Let me introduce you to Vidal, who made a life-changing decision almost two years ago. He put his trust in Jesus as his Savior, and soon realized that Santeria, his lifelong religion in Cuba, a religion that mixes Catholic practices with African folk beliefs, no longer held power over his life. Vidal married Juny, a beautiful Mexican woman, and together they have embraced their freedom in Christ and found community with other believers through Central en Español, the Spanish-speaking congregation of Central Bible Church in Fort Worth, Texas. They are now actively sharing their faith with friends and family.
The vision of Central en Español is ambitious — to reach the growing Hispanic community in our culture for Christ. Leith Anderson, president emeritus of the National Association of Evangelicals, has said, “Church historians will look back to the beginning of the 21st century and say that immigrants saved American Christianity from decline. And they will observe that Hispanics were the majority and epicenter of that historic renewal.”
Hispanics are one of the fastest-growing groups in the U.S. According to Pew Research Center, “Between 2010 and 2020, the country’s Hispanic population grew 23%,” and since 1970, “the Hispanic population has grown more than sixfold.” They note that Hispanics are currently “the nation’s second largest racial or ethnic group.” (And defying some stereotypes, the majority of Hispanics in the U.S. were born in the country—67.3% as of 2019. As of 2021, 81% of Hispanics in the country were U.S. citizens.) Census Bureau population estimates from July 2022 indicate that more than one-third (35.3%) of Fort Worth residents are Hispanic.
Clearly, a church in Fort Worth, Texas that is aiming to reach its neighbors for Christ needs a strategy to reach the Hispanic population, including the many Hispanics who either don't speak English, or are not comfortable enough with English to choose to attend the regular worship services of the church. Central en Español is stepping into that space.
The Spanish language ministry of Central Bible Church was established in 2017 by a group of Hispanic believers, led by the Cruz family, who had a burden for their community, and began praying fervently to reach other Spanish speakers for Christ. Soon after, the first Hispanic Community Group was formed at the church and quickly grew. As the group expanded, a second Community Group was established. Attendance dropped during the pandemic, but the need remained. Eventually, God brought my family from the Canary Islands to join the vision of establishing a Hispanic congregation at Central Bible Church.
I first connected with the church years earlier while studying at Sefovan Seminary in Madrid, Spain, when people from CBC visited on a mission trip. I then went to seminary in Fort Worth from 2013-17, attending Central Bible Church for two years of that time. Afterward, we returned to the Canary Islands where I pastored a church in Tenerife for four years. While I was looking for my next step, Central Bible Church reached out to me about leading its new Spanish congregation. My family relocated to Fort Worth, where I joined the CBC staff as Central en Español Minister. Carol helps in running the ministry, along with many others who share the vision.
Our goal is to disciple individuals who will, in turn, disciple others and transform the world, one soul at a time.
Recognizing the significant impact the Hispanic community will have on this country and culture due to its growth, we believe it is crucial to invest our efforts in reaching them, helping them embrace Christ and increase in their knowledge of Him. The resulting spiritual fruit and development of Christian values will in turn increase the order and blessing of society.
We firmly believe that God can use the Spanish-speaking community to expand His Kingdom on Earth, and together with our brothers and sisters in Christ at Central Bible Church who are partnering with us, we can make a powerful impact on our world.
At the start of 2022, Central en Español had 22 members in a Community Group. On Easter, a few months later, we launched our first worship service with 84 people in attendance. Throughout the first year, the average attendance remained around 54 people, but in the middle of our second year, it grew to an average of 80 people, with some Sundays seeing nearly 100 attendees. Community Groups and prayer groups in the church are active and flourishing, with families involved in midweek ministry as well as Sunday services.
Our partnership with Central Bible Church helps us to focus on our mission without some of the concerns of a typical church plant, as the larger church provides office space, meeting and event space, and some financial and volunteer support, as well as day-to-day ministry partnership and of course prayer. We share a campus, meeting for Sunday worship at the same time in different buildings. Central en Español members are welcome at any CBC events or services, and Spanish-language Bible studies are offered regularly in conjunction with the English studies offered by CBC's women's ministry. Sermons in our congregation use the same Scripture texts as those in the English language congregation, and we have support from the larger church with things like communications and media. CBC Missions Coordinator Yesenia Ornelas, who serves with our congregation, translates The Scrolls Bible study from CBC into Spanish (as Los Pergaminos) every week.
We have not only witnessed numerical growth, despite being a small group led largely by volunteers, but also incredible spiritual growth among many of the families who attend.
We are surrounded with incredible stories of transformation within our community at Central en Español. Take Rosa, for example. She came to us burdened with deep depression after losing two children in car accidents. However, through her faith in Jesus Christ, she has found immense joy and liberation from that burden. Rosa now serves in the Central Storehouse food pantry and attends our church.
We also celebrate the journey of Alfredo and Veronica, a young family who left behind their superstitions and Catholic idols to embrace Christ. They are now flourishing and passionately sharing the gospel. Their four-year-old daughter, Dana, is just as enthusiastic about the church and Jesus as her parents. After attending Central for a year and a half, they were all baptized this summer. These are just a few examples, but there are many more stories of God's mighty work among us and the incredible things He will continue to do.
We invite you to join us in this vision of transforming our world, one soul at a time, within the Hispanic community. Let us be filled with love for what our powerful God is accomplishing among us and what lies ahead.
Carol Rojas, Yesenia Ornelas and Alison Dellenbaugh contributed to this article.