Connecting Hispanic Communities to Christ
As one of the fastest-growing populations in the country—with projections expecting Hispanics to constitute more than 27 percent of the American population by 2060—the need for culturally relevant resources for Gospel outreach has never been greater. Hispanics are our friends, co-workers, neighbors, and family members. About half of those who identify as Hispanic in the United States today speak Spanish primarily. The Hispanic culture is deeply relational, using a variety of means to grow and extend their communities and stay connected. For Lutheran Hour Ministries, that means that digital pathways for nurturing faith and sharing the Gospel with Hispanics abound.
Celebrating a Century of Hispanic Ministry at the Hispanic National Convention
The Lutheran Church—Missouri Synod (LCMS) celebrated 100 years of Hispanic ministry in the United States at the 2026 VIII LCMS Hispanic National Convention. More than 250 leaders from across the United States gathered at the convention, which took place this year from July 28 to 31 at Concordia University Irvine in Irvine, California.
This national convention takes place every three years and is the principal national gathering of LCMS congregations and ministers who are engaged in Hispanic ministry in the United States. The main objective is for pastors, deaconesses, other leaders, and church members and families to gather and strengthen our collaborative work together.
LHM was one of the main sponsors of the convention, and staff in attendance included Sarah Willis, chief marketing & engagement officer; Rev. Dr. Chad Lakies, vice president of ministry engagement; Rev. Nilo Figur, LHM Latin America director; and Rev. Germán Novelli, LHM Hispanic ministry director, and members of his team.
During the convention, attendees had the opportunity to hear a presentation about the Vivenciar.net program given by Flavio Knopp, international director of Vivenciar.net, and Katherine Sanabria, our U.S. Vivenciar coordinator.
For eight years, the Vivenciar.net program has been offering spiritual companionship through digital means to people 18 years old and older. “The next step of Vivenciar is to recruit and train Hispanic leaders from the United States (generally from four designated areas: California, Texas, Florida, and the Midwest), who will be responsible for serving people through this program,” says Novelli.
LHM hosted the banquet gala that closed the gathering on Thursday, July 30, where staff shared a short documentary-style film created about the life and legacy of the Rev. Dr. Andrés Meléndez, the first Spanish Speaker of The Lutheran Hour. Watch this video at lhm.org/hispanicministry.
“You can’t tell the story of Latino ministries in the United States and beyond without talking about the positive influence of Dr. Meléndez,” says Novelli. “He truly was a champion of the proclamation of the Gospel through mass media channels and was also a pioneer of ministering to Hispanics and doing church planting across the nation.”
The gala ended with some words from deaconess Noemí Guerra, host of LHM’s podcast, Sentido Latino. The podcast is now on YouTube, and its channel already has more than 90,000 subscribers since launching on this platform last summer, becoming one of the most popular Lutheran podcasts in the world.
The Evolution of LHM’s Hispanic Ministries
At LHM, Hispanic ministry has always been more than simply translating materials written for English-speaking audiences into Spanish. As a mass media Gospel outreach organization, LHM is committed to reaching this rapidly growing audience with the Good News of the Gospel.
Since 1941, LHM has produced Spanish-language Gospel programming designed to reach Hispanic audiences both in the United States and abroad.
Meléndez, a native of Puerto Rico, was named Spanish Lutheran Hour Speaker in 1941, and for the succeeding 31 years his voice was heard throughout Latin America, Spain, and cities in the United States with Spanish-language radio stations. The messages Meléndez delivered on the Spanish Lutheran Hour urged its listeners to be sensitive to God’s mission. While Meléndez spoke in a different language to people of a different culture, the call of Christ remained the same and opened additional doors for the use of radio as LHM’s ministry expanded around the world.
Today’s Hispanics are digital-first, so they can be reached across all social media platforms and channels. They are hungry for resources that bring them hope and courage in today’s challenging times, and they long for good family relationships, but they don’t always know how to foster or encourage them. While some older Latinos may not know how to access our digital content, Hispanics are often hesitant to ask for help, so resources quickly accessible from home are very attractive to them. Religion—or the practice of—is a private matter for many, so meaningful interactions that may spark conversations about Jesus usually take time.
“We have seen an exponential growth of Hispanic ministry in our country,” says Novelli. “There are more than 150 Lutheran congregations/missions serving Latinos in the United States, and our work at LHM is focused on supporting them and helping them to keep growing, so more and more people can hear about Jesus and His Gospel message.”
Through Bible-based teaching, sermons, videos, devotionals, community outreach efforts, and a highly successful Spanish-language podcast, LHM is dedicated to developing programs and content made for Hispanics by Hispanics.