Investing in Leadership Strengthens Latino Outreach

Since 1999, The Duke Endowment has awarded 77 grants totaling nearly $3.4 million to support congregational, district and conference-wide Latino outreach.

Members of Christ Community United Methodist Church in Clayton, N.C., prepare baby baskets for young Latino neighbors.

Insights

These insights have helped shape recent grants from the Endowment in the area of Latino outreach through rural United Methodist churches in North Carolina. We invite others to use them as a starting point for their own efforts.

• Leadership is critical. Even though language barriers seem pressing, it's not enough to hire Spanish-speaking people and expect them to lead and nurture a congregation.
• It's important to create programs that develop new leaders who want to serve a Latino population. In 2008, the Endowment supported Duke Divinity School with a Course of Study for Spanish speakers, travel seminars to Mexico for students, and the initiation of a Hispanic House of Studies.
• Planning for the long-term helps develop a better, more focused approach. At some point, it might be best to stop "business as usual" and strategize for a plan that will sustain ministries over time.
• Sponsoring the annual Hispanic/Latino Convocations has helped provide a forum for the Endowment to meet Latino leaders and hear their concerns.

Impact

As the Endowment tries to focus on leadership development and coordinated outreach through the Hispanic House of Studies at Duke Divinity School, more strategic evaluations of Latino ministry grants will follow.

Contact Us

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Director of Rural Church
704.927.2251