Latin America
We started more than five years ago to establish relationships with leaders of different churches in Mexico City … The idea was that in a very organic way we can start this relationship with these leaders of the city and share with them the vision that we have: the vision for a gospel movement to take place in our city … So we’re very excited about what is going on ... I think we are at the right moment to set up everything that is needed to launch the hub city project in Mexico City.
︎VICTOR CRUZ, Church Planter and Network Leader, Mexico City
Regional Affiliates
CTC LATIN AMERICA
CTC Latin America (CTCLATAM) experienced a year requiring a great deal of adaptation and agility as they sought to respond to the needs of church planters and leaders. The CTCLATAM team identified that leaders needed to be better equipped in the face of crisis personally and as they cared for the needs of their congregations. They were able to develop a new program seeking to speak to those challenges and adapt existing church planter training to be more accessible virtually and to speak to the current crisis. CTCLATAM also continues to be at the forefront of facilitating collaboration among organizations across the region through the Continental Alliance and more locally in the Mexico City hub city efforts. It is so exciting to see this collaboration in a culture where ministries tend to stay extremely siloed. All glory to God!
Hub City
MEXICO CITY
Over the last five years, CTCLATAM has laid a strong foundation for a gospel-centered movement in Mexico City by investing in local churches and leaders. The Strategic Alliance for Mexico City (The Alliance) was formed as a result of these efforts and launched Mexico City as a hub city. The Alliance is a coalition of 15 churches, urban ministries and faith-based organizations that plant new churches, renew existing churches and serve the city through city-wide initiatives. Their collective goal is to see Mexico City transformed socially, culturally and spiritually by a movement of the gospel facilitated through the work of gospel-centered churches, organizations and city ministries.
A central concept in all that we have experienced in the formation of hub cities was the concept of radical generosity … This generosity ... to which we are awakened through the gospel, is one of the fundamental things that we intentionally wanted to permeate all our life at the Strategic Alliance, at our local church, and also the dream of this hub city [Mexico City] … We believe that this concept of radical generosity is a mark that will definitely shape the way churches can live together, can relate to each other, and to leave our own kingdom, to start building and just start getting involved with the kingdom of God, and what God is already doing in the city.
︎ ZURIEL RANGEL, Church Planter, Mexico City
Training & Coaching
COACH TRAINING
After being trained by RCTC as a coach in 2019, church planter Danillo Scarpelli of Santiago became the Coaching Coordinator for CTCLATAM. With Danillo as a co-trainer, RCTC and CTCLATAM were able to train 15 coaches in October of 2020 through Zoom and 21 more in April of 2021. Under Danillo’s leadership, 20 coaches will be trained in San Paulo this fall.
NEW STRATEGIES
2020 was the year for Brazilian leaders to start thinking about transdenominational training and strategies to transform their cities. CTCLATAM connected a group of 25 leaders in São Paulo and a group of 24 in Rio de Janeiro. These leaders are excited about working together to plant churches and start ecosystems and networks in these two cities.
NEW PROGRAMS
CTCLATAM launched two new programs for church planters: Induction and Redemptive Path. The Induction program consists of seven modules of online training focused on the centrality of the gospel and mission-minded work to develop gospel ecosystems. This new program had an enrollment of 150 new church planters. The Redemptive Path meets every two weeks to facilitate deeper reflection into the lives of the planters, including their challenges and opportunities.
Faith & Work
GREATER IMPACT
CTCLATAM recently determined that faith and work is the key to unlocking a missional focus for city impact in their churches. In the last year, they have sent 15 leaders to be trained by GFWI through the faith and work online Intensive. They now have 55 pastors and ministry leaders, from Mexico, Colombia, Argentina, Peru, Chile, Brazil, Ecuador, Uruguay and Argentina, attending bimonthly meetings online for faith and work training. These leaders are equipped with theology, practical application tools and translated resources from GFWI to use in their contexts. GFWI is also using some of the materials developed by CTCLATAM to equip other ministries around the world. The ripple effect of their churches then equipping their laity has the potential to impact thousands of Latin American Christians.
INDUSTRY PRAYERS
In collaboration with CTCLATAM and four churches in the U.S., GFWI produced Prayers for Work: Industry Prayers for the Church and its People. In these prayers, Christians explore the innate goodness and brokenness in their industry and how God is using that work field for his glory in the world.
Latin America is a huge region … In order to develop ecosystems of the gospel in every [city] and to train church planters, to train trainers and to train coaches, we are [forming] what we call the Strategic Alliance for all Latin America … So this is the first time that institutions like Mission to the World, Acts 29 and CTC are gathering together to really work together and to share resources to see the kingdom of God growing. A great example is in Lima, Peru. South American Mission and CTC are working together, forming the ecosystem called the Lima Initiative that is planting around 12 churches right now and training more than 60 leaders. And this is only because we are connecting and interconnecting resources to work together and to have this vision together for the city.
︎ ANDRES GARZA, Executive Director CTCLATAM
Metrics
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782
7,400
782
7,400
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CHURCHES PLANTED
LEADERS TRAINED
LEADERS IMPACTED
LEADERS TRAINED
LEADERS IMPACTED