I’ve spent the last couple weeks considering what the Bible says about the believer’s responsibility to give and receive rebuke in their relationships with fellow Christians. We took a look at how important this ministry of confrontation, of rebuke, was to the Apostle Paul in his own ministry. He was no stranger to this, because he knew of the benefit it would be to his brothers and sisters. We also spent some time looking at three aspects of the ministry of rebuke among Christians: we saw (1) the need to responsibly and lovingly give rebuke when it will benefit our brothers and sisters; (2) the need to humbly and wisely receive rebuke ourselves; and (3) the need to even pursue correction and rebuke from our brothers and sisters, as they may see sin in our lives that we don’t clearly see.

Then I asked, “Why?” What’s the point for all of this rebuke? What’s the purpose, the end goal, the result, the motivation to admonish each other? That’s what I want to wrap up with today.

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Yesterday we looked at two different approaches to starting a Spanish ministry in your church. Depending on your end-game, you need to plan accordingly (Cf. Lk. 14:28-30). For example, if you believe in complete separation, you’ll want to start a Spanish service at a different time than your English service so that Sunday School teachers can be trained independently. If you believe in complete integration, you’ll need to invest in the technology needed to get headphones for one language group, or think about how back and forth translation is going to flesh itself out in reality. If you believe in a balanced position as I have suggested, where both language groups are part of the same body, but ministered to in different rooms, here are a few practical steps to getting started:

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In the United States, churches frequently start Spanish language services or ministries, only to find that those attempts often fail and end up alienating the Spanish community. The end result can be a step back for the gospel, and this leads to frustration for pastors who had nothing but good intentions.

Perhaps the most common reason for this is a failure to plan for the end game of the ministry. There is often a desire to “do something” to reach the Spanish speaking community, but the leadership of the church–in their desire to “do something”–often fails to plan for the long haul. Evangelizing is wonderful, and is certainly better than nothing, but if God grants salvation, then what? Proper consideration for how to adequately structure the ministry and how it will relate to the English church is essential.

There are two extremes in having a church with two different languages: integration or separation. Continue Reading…

I am convinced that in order to effectively implement the Great Commission, most American churches need to have a Spanish Ministry. While I could use demographic statistics to illustrate the need for this kind of ministry, it’s probably easier and more effective to simply encourage pastors to open their eyes, perhaps drive through that part of town that they normally avoid, and develop a burden for those who live next to them, but don’t speak English. Though this article is specifically directed toward churches in the USA with large Spanish speaking populations in their neighborhoods, the principles apply to any church in any country in any town where more than one language is spoken.

However, before we can effectively plan how to minister to others, first we need to prepare our own souls.

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