Journal: Journal for Baptist Theology & Ministry
Volume: JBTM 22:1 (Spring 2025)
Article: A Journey To Spiritual Growth: A Model For Discipling Hispanic Immigrant Communities
Author: Fabio M. Castellanos

A Journey To Spiritual Growth: A Model For Discipling Hispanic Immigrant Communities

Fabio M. Castellanos

Fabio Castellanos serves as associate professor of New Testament and Greek, and director of Spanish online education at New Orleans Baptist Theological Seminary.

Introduction

One of the significant challenges facing the United States is the massive influx of undocumented Hispanic immigrants crossing the country’s southern border. This group has progressively integrated into the existing Hispanic community, which has grown to become the largest ethnic minority in the nation. Both English- and Spanish-speaking Christian churches are profoundly impacted by this migratory phenomenon. Thousands of migrants who have arrived in the United States are now active participants in these Christian communities.

A key challenge for these churches arises when individuals from diverse cultural contexts join their assemblies in search of a place to worship and grow spiritually. How can a church support the spiritual formation of these immigrants in a country where the culture, language, and worldview are entirely unfamiliar to them?

This article aims to explore the key aspects of Hispanic immigration, culture, and the process of spiritual formation from both a pastoral and academic perspective. Its ultimate goal is to present a model for effectively discipling the growing population of Hispanic believers in American churches, whether English- or Spanish-speaking.

Tracking The Hispanic Immigration

About forty years ago, the American civil rights activist Jesse Jackson said,

America is not like a blanket - one piece of unbroken cloth, the same color the same texture, the same size. America is more like a quilt—many patches, many pieces, many colors,

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many sizes, all woven and held together by a common thread. The white, the Hispanic, the black, the Arab, the Jew, the woman, the native American, the small farmer, the businessperson, the environmentalist . . . make up the American quilt.1

Jackson’s words reflected a truth that most Americans have recognized since the nation’s founding: the United States is a nation built by migrants. The history of migration in the United States is as extensive as it is diverse. Mohamad Moslimani and Jeffrey S. Passel identify three major waves of migration to the U.S. starting in 1840: the European wave (1840–1889), the Southern/Eastern wave (1890–1919), and the modern era (1965–2024).2 The last one reflects a dramatic shift in composition, with 50% of migrants coming from Latin America and 25% from Asia.