A Vision for the Gospel in Latin America

On June 22, 2019, City to City Miami finished a two-week Spanish and Portuguese Intensive (Intensivo) designed to train 24 pastors from Brazil, Cuba, the Dominican Republic, Miami, and Puerto Rico in urban church planting.

This regional Intensive, through a shared partnership between Redeemer City to City, CTC North America (CTC NA), and CTC Miami (CTC MIA), is one of the first North American Intensives hosted outside of New York City.

President of CTC MIA, Pastor Felipe Assis, stated what he hoped the attending planters received:

Felipe: Our hope is that these planters are better equipped not just to plant churches back in their hometowns, but that they would plant the right kind of churches: churches with a gospel-based DNA that brings the good news of Jesus to those who are spiritually lost, to the socially marginalized, and to the culture in general—all of this with a Kingdom-centered mindset and a spirit of collaboration. The more churches that share this DNA in a city or a region, the greater the hope for a movement of the gospel in that same city or region.

Pastor Francis M. of Gracious and Favored House Church in Santo Domingo, Dominican Republic shared:

Francis: This Intensive has been very beneficial for me, both personally as a pastor as well as for my church and the network of pastors I am serving in. I think that topics such as a city’s theology and the rediscovery of the gospel will help us present the gospel in a completely different way than we have done in the past and have closer proximity to the people we are serving. For me and the ministry I am serving in, this Intensive has had an enormous impact.

Jesse Carbo, Executive Director of CTC MIA, stated that:

Jesse: For some time, the relationships between Redeemer City to City and Latino movement leaders in Brazil, El Caribe, and the U.S. have been forming. The Intensivo was a culmination of those relationships as we facilitated a training for these key leaders in hopes that they will launch healthy gospel-saturated church planting movements in their cities.

Attending Pastor Ariel G. of Los Piños Nuevos Church in Camaguey, Cuba remarked:

Ariel: For me, this has been very beneficial to better understand the gospel and how it plays a role in my spiritual regeneration. It has also helped me understand how to apply the gospel in ways to better appreciate the city and the culture I serve in. The Intensive has helped me develop a more contextualized ministry, and at the same time, it will help me share with my fellow pastor brothers how I have learned to have a more effective ministry.

The Intensive has learning modules that address the specific needs of urban planters, including skills in thinking theologically about ministry and growth in the various areas of urban ministry. Church planters go through the program during the critical phase of launching their congregations. They get practical help on writing their action plan, the philosophy of ministry, crucial ministry development, preaching, and other topics. Ideally, this training is accompanied by coaching to encourage the planters to reach the maximum extent of their giftedness.

In November of 2018, City to City launched City to City North America (CTC NA). CTC NA is a trans-denominational, multi-ethnic fellowship of leaders, churches, and city networks working together to build movements of the gospel in cities.

CTC NA is learning from the last 18 years of Redeemer City to City’s work in New York City, as well as the global church represented by CTC Africa, Europe, Latin America, Asia, and the Middle East. The global church is a rich resource—and one the North American team has been encouraged to learn from as we build off the foundations they have been laying.

Please join them in praying for the pastors as they return home to their ministries. Pray for their families — for unity, for holiness of life, for wisdom, and for their marriages as they also follow God’s call.

For more information on City to City Miami, visit citytocitymiami.com.
For more information on City to City North America, visit citytocityna.com.