MTW South Central hub director Jerry Gibson recently asked Rev. Victor Martinez, associate pastor at Redeemer Presbyterian Church in San Antonio, Texas, and board member of the PCA’s Hispanic Leadership Initiative, about his perspective on diversity and the 1% Challenge.

Q. Why is diversity important to Redeemer?

A. San Antonio is 64% Hispanic. Beyond demographics, San Antonio is thoroughly Hispanic in almost every way. Our city also hosts the largest Martin Luther King, Jr. march in the nation! It boasts 250,000 participants every year. It’d be hard for any church to claim that they have a significant ministry to the city if that church isn’t serious about diversity.

Q. Why is MTW’s desire for diversity important?

A. If we are not putting diversity and missions together we will not reach the world. Our churches, locally and globally, will be more beautiful with diversity. We will be better able to speak and boast in the gospel of God’s grace. Our richness would be evident culturally, theologically, in worship, and in service.

Q. What are some of the things Redeemer is doing to help raise up diverse missionaries?

A. Redeemer is partnering with MTW’s Northern Mexico Team in Monterrey. I’ve gone to Monterrey, Tampico, and Laredo, Texas, to teach church planters. Redeemer has invited leaders of the Church Planting Institute in Monterrey to come and sit down with us to discuss the next step in partnering to plant more churches. We believe this partnership will spill over in fruits of grace across the border to bless God’s Church on the Texas side.

We need to continue building up Latino brothers in our churches so they can develop leaders. Redeemer has 15 men going through Third Millennium Ministries for theological training. If we are praying and we have a vision for it, some of these men will be called to serve overseas.

Q. What would you say to encourage more churches to take up the 1% Challenge? 

A. I would encourage churches and presbyteries to share stories of grace about the power of the call to missions and how God uses missionaries abroad. Enlist elders who will take the lead in praying that God would raise up an additional 1%, of all ethnicities, and make sure that this spills out into their churches. The 1% vision of raising up more missionaries combined with the vision for diversity will help the Church become a true reflection of the image of God, with a heart committed to His global mission.

Help your church encourage diversity in missions. Contact Barbara D. Jones at [email protected] to get started.