In November 2025, members from WELS congregations in Texas and Florida gathered at Christ, Denver, Colo., for a Spanish Outreach Intensive—an event designed to help churches reach their Spanish-speaking neighbors using local members and Academia Cristo resources.

In the past, Academia Cristo, a WELS World Missions ministry that helps Spanish speakers learn God’s Word and share it with others, was mainly used outside the US. The One Latin America Team is working to incorporate it in the US as well. Congregations that participated at the first Spanish Outreach Intensive each already have Academia Cristo students but no pastor-led Spanish ministry. Ministry teams—pastors and lay leaders, Spanish speakers and non-Spanish speakers—attended.

Leaders from Academia Cristo as well as Paul Biedenbender, pastor at Christ, Denver, a congregation with a thriving Spanish-speaking ministry, presented on how Academia Cristo’s training program works as well as conveyed tips and ideas for setting up a Spanish-speaking ministry.

“I shared a lot of my experiences in reaching out to our Spanish-speaking community, some cultural realities, and important things to be aware of as new neighbors come into your building,” says Biedenbender. “We shared ideas on how to connect with your neighbors: where to meet them and how to interact with them.”

The intensive also provided time for attendees to put together and present ministry plans to each other, connecting them through the shared goal and objective of spreading God’s peace to Spanish speakers.

Nathan Buege, pastor at Victory of the Lamb, Katy, Texas, attended the intensive along with two of his Spanish-speaking members, Hector Medellin and Karla Begnaud. Medellin and Begnaud started taking Academia Cristo courses three years ago after Buege contacted them about the opportunity. They have slowly been incorporating Spanish into their congregation’s ministry, including having Medellin read Scripture in Spanish during worship and lead a Spanish Bible study alongside the congregation’s Sunday study in English.

“We’re trying to sprinkle in some new ministry at our church for Spanish speakers, while also wanting to stay inclusive to those who have a different first language than English or Spanish,” says Buege, while sharing that this congregation on the west side of Houston has more than ten nationalities represented in its membership.

Having dedicated time to think through an 18-month plan was a highlight for Buege, Medellin, and Begnaud. Their plan includes starting a woman’s Bible study in Spanish (led by Begnaud) and incorporating more Hispanic cultural activities into the congregation’s ministry. “It was really nice to see everybody else present their plan because then you get some good ideas on what other churches are doing,” says Begnaud. “We learned a lot. We made a good connection with different people, and we even had some fun. So it was a great experience and something that will be close to my heart forever.”

An added bonus was the opportunity for the group to attend Spanish worship at Christ, Denver, following the intensive. “Karla and I have never been to a worship service in Spanish, and we were kind of choked up in the middle of it,” says Medellin. “It was very emotional.”

That sparked another initiative—working with other WELS churches in the greater Houston area to start a quarterly Spanish-speaking worship service.

Planners of the Spanish Outreach Intensive are looking to hold the next gathering later this year. This initiative is funded through the WELS Joint Mission Council.

Learn more about the beginning of Victory of the Lamb’s Hispanic outreach efforts.

Featured photo at top shows members from Good Shepherd, Deltona, Fla., at the Spanish Outreach Intensive working on their 18-month ministry plan, which included organizing a full-year calendar of events, starting Casa Culto (house worship) in the next year, and looking toward Spanish or bilingual worship.

Volume 113, Number 04
Issue: April 2026