
Nelson Morales Fredes in Guatemala
In particular, pray for SETECA’s post-pandemic challenges and opportunities, that we may be sensitive to the Holy Spirit’s guidance in service to the Latin American Church and beyond.
read moreEach week, our prayer community of ~700 intercedes for a Christian Majority World leader. If you join, you will receive an email that contains an introduction to that leader's work and home country, followed by a personal message from the leader with prayer requests.
Latin America comprises 20 countries and 14 territories, including Mexico, the Caribbean, and Central and South America. As a result of European colonization, national languages include Spanish, Portuguese, French, and English.
Politically, many Latin American countries have stabilized as civil wars and authoritarian regimes have given way to more democratic governments, though Venezuela and Cuba continue to struggle. Various reform efforts target corruption, violence, and poverty, but drug and gang wars persist in many nations. In recent years, over half a million have fled violence, poverty, extortion, and political turmoil in El Salvador, Guatemala, Honduras, and Nicaragua.
Although many Latin American countries have enjoyed economic progress over the past decades, the COVID-19 pandemic and war in Ukraine have exacerbated the region’s wealth gap. Over one-third of the region’s 600 million people live in poverty, with over 13% facing extreme poverty, defined as living on less than $1.90 daily. Poverty, unemployment, and educational declines have impacted indigenous and Afro-descendent populations at higher rates.
In Latin America, Roman Catholicism dominates the religious landscape, but Protestants, especially Evangelicals and Pentecostals, continue to grow in number and now represent nearly 20% of the region’s population. In the 1960s, liberation theology developed in Latin America as a response to government oppression and economic exploitation. The movement has focused on social justice but has faced criticism for deemphasizing personal salvation. Among Evangelicals, a theology of holistic or integral mission developed decades later, uniting faith in the efficacy of the cross with advocacy for the poor and marginalized. Led by theologians such as Samuel Escobar and René Padilla, the movement continues to influence the Church through the work of the Fraternidad Teológica Latinoamericana.
As part of the Vital Sustainability Initiative, ScholarLeaders has completed strategic planning with Fundación Universitaria Seminario Bíblico de Colombia (FUSBC). Ongoing and planned work in the region includes engagement with Servant of Christ Seminary in Brazil, Seminario Teológico Centroamericano (SETECA) in Guatemala, and Seminario Sudamericano (SEMISUD) in Ecuador. Through Leader Studies, ScholarLeaders has supported 29 Latin American leaders in their PhD research, including nine currently.
Learn about the perspectives and ministries of Latin American Christian leaders through these Global Insights:
Please join us in prayer for our sisters and brothers in Latin America. Pray for bold pastoral leadership, deepening Christian discipleship, and wise theological voices that can address justice issues with Christ’s grace and truth. Pray for vulnerable neighbors in need of protection, provision, and hope in Christ.
Photo: “Medellín, Colombia” (2019) by Kobby Mendez (Unsplash)
In particular, pray for SETECA’s post-pandemic challenges and opportunities, that we may be sensitive to the Holy Spirit’s guidance in service to the Latin American Church and beyond.
read moreWe ask for prayer that measures are provided for elementary and middle school students to feel safe in their educational institutions, as they have already suffered so much during the pandemic period with online classes.
read moreWe ask for prayer that measures are provided for elementary and middle school students to feel safe in their educational institutions, as they have already suffered so much during the pandemic period with online classes.
read moreAs an innovative and contextual community, CETI commits to doing theology from life in order to nurture holistic, authentic, and transformative ways of living out God’s kingdom and justice in Latin American contexts.
read moreIn our local church, we give great importance to helping people get proper education and to sharing with members all we have received in our theological formation. We ask your prayers as we continue to bless people’s lives through teaching.
read morePray that I can continue to serve at the Middle East and North Africa Association for Theological Education (MENATE) faithfully and with passion.
read morePlease pray that God would place a genuine burden on the hearts of Christians worldwide to support the work of God in Muslim-majority countries, both theologically and financially.
read moreOur celebrations of Easter, and our eating and drinking to mark the occasion, look forward to the day when we will all gather at the great Marriage Supper of the Lamb (Rev. 19:9).
read moreMy prayer is to be able to witness real change in education in the Church in Egypt and to witness a new generation of church leaders rising up, so that our youth today would be our Church’s future.
read morePray for the economic situation in Egypt, especially as a large number of Egyptian families live under the poverty line.
read morePray for opportunities to expand my ministry horizons, in the areas of inter-religious and cross-cultural dialogue, according to my specializations.
read morePray for opportunities to expand my ministry horizons, in the areas of inter-religious and cross-cultural dialogue, according to my specializations.
read moreWe have witnessed heartbreaking bloodshed and turmoil. Yet, amid a vicious, seemingly endless cycle of violence, a candle of hope remains lit.
read moreWe have a little unregistered Bible college affiliated with our church. We need to hear from the Father regarding what He wants us to do with it, whether to register it or have it become part of another registered institution.
read moreLast year was quite difficult for me, mainly because of the economic recession and the rise of fuel prices – a very bad combination for workers in the transport sector like me.
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