This update is related to the Concise Study Bible, Spanish Edition campaign.
Called to Care
Faithful pastoral ministry comes in a variety of forms. For Pastor Nathan Díaz, it comes in the form of preaching on Sunday mornings and caring for his flock throughout the week. But he believes that his church, Iglesia Evangélica Cuajilmalpa, is called to minister beyond their congregation by caring for the needs of people in Mexico City and surrounding areas.
Donors and Crossway have partnered with Nathan and his church family in Mexico to provide more than 1,000 Spanish Concise Study Bibles for free distribution to their networks. Passionate about God’s Word, they’re willing to take these copies of the Bible to the harder-to-reach places, including prisons.
We recently talked with Nathan about this experience and about the hunger for the truth that is spreading throughout all of Mexico.
What is the current state of the church in Mexico?
When many people think of Mexico, stereotypically they would think of it as a Catholic country. And for centuries that has been true. But the Catholic church has gradually been losing strength in Mexico. Generally speaking, younger generations are departing from religion altogether—they’re not as committed to the church or their religious upbringing as much as previous generations. That being said, I don’t believe that the Christian church is facing Catholicism as our main opposition. Instead, we’re facing liberal ideologies.
Despite younger generations separating from the church, Reformed theology is becoming more appealing. Healthy churches are growing in Mexico and nearly every week new churches are being planted. Many churches have grown because of theologically sound resources, both in print and online. Some people have always been in a charismatic or Pentecostal church—that’s all they’ve heard and known. But now that they have encountered Reformed Bible teaching, their views on how they understand God’s Word and various doctrines have changed.
How have you seen the Lord open doors for theologically sound resources to make their way into the market in Mexico?
I’ve seen the Spanish market vastly mature over the years in terms of the content being published. When I talk to people about what languages have the most mature markets for Reformed theological resources, I believe Spanish is near the top. In many ways this is because there are so many Spanish-speaking countries. The Reformation is moving through the churches in Mexico and is slowly resulting in change and growth. But it’s not just Mexico—I’ve seen some of what’s going on in other countries and this growth seems to be generally consistent in many countries throughout Latin America. The church is growing and there’s a hunger for the truth that the Word of God alone can provide.
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Are believers in Mexico generally able to purchase a Bible of their own? In what settings might this be more challenging?
There are two broad challenges facing Mexican Christians. The first is accessibility to resources, and the second is their ability to afford the resources. Affordability in rural contexts throughout Mexico, even in villages and towns not far outside of Mexico City, can keep people from buying a Bible, let alone a study Bible. They don’t have the equivalent of $40 to spend.
I can think of one community specifically that was especially blessed to receive these study Bibles. A lot of the people in the community grow coffee for a living. When the coffee is harvested, it’s sold directly to the big coffee companies. They get paid so little—far too little—for their coffee. Because of that, they live in pretty difficult situations. They live in tiny huts with dirt floors and cook over the fire. I know that they would never be able to afford a study Bible, so the study Bibles have been great to get to these communities, not necessarily because they wouldn’t be able to access them, but because they can’t afford them.
Crossway has partnered with you to distribute more than 1,000 Spanish Concise Study Bibles. What unique location did the Lord allow you to distribute these Bibles in?
We started a prison ministry last year through a ministry who invited us to be part of a group who visits churches in prisons. One specific prison we visit is home to nearly 8,000 inmates. It’s like a city just inside the prison! And there are two churches that have been developed in this specific prison. And what we discovered there was that these churches get frequent visits from churches on the outside. Every church adheres to and teaches different doctrines. So these poor prisoners who are now Christians are listening to all kinds of different theological views being taught from these churches.
Through our time with them and because of the study Bibles donated to us by Crossway, we were able to give these inmates their first study Bible. Now they can study God’s Word on their own and accurately understand what the Bible teaches about topics discussed when other churches visit. The articles and commentary notes have been key as we’ve taught them how to study passages. Recently I interacted with an inmate who asked me whether they had to speak in tongues in order to receive the Holy Spirit, because this was an idea another church had brought in. Having a study Bible to be able to look at alongside them and answer these questions is so helpful.
Some of these inmates in the high security prisons we visit have 150- or 200-year sentences, but you wouldn’t know by interacting with them that they’re in for life. They’re filled with joy in knowing the truth of the gospel and getting to be part of a church family. These study Bibles are making an impact on each of these prisoners and giving them hope that transcends prison walls.
How can we partner alongside you to pray for you and your ministry efforts?
Please pray for the Lord to strengthen the leadership teams of the different churches that we have fellowship with, including our church partnerships in the prison systems. And pray for wisdom to know how to keep growing as a church in partnering alongside one another as we seek to grow in holiness.
By God’s grace, many churches have been growing to the point of asking for clarity about the right next step. Pray that the Lord would cause our churches to grow, not in numbers necessarily, but in cultivating a discipleship culture to help people grow in their faith walks.
Please pray for me as I seek a healthy balance in all the ministry opportunities we have, and to use wisdom in what to say yes to and what to say no to.
By God’s grace, Crossway is continuing to partner alongside ministries like Nathan’s in order to grow his church around the world. You can join us in continuing to provide Bibles to believers in need!