How to Start a Church
Opening a Spanish Speaking Church
Before you open a Spanish speaking church, take the time to understand the competition.
Thinking about opening a Spanish speaking church? We tell you what you need to know to get started.
Spanish-Speaking Church Challenges
With more than 1 in 6 Americans now identifying themselves as Hispanic, the need for Spanish-speaking churches is greater than ever before. Hispanic religious entrepreneurs are emerging in record numbers to meet the spiritual demands of Spanish-speaking believers, but many aren't prepared for the special challenges that a Hispanic church entails.
For starters, Spanish-speaking churches can either denominational or independent, depending on the church planters background and religious affiliation. On the whole, denominations are enthusiastically embracing the idea of Spanish-speaking church plants -- but few are prepared to offer the Spanish language resources these churches require.
Nondenominational Hispanic churches face a similar dilemma. Despite the abundance of resources available to congregations and church planters, most religious resources are English only, leaving Spanish-speaking leaders to deal with the task of translating large quantities of material for congregational consumption.
More and more Spanish language resources are appearing everyday. But for now, Hispanic religious entrepreneurs need to be prepared to address language barriers in everything from marketing opportunities to hymnals.
Hiring in a Spanish-Speaking Church Plant
By and large, the personnel in a Spanish-speaking church plant need to be firmly entrenched in Spanish language and culture. Language is a no-brainer. But the nuances of American-Hispanic culture may be lost on employees who lack a Hispanic background, making it difficult to minister to your church community.
At the same time, you need to make sure the people you hire for your church plant have the ability to function effectively in a nonprofit or religious environment. Corporate professionals aren't always the best fit for positions in the church, especially if are accustomed to a large organization with virtually unlimited resources.
Hiring personnel for a nonprofit or religious organization requires you to look beyond candidates with impressive corporate resumes to people who are more naturally suited to the position. In many instances, your next hire will already be connected to your Spanish-speaking church plant in a volunteer capacity.
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