanish. Some Latinos speak Spanish, they don’t all look the same and they don’t all come from Mexico,” she said. “Here now in Michigan it is more migrant workers; my grandparents were migrant workers from Texas who came to Michigan. Most of the immigrants at that time probably were Mexican, but now there’s an influx from all over Latin America and even Central and South America.”
Studies show the largest age group of the Hispanic population is the 25-40 sector and Luna said a lot of those people went to English-speaking schools and are bilingual.
The 2010 Census will be a great aid for the ministry, as it can evaluate where the Hispanic/Latino population resides in Michigan.
Strengthen leaders and congregations
The bottom line right now is there is some leadership and awareness in regards to the future of Hispanic/Latino ministries in the Detroit and West Michigan Conferences, but more help is needed.
There is a shortage of lay and clergy who understand the initiatives well enough to implement them, and there is a shortage of bilingual speakers and musicians.
And that’s what raising awareness and funding is all about for the Detroit Conference Committee right now.
“Some people might not be sure if they can work with people who might have a certain legal status, and sometimes people are nervous about that. And people are nervous about language and culture and we’re trying to break down barriers by having workshops on developing Hispanic/Latino ministries,” Luna said.
Those barriers are found nationwide and statewide, including in the West Michigan Conference.
“There is a big population in the Grand Rapids area because there are migrant workers. We’ve been talking with lay leaders there and some pastors, the district superintendent…to see what the possibilities are for them to start up a task force or committee in their conference,” Luna said.
The Hispanic/Latino ministries are also utilizing the virtual world as best they can, with a Facebook Fan Group titled “Detroit Annual Conference Hispanic/Latino Ministry” and other resources such as the General Board of Global Ministry Web site.
For Luna and others committed to this vision it is not about just a group of people though, it is about the church as a whole.
“I really just see it as doing the work of God, really carrying the message to everyone, to people in our communities,” she said. “Our communities are changing and sometimes the church doesn’t necessary reflect our communities and we just want our churches to represent what the kingdom of God is.”
Strengthen cultural connectional relationships
The final strategic direction can basically be summed up as the Detroit and West Michigan Conferences forming a solid cooperative bond through this ministry to make progress more substantial, and to use the conference’s media resources to make the Hispanic/Latino Ministry more relevant and part of day-to-day operations.
Instead of being treated as an “outside operation” Luna said the ministry should be a natural addition to what the conferences are already doing to help people of all ages, races and background.
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