Building Bridges: Puerto Rican Baptist youth step up to become next-generation leaders amid clergy crisis
VALLEY FORGE, PA (08/09/2024)—After a string of hurricanes that have hit Puerto Rico in the last seven years (with Hurricane Maria being by far the deadliest), earthquakes and the COVID-19 pandemic, Puerto Rican clergy are exhausted. Carrying the weight of these crises, many have resigned or retired due to severe burnout. According to Iglesias Bautistas de Puerto Rico (IBPR), 26 percent of Puerto Rican Baptist churches are currently undergoing pastoral searches, and positions are hard to fill.
The ranks of Baptist clergy on the island clearly need reinforcements. Meanwhile, Unión de Jóvenes Bautistas de Puerto Rico (UJBPR, the Union of Baptist Youth of Puerto Rico) has found that young people (Millennials and Generation Z) are seeking meaningful experiences to help them find God through service rather than by sitting in a church pew.
To address these needs and advance a goal of the joint American Baptist Home Mission Societies (ABHSM)-American Baptist Churches USA (ABCUSA) initiative “Rebuilding, Restoring, Renewing Puerto Rico” to create sustainable volunteer programs and partnerships within and beyond Puerto Rico, ABHMS has partnered with IBPR and UJBPR to launch Building Bridges, an ambitious three-year program that invests in young people who may be called to serve one day.
Members of the first cohort of ABHMS’ Building Bridges program participate in an ecumenical immersion experience at Iglesia Luterana San Marcos in Puerto Rico, May 2024. Pictured left to right are Alexandra Paris, Jeremy Villoch, Mildred Perez Pizarro, Damarys Auli, Rev. Gabriel Nanco, Martha L. Silva, Rev. Abigail Medina Betancourt, Terry Lastra, Coralys Santos, Daniel Santos and Analis Torres. Photo courtesy of Alexis J. Miranda Perez
The Building Bridges curriculum includes intercultural training (crucial in today’s globalized world), missionary immersion experiences, and an opportunity to develop youth leadership skills through continuing education provided by ABHMS, IBPR and UJBPR. “The project is a great approach to give Puerto Rican Millennials and Generation Z an intercultural experience that fosters spiritual growth,” said the Rev. Abigaíl Medina Betancourt, ABHMS’ national coordinator for Intercultural Engagement.
In December 2023, the program welcomed a cohort of eight Puerto Ricans aged 18-35 who are leaders in their churches, communities or Baptist youth organizations. Coming from rural and urban locations and various socioeconomic backgrounds, they have brought a richness of perspectives to the project. They are assisted by two spiritual leaders: Medina Betancourt and facilitator Damarys Aulí from IBPR.
The cohort will complete 60 hours of faith formation and intercultural discipleship experiences. They will also have an opportunity to apply the values of cultural competency in a ministry context through a three-day immersion experience in Puerto Rico and a one-week immersion experience at the Eloheh Indigenous Center for Earth Justice in Oregon, a longtime ABHMS ministry partner.
Expressing her deep appreciation of the program and opportunities it represents, participant Coralys Santos said: “Building Bridges has become a space for me to put my anthropological knowledge into practice and to enrich and strengthen my faith through missionary work. I have a pastoral calling, and as part of my learning and growth process within the ministry, Building Bridges has provided new knowledge and experiences that add value to my formation as a leader and pre-ministerial candidate.”
She was joined by colleague Alondra Liz Perez Menendez, who said: “My aim is to be able to reach more generations of believers. Hopefully, they become interested in the work that is laid out for us as believers and followers of Jesus. There is much to learn in this type of program; we can set an example wherever we go. I often think about the water that the Samaritan woman offered Jesus at the well. There are many of us who go out joyfully to tell others the good news. I hope that the program can reach other people because it is vital that we continue building bridges regardless of the limitations that we have. We must carry a message of hope. We need each other, and even if we do not believe in the same thing, we can live together and relate to each other. In the end, the Holy Spirit is the one that moves and touches lives.”
By 2027, UJBPR and IBPR will have sole ownership of the Building Bridges program and be able to replicate it to support even more intergenerational faith leaders in Puerto Rico. “If we do not address the issue of intergenerational leadership development that appeals to emerging leaders, IBPR will have a leadership void in the next ten years,” said Medina Betancourt.
ABHMS’ Intercultural Ministries is heavily invested in the success of Building Bridges and otherwise champions interculturalism within the American Baptist denomination. To learn more about this commitment, visit us here. You may also be interested in our Intercultural Leadership Institute. To learn more or become involved, visit us here.
ABHMS also offers a certificate course on intercultural competency through the ABHMS Center for Continuous Learning. In a world of increasing racial-ethnic diversity and sometimes challenging cultural clashes, Intercultural Competency 101 lays a foundation for building lasting bridges that enrich the church and empower God’s people for transformation. Visit us here to learn more and enroll.
By Rev. Dr. Anna Piela, senior writer at ABHMS and associate editor of The Christian Citizen
A Spanish translation of this mission story is available here.
