Sojourner 063: Why The American Church Can't Ignore Hispanic Ministry

"We were ready to share with you not only the gospel of God but also our own selves, because you had become very dear to us." (1 Thessalonians 2:8, ESV)

Sojourners & Exiles: Why The American Church Can’t Ignore Hispanic Ministry

God, in His providence, is bringing the nations to our neighborhoods. Among them are millions of Hispanic men, women, and children - some citizens, others visa holders, some undocumented. They are not statistics. They are real people, made in God’s image, living in the tension of hope and fear. And many are within reach of the local church.

The questions before the church are not primarily political or cultural, they are theological. Will we love these neighbors as Christ has loved us? Will we live out the gospel’s call to break down every dividing wall and welcome the stranger without reservation for the purposes of the kingdom going out from us?

For too long, fear, legal complexities, and cultural biases have kept the church from faithful ministry. But the gospel does not allow us to withhold the table or to practice selective hospitality. In Galatians 2, Paul rebukes Peter for doing exactly that, failing to live in step with the gospel. Our call is clear: walk in step with the truth of Christ’s reconciling work, even when it costs us comfort or reputation.

This article addresses the barriers that hinder Hispanic ministry and offers a biblical model rooted in gospel faithfulness. The church must proclaim Christ clearly, serve with humility, and share life sacrificially. This is not optional. It is necessary if the church is to bear faithful witness to the gospel in our neighborhoods today.

We Must Not Withhold the Table

In Galatians 2, Paul confronts Peter publicly, not because Peter had preached a false gospel with his lips, but because his actions contradicted the gospel truth he professed. Peter had been eating with Gentile believers in Antioch, fully participating in the new, unified life of the church where Jew and Gentile were one in Christ. But when certain men came from James, representing the pressure to conform to the old covenant customs, Peter withdrew. He separated himself. He allowed fear of human opinion to govern his behavior rather than the truth of the gospel.

This was not simply a social misstep or a minor cultural faux pas. It was a theological betrayal. Peter’s refusal to eat with Gentile brothers and sisters was a denial of the very grace that called him out of legalism into freedom. It was a failure to live out the gospel of justification by faith alone, which breaks down every dividing wall (Ephesians 2:14).

Paul’s assessment is direct:

“Their conduct was not in step with the truth of the gospel.” (Galatians 2:14)

That phrase should strike us like a hammer. Peter had not ceased preaching the gospel publicly, but his conduct, his actions and choices, told a different story. They communicated a gospel of division, of judgment, of conditional fellowship. Paul rightly calls this hypocrisy: professing grace while practicing exclusion. It is a denial of the gospel’s power and truth.

This caution is deeply personal and profoundly relevant. It is entirely possible for us to stand in the pulpit on Sunday, preaching justification by faith, only to deny that same gospel Monday through silence, avoidance, suspicion, or selective hospitality. Whenever we withhold fellowship, whether out of fear, social pressure, political concerns, or mere indifference, we echo Peter’s failure. We step out of line with the gospel we claim to believe.

The gospel is radical and reconciling because Christ did not wait for us to meet any human standard before drawing near to us. He did not withhold salvation because we lacked the right credentials or cultural fluency. While we were still sinners, Christ died for us (Romans 5:8). He came to bring near those who were far off, not only from the Law, but from God Himself. The gospel tears down walls and breaks down barriers that no earthly law or custom can justify maintaining.

So what excuse do we have for holding others at arm’s length because of their legal status, accent, or cultural background? What justification can stand before the truth of God’s command to love our neighbor and to welcome the stranger (Leviticus 19:34; Matthew 25:35)? How can we claim the gospel’s power if we refuse to embody its reconciling work among those God places in our path?

If the gospel reconciles us to God and to one another, then we cannot preach reconciliation while practicing segregation. Not if we believe the gospel. Not if we understand the cross.

The cross calls us to costly unity, a unity that crosses cultural, social, and legal boundaries. It demands that we live in obedience to the gospel’s call to embrace those whom the world excludes. To preach Christ and crucify prejudice. To welcome without reservation. To walk in step with the truth of the gospel, even when it costs us comfort, reputation, or convenience.

Not a Denial of Law, But a Declaration of Grace

Let’s be clear: we are not advocating lawlessness. The church must never bless what God forbids, nor turn a blind eye to the legitimate role of government. Scripture calls us to submit to governing authorities, recognizing that they are instituted by God to uphold justice and restrain evil (Romans 13:1–7).

We should give thanks for those who serve in law enforcement and immigration work with integrity, patience, and courage, often carrying out difficult duties with little recognition. National borders are not unbiblical. Immigration laws, rightly applied, are not inherently unjust. There is nothing wrong with a nation enforcing its legal framework.

But the church is not the state. And it must not behave as though its mission is to mirror or reinforce the categories of civil government. We are not called to such things, rather we are His ambassadors (2 Cor. 5:20), entrusted with the ministry of reconciliation.

That does not mean we defy the law or encourage others to do so. It means we recognize that our highest calling is not to determine who belongs in a country, but to proclaim who belongs in the Kingdom.

There is a difference between honoring law and allowing it to harden our hearts. The church must learn to live and minister in the tension where grace meets truth, where justice and mercy walk together, and where the gospel speaks into the real, complicated lives of people who often don’t fit neatly into our categories.

Legal status may affect what someone can do in a nation, but it never affects their worth before God or their need for the gospel. Nor does it cancel the church’s responsibility to love, disciple, and walk with them.

Ministering in this space takes wisdom. It demands that we walk uprightly and soberly, honoring earthly authorities without letting fear or political pressures determine the boundaries of our fellowship. We do not pretend immigration issues are simple. But neither do we use their complexity as an excuse to stay uninvolved.

What’s Really in the Way?

Many Hispanic families, especially those with undocumented status, live under a quiet and constant fear: of being seen, misunderstood, reported, or torn from their children. They carry burdens of trauma, language barriers, legal confusion, unstable work, and deep mistrust. Some are barely surviving. And many, despite a longing for community and truth, keep their distance from the church, not because they’ve rejected Christ, but because they’re not sure if His people will welcome them. And to be honest, some won’t.

We need to be honest about this: within the visible church, there are still those who harbor racism, resentment, or deep-seated suspicion toward immigrants, especially Hispanic immigrants.

Whether inherited from culture, fueled by media, or wrapped in political language, these attitudes are not compatible with the gospel. They are sinful. Christ does not permit us to carry prejudice into His Kingdom. 

James speaks directly: “If you show partiality, you are committing sin and are convicted by the law as transgressors” (James 2:9). To withhold love or fellowship because of someone’s ethnicity, culture, or legal status is not only unjust, it is anti-Christ.

Some in the church may not be hateful, but they are still governed by fear or bias. Like Peter in Galatians 2, they draw back from table fellowship, not because of conviction, but because of pressure. Paul’s rebuke still stands: “Their conduct was not in step with the truth of the gospel.” (Gal. 2:14).

When we avoid people because they make us uncomfortable, when we keep silent in the face of injustice, when we let the opinions of others shape the boundaries of our love, we deny the very grace we claim to proclaim.

The cross of Christ tears down every dividing wall (Eph. 2:14). It binds together people from every tribe, tongue, and nation, not into categories of “us” and “them,” but into one new humanity. If we rebuild the walls Christ destroyed, walls of ethnicity, class, or cultural superiority, we reveal that we do not yet understand the gospel we preach.

Let it be said clearly: there is no room for racism in the household of God. No room for nativism. No room for cultural pride that forgets grace. “What do you have that you did not receive?” (1 Cor. 4:7). We were all once strangers to the covenants of promise (Eph. 2:12). If we are now seated at the table, it is only because Christ brought us near.

So let us not turn back to the world’s divisions. Let us not use political categories to draw ecclesial boundaries. Let us not let fear or familiarity blind us to the mission of God.

We cannot be ambassadors of Christ while clinging to the idols of our culture. And we cannot represent the heart of our Savior if we refuse to extend His welcome to all people.

The Shape of Faithful Ministry

Paul gives us a better model in 1 Thessalonians 2:8:

“We were ready to share with you not only the gospel of God but also our own selves, because you had become very dear to us.”

This is not the language of transactional ministry. It is the language of covenantal love. Paul’s gospel work was not limited to preaching sermons or distributing doctrine, it was the giving of himself. He labored, suffered, reasoned, wept, encouraged, corrected, and endured. He entered into the lives of the people, not only with the truth of God’s Word, but with the weight of his own life poured out for their sake.

This is the shape of true gospel ministry. Not distant professionalism. Not “hit-and-run” evangelism. Not a flurry of events or programs detached from real presence. Hispanic ministry in particular must resist the temptation to reduce people to language groups, cultural outreach categories, or social service recipients.

They are not a target demographic. They are people. Souls. Families. Neighbors. Image-bearers. And in Christ, they may become brothers and sisters, co-heirs, and fellow laborers in the harvest.

To share the gospel without sharing our lives is to short-circuit the mission. The message must be clear, yes, but it must also be embodied. It must come wrapped in presence, in discipleship, in long meals and hard conversations and real friendship. It means bearing burdens and showing up. It means being there when the paperwork doesn’t go through, when the rent is short, when a child ends up in the hospital, or when someone finally opens their Bible in their heart language and sees Christ with new eyes.

This is not easy. But it is necessary. Gospel ministry is not sterile. It is not clean and convenient. It always costs something. That is what makes it Christlike.

If we are unwilling to share our lives, we are not yet ready to share the gospel. But if we are ready to lay ourselves down, our comforts, our preferences, our control, then we are walking in the pattern of our Lord, who came not to be served, but to serve, and to give His life as a ransom for many (Mark 10:45).

This is what Hispanic ministry must become: not merely content delivery, but life-sharing discipleship. Not programmatic charity, but gospel-soaked presence. Not a task for a few volunteers, but the work of the whole church, grounded in the love of Christ and sustained by the Spirit of God.

Four Ways the Church Can Walk in Step with the Truth of the Gospel

If we are to walk in step with the truth of the gospel, as Paul commands in Galatians 2:14, our approach to Hispanic ministry cannot be casual or reactive. It must be grounded in sound doctrine, shaped by the character of Christ, and lived out authentically within the local church.

In a world fractured by fear, division, and suspicion, these four commitments offer a biblical framework for faithful ministry that reflects the gospel’s power to reconcile and unite.

1. Create a Culture of Welcome Without Compromise

The reality of immigration law and civil authority weighs heavily in our context. The Scriptures are clear: governing authorities are established by God to maintain order and justice, and believers are called to submit to them (Romans 13:1–7). The church must never promote lawlessness, nor dismiss the role of government in protecting society.

Yet, the church is not merely a social institution or an extension of the state. It belongs to the Kingdom of Christ, a kingdom that transcends every earthly border and political system. Our ultimate allegiance is to King Jesus, who rules over every nation and people (Psalm 2:8; Revelation 11:15). As such, our ministry and welcome must flow from His gospel, which breaks down walls of division and builds a new humanity in Himself (Ephesians 2:14–16).

In the Old Testament, God commanded His people, Israel, to love the ger (גֵּר), the sojourner or foreign resident, instructing them to treat the stranger “as the native among you” (Leviticus 19:34). This wasn’t a mere suggestion or an optional act of kindness; it was covenantal obedience deeply rooted in God’s character of justice and steadfast love. Israel was called to remember that they themselves had once been strangers in Egypt, redeemed by God’s mighty hand (Deuteronomy 10:19).

Christ perfectly fulfilled this Old Testament pattern by becoming the ultimate sojourner. ἐν σάρκι (Greek, en sarki, “in the flesh”) He took on human nature and dwelt among us (John 1:14). The Son of God left the glories of heaven to enter our broken world, to identify with the outsider and to reconcile those far off (Ephesians 2:13). His incarnation models for us how to embrace those who are strangers, outsiders, or marginalized.

Now, as the new Israel, the church, God calls us to embody this radical welcome. Paul commands believers: “Therefore welcome one another as Christ has welcomed you, for the glory of God” (Romans 15:7). This welcome must never be shallow or conditional. It cannot be limited to tolerance or surface-level politeness. It is a deep, covenantal welcome that seeks to build trust and community.

Such trust grows through honesty and dignity. The church must honor legal realities, recognizing the complex challenges that immigration laws bring. But it must not allow fear, suspicion, or political pressure to dictate who is included or excluded.

Our fellowship should be a sanctuary where people find biblical community not because of their citizenship status or documentation, but because they bear God’s image and are united in Christ by faith.

At the heart of this is a profound theological truth: the church must see people not as “aliens” in a negative sense but as image-bearers of God (tselem Elohim, צֶלֶם אֱלֹהִים), called to be one in Christ (Galatians 3:28). Our ultimate identity is not in papers, passports, or political categories, it is found in union with Christ and membership in His body.

This calls us to speak truth in love (Ephesians 4:15), walking faithfully within the law where possible, and loving courageously beyond it where the law fails to protect or where fear tempts us to exclude. It means the church should be a prophetic witness to both justice and mercy, refusing to shrink back or harden hearts.

The culture of Christ's welcome and kingdom hospitality is not built on naïve sentimentality but on the faithful, gospel-shaped love that moves us to risk, to sacrifice, and to embrace the stranger as neighbor - so that the gospel might be proclaimed.

2. Break the Language Barrier

Language often acts as a wall between people, creating division and misunderstanding. Yet, it also holds the power to become a bridge that connects hearts and builds community. The gospel does not erase cultural distinctives or force uniformity; rather, it unites diverse peoples under Christ, who “is all, and in all” (Colossians 3:11).

This profound unity in Christ transcends language, ethnicity, and nationality while honoring the distinctiveness God has given each people group.

The church must pursue this unity through intentional, practical means. This includes providing translation services, offering bilingual worship, and developing discipleship that respects and addresses cultural contexts. These efforts are vital because they demonstrate that the gospel is truly for every tongue and tribe (Revelation 7:9).

Beyond methods and programs, the church must cultivate the posture of ταπεινοφροσύνη (tapeinophrosyne), a Greek word meaning humility or a gentle, humble attitude. This humility is more than just politeness, it is a Christlike disposition that compels us to listen patiently and attentively before speaking. It urges us to learn names, hear stories, and enter into the lived experiences of others with empathy and grace.

The apostle Paul exhorts believers to clothe themselves “with humility toward one another” (1 Peter 5:5) and to “count others more significant than yourselves” (Philippians 2:3). This spirit of humility creates space for genuine relationships to form across cultural divides, fostering long-suffering love that reflects the patience of Christ.

In adopting this posture, the church becomes a living picture of the gospel’s power to break down the walls that divide humanity. It shatters barriers of language, ethnicity, and nationality without erasing the beauty and richness of God’s diverse creation.

As we see in the early church at Pentecost (Acts 2), God’s Spirit enabled people from many languages to hear and understand the gospel clearly, a foretaste of the reconciled unity we are called to embody.

By embracing both the practical and the posture of humble listening and learning, the church shines as a beacon of reconciliation, displaying the kingdom where “there is neither Jew nor Greek… for you are all one in Christ Jesus” (Galatians 3:28).

3. Serve with Integrity and Mutuality

Ministry to Hispanic neighbors must include meeting tangible, practical needs, offering English as a Second Language (ESL) classes, helping with housing challenges, providing referrals for legal assistance, and addressing trauma through biblical counseling. These acts of kindness are important expressions of the gospel’s compassion.

However, gospel ministry is never merely about meeting needs or offering charity; it is about διάκονία (diakonia), a Greek word meaning humble, servant-hearted ministry that flows from the cross and seeks mutual edification.

The heart of diakonia is service marked by humility, self-giving love, and a recognition that ministry is a two-way street. The church serves, but also receives. Some Hispanic brothers and sisters bring with them a rich theological understanding, deeply shaped by experience and suffering. They often have a vibrant prayer life and strong family bonds that can enrich and strengthen the wider body of Christ.

Paul reminds the church in Corinth, “The parts of the body that seem weaker are indispensable” (1 Corinthians 12:22, ESV). These members are not merely recipients of aid but vital contributors to the health and mission of the church. Their faith, perseverance, and gifts are essential to the whole body functioning well, as the Spirit works these things in our lives.

A ministry that only pours out without receiving falls short of the gospel’s call to true unity and mutual love. Serving alongside one another, learning from one another’s strengths and struggles, and walking side by side in the journey of faith embody the fullness of the body of Christ (Ephesians 4:15–16).

In this reciprocal ministry, both servant and served grow in grace and maturity, reflecting the humility of Christ, who “though he was in the form of God, did not count equality with God a thing to be grasped, but emptied himself, by taking the form of a servant” (Philippians 2:6–7). The church’s diakonia is an incarnational witness, a visible expression of Christ’s love lived out within the context of the local community.

4. Proclaim the Gospel and Share Your Life

The gospel is not merely one good option among many; it is the only hope for eternal life. We proclaim salvation sola Scriptura (by Scripture alone), the living and active Word that reveals our sin and need for repentance (Hebrews 4:12; Romans 3:23).

This salvation is by sola gratia (grace alone), not by human merit or effort (Ephesians 2:8–9), and received through sola fide (faith alone), trusting fully in Christ’s finished work rather than our works (Romans 5:1; Galatians 2:16). 

We proclaim solus Christus (Christ alone) as the only Mediator and Savior, who bore our sins on the cross and rose victorious, offering new life (1 Timothy 2:5; 1 Corinthians 15:3–4). This grace is given soli Deo gloria (to God alone be the glory), that no flesh may boast (1 Corinthians 1:31).

And all of this is applied to our hearts sola Spiritus (by the Spirit alone), who regenerates, opens eyes to believe, and empowers us to live in obedience (John 16:8; Titus 3:5). Without this clear, biblically rooted gospel, social assistance, even when well-intentioned, is not true love but neglect of the soul’s deepest need.

Yet, proclaiming the gospel is never only about the spoken or written Word. It is also about the embodied life of ministry, the living demonstration of the gospel in flesh and blood. Paul models this in 1 Thessalonians 2:8: "We were ready to share not only the gospel of God but also our own selves."

This sharing of ourselves means offering our time, our homes, our tears and joys, our burdens and hopes. It means entering into enduring, sacrificial relationships marked by faithful presence.

A ministry that stops at programs or resources lacks the depth of Christlike love. It must be a gospel-soaked, long-suffering, faithful, and enduring presence - living life alongside others, and bearing their burdens as Paul instructs in Galatians 6:2, “Bear one another's burdens, and so fulfill the law of Christ.” It means rejoicing in their spiritual growth as members of one body (1 Corinthians 12:26).

This kind of ministry is costly and often uncomfortable, but it reflects the very heart of our Savior, who “came not to be served but to serve, and to give his life as a ransom for many” (Mark 10:45). Such presence declares the gospel not only in words but in deeds, drawing others into the life-transforming reality of Christ’s love made visible.

From Recipients to Co-Laborers

Our goal in Hispanic ministry is not mere inclusion, it is gospel transformation. We do not pursue representation as an end in itself, but redemption, discipleship, and fruitfulness in Christ and for His glory.

Our prayer is not only that Hispanic families would feel welcomed in our churches, but that they would be built up in the Word, equipped for every good work, and sent out in the power of the Spirit. And many already are.

Across the United States, Hispanic believers are planting churches, raising up pastors, reaching unreached peoples, serving with quiet strength, and strengthening the global body of Christ. They are not merely recipients of the mission, they are co-laborers in it. In many cases, they are taking the gospel to places and people that majority-culture churches are not.

This is how the gospel spreads: not by maintaining cultural norms, but by building one body with many members, joined and held together by Christ, who is the Head (Ephesians 4:16). The Great Commission is not fulfilled by one people group sending and the rest receiving, it is fulfilled when every tribe, tongue, and nation takes its place in the work, declaring the glory of the risen King.

The mission field is in your neighborhood. But if we are faithful, we will see what God has always done: calling strangers near, making exiles His own, and sending them out, not as burdens, but as ambassadors of His kingdom (2 Corinthians 5:20).

Let us not miss what God is doing. Let us make room at the table, not just for belonging, but for sending. And let us rejoice as the gospel takes root in unexpected places, because the power is not in us, but in Christ.

Sojourners Like Us

The church is not called to reflect the borders drawn by man but the heart of Christ, who loves without partiality and breaks down every dividing wall (Ephesians 2:14). We are all sojourners and exiles here, strangers just passing through (1 Peter 2:11). Our true citizenship is not found in any earthly nation but in heaven itself, where our Savior reigns forever (Philippians 3:20).

So while Hispanic brothers and sisters are here among us, whether temporarily or permanently, we bear a sacred responsibility. Our accountability is not to sentimentalism or fleeting political currents. It is not to nationalism or fear-driven division. It is to the gospel of Christ alone.

We must never forget that many of us were once strangers and outsiders ourselves. Scripture reminds us, “Such were some of you” (1 Corinthians 6:11; 1 Peter 2:10). We have been brought near by grace, not merit, welcomed into God’s family not by birthright, but by the blood of Christ.

This humbling truth guards us against pride, prejudice, and partiality. It calls us to receive others, not as foreigners or burdens, but as beloved members of the household of faith.

The gospel calls us to walk in step with it, to embody its power and grace in how we welcome, serve, and love. It calls us to open the table, not just with empty gestures but with genuine fellowship. To preach Christ clearly, boldly, and without compromise. And to offer our lives alongside Him, sharing in the sufferings and the joys of the gospel family.

We are all strangers in this world, but we are bound together by a hope that will not fade. Let us live like sojourners who know the road leads home, living with open hands and open hearts, ready to love as Christ loved us.

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About the Author(s):

This article was developed by a group of believers across the United States committed to faithfully engaging Hispanic ministry within the context of the local church. It reflects an ongoing conversation shaped by Scripture, prayer, repentance, and practical experience.

Together, this community seeks to encourage the church to walk in step with the gospel’s call to love, welcome, and disciple Hispanic neighbors, not as outsiders, but as fellow members of Christ’s body.

Editor’s Note:

We understand that this article will be viewed by many as a political statement. In some ways, it is, because living out the gospel not only challenges and engages with but transcends the political and cultural assumptions and preferences around us. Yet the gospel calls us to a higher loyalty, to a greater kingdom.

Above all, this article is a call to love our neighbors as Christ has loved us, regardless of their background or status. We pray readers will receive it in that spirit, centering Christ’s command above all partisan debate.

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