The number of Spanish-speaking evangelicals is growing, in Wichita and across the U.S.

BY JOE RODRIGUEZ AND ICESS FERNANDEZ
The Wichita Eagle

When Milca Molina moved to Wichita from Los Angeles nearly 20 years ago, there were two evangelical churches in the city that had a predominantly Spanish-speaking congregation. Today, there are more than 15, according to Molina, who helped start one of them -- Iglesia Cristiana Nueva Jerusalem, 1650 S. Broadway. Molina serves as associate pastor of the church. Her husband is pastor. "We are reaching out to people," Molina said, "and the churches are growing." Take the Molinas' church, for example. Molina and her husband, Azarel, started the church 15 years ago, and it had fewer than 40 members.

The church now has a congregation of about 300 and is planning to soon purchase its first church building. It currently holds its worship services at the former Kansas Blue Print building.The boom among Hispanic evangelical Christians isn't limited to Wichita.Nationwide, there are now about 10 million Hispanic Protestants, according to the recent Hispanic Churches in American Public Life research project. That number has doubled during the past 10 years, according to the Rev. Samuel Rodriguez Jr., founder and president of the Sacramento, Calif.-based National Hispanic Christian Leadership Conference. The conference represents Hispanic evangelicals in the United States and Puerto Rico.

"This is the Protestant Reformation for Hispanics," Rodriguez said. The growth shouldn't be a surprise.Nationwide, the U.S. Hispanic population grew from 22.4 million in 1990 to an estimated 42.7 million in 2005, according to the U.S. Census Bureau.In Wichita, the population has also increased rapidly. According to 2005 bureau estimates, nearly 51,000 Hispanics lived in Wichita. That number has more than tripled since 1990, according to the bureau. Among all U.S. Hispanics, nearly 70 percent are Catholics. But a report on Hispanics and religion released earlier this year showed that half of Hispanic evangelicals came to the faith from other backgrounds and more than 80 percent of them are former Catholics.

That report -- conducted by the Washington, D.C.-based research groups Pew Hispanic Center and the Pew Forum on Religion and Public Life -- said that more than 80 percent of all Hispanic Christian converts cited a "desire for a more direct, personal experience with God" as a reason for their conversion. Few Hispanics -- only 7 percent -- said they left Catholicism because they were dissatisfied with the church's position on certain issues, the report said.

"They are saying, 'We like our Catholic faith. However, these evangelicals, they really have this going on with this personal relationship component,' " Rodriguez said. "'It has more animated services, it's more lively, it's more Hispanic.' " That's a style of worship that Wichitan Bernabe Perez enjoys."It's the way we worship the Lord, with the Latino flavor," said Perez, who grew up evangelical and attends Iglesia Cristiana Nueva Jerusalem.

"People are looking for something different in the way they can find God." Bishop Michael Jackels, of the Catholic Diocese of Wichita, said the diocese is aware of the Hispanic evangelical churches in the area. But he doesn't see that the Catholic church is in competition with other churches.Several churches within the diocese offer Spanish-language services, many of which are at capacity. In addition, Jackels said, some churches offer charismatic prayer groups for their members and use instruments such as drums and guitars in their Spanish services.

"I don't think it's 'we'll do this to compete with,' " Jackels said, "but rather, 'we'll offer this as a service to respond to a need or a desire.' " The Rev. Abraham Arevalos, pastor of Wichita's Iglesia Bautista Nueva Vida, said that while many Hispanic evangelical churches are growing, their relatively small size is another attraction.His church started five years ago with 35 people in the Sunday morning service. Today, 80 to 100 attend.

"Many are looking for an alternative," said Arevalos, who is president of the Alliance of Hispanic Churches, which serves the evangelical churches in Wichita. "Our churches are smaller, friendly, and people can find help there." And that size, he said, helps members find what they are looking for in an evangelical church."People want a personal relationship with God," he said.

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