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“Look at all these lazy Mexicans!”

It doesn’t take much thought to realize the inaccuracy and offence of this racial slur. In the first place, the people being referred to may not be Mexican. They could be from any one of twenty Spanish-speaking countries.

According to the Census Bureau, Hispanics have become the largest minority population in the United Sates. Like most immigrants to the United Sates throughout history, Hispanics are striving to learn English and become productive, loyal citizens in a country known for “liberty and justice for all.”

Many are not only coming north, they are coming to a saving faith in Christ. Wade Clark Roof, professor of Religion and Society at UC Santa Barbara, identifies “inroads made by conservative evangelicals into such groups as Latinos, to be the main engine of church growth in many parts of the country.”

God is working amidst the mushrooming Hispanic population in the US. With limited resources, Latin churches are springing up across the country. The task is not easy. Common language does not always insure a common bond. There is great diversity among those from different countries of two separate continents. A businessman from Buenos Aires may struggle to relate effectively with a “campesino” farmer from Tapachula. Furthermore, the children of these recent arrivals from Latin America adapt quickly to their new culture. They prefer Sunday school classes in English. Nonetheless, the Lord is binding this new community together in church fellowships for the advance of his work around the world.

While some Americans may view these new US arrivals as dangerous foreigners, we should welcome our “cousins” from the south. They too are Americans. North Americans have assumed exclusive rights for the title “American,” but what about people from Central America and South America?

We are indebted to our Latin brothers and sisters more than we realize. Contemporary praise music, common in our churches today, originates from Latin America. We can thank Hispanics for vibrant new rhythms and guitar accompaniment in our worship services. Family values have been of utmost importance to Latin brethren long before Focus on the Family became a voice for evangelicals in our country. Warm interpersonal relationships among Latin people are a welcomed contrast to indifferent isolation all too evident in our society.

Emerging leadership in the Latin community is noteworthy. Hispanic pastors from the US and Canada are among those pursuing doctoral studies in Dallas Theological Seminary’s new Spanish-language Doctor of Ministry program. These pastors have their Master of Divinity degrees with studies in Greek and Hebrew and at least three years ministry experience. During a D.Min. extension class in Guatemala, Santos Rivera of El Cajón, Calif., proclaimed, “We want our church to lead the way in missionary outreach, especially to the Muslim world.”

The Hispanic mission force is growing. Operation World reports 346 Latin mission agencies and 10,192 missionaries with 3,837 serving abroad. Latin missionaries are especially effective in reaching Muslims. They blend easily with Arabic people, are experienced in dealing with repressive governments and dominant religious authority, are accustomed to a modest life-style, and are more readily accepted by Muslim people than anyone from the US.

The next time you hear someone near you at Wal-Mart speaking Spanish, whisper a prayer of thanksgiving for the way God is working through this growing community. Pray that the Hispanic church may grow and become an influence in spreading the gospel around the world.

Ron Blue is international mobilizer for CAM International.