One church, two languages and a lot of hope for many families

Faith comes by hearing, just like Romans 10:17 says. But hearing God is nearly impossible in one Arizona community because people with the same address often speak different languages. 

Buckeye, Arizona, has churches for English and Spanish speakers. But what’s a dual-language family to do? And how can one church engage two groups of people?

Arizona native Fernando Mejia says a Spanish-only church can have limitations in reaching everyone. Such a church leaves out second- and third-generation Hispanics who might only speak English. However, an English-only church doesn’t serve Spanish speakers who want to hear Christ’s message.

So Mejia, his wife, Nicole, and a core team are planting Social Church this fall as a dual-language congregation. That way, Hispanics will feel at home and benefit from deeper connections and Biblical teaching, regardless of their generation or heart language.

“A dual language ministry can effectively reach the entire family for Christ,” Mejia said.

God uniquely prepared the Mejia family for a dual-language ministry in the Converge Southwest region. They have attended college and worked in the United States and Mexico.

They completed a ministry training program in Charlotte, North Carolina, before moving back to Phoenix, where Fernando was born and raised. It was then, in the last few years, that he realized just how much demand there is for a dual-language church.

“There is a huge need for churches out here,” he said. 

Buckeye is one of the nation’s fastest-growing communities as people relocate there for work, school and sunshine. As that growth comes, the church has an opportunity to serve so many who come from dual-language homes.

Related: Converge Southwest churches in Arizona are partnering together

Life in a dual-language home of people from two generations generates a unique ministry opportunity with great potential for the kingdom, said Jim Eaton, Converge’s co-director of biblical diversity. Eaton was raised in South Asia and has 30 years of experience in intercultural ministry.

“The paradigm shift from first to second generation in the immigrant community can’t be overstated,” he said. 

Eaton noted that first-generation Americans have dignity and worth as they build a home in a new country. He added that second-generation Americans are ‘maximum bridge-builders’ who can strengthen relationships across cultures. 

Eaton explained that having both languages in one ministry helps both generations so that God can do something incredible.

The Mejias named the church Social Church because they, too, saw the potential of bridge-builders and first-generation Americans. The word “social” communicates the idea of koinonia or fellowship, the concept of community, regardless of what language a person naturally speaks. Plus, “Social” is a word that can easily be pronounced or written in both English and Spanish.

“If I want to do a fully Hispanic, or just Spanish service, I’m going to fail,” he said. “I’m going to fail at even reaching the Hispanic community effectively. We call it a dual-language church. It has to be in Spanish [and] you actually have to do it in English.”

Even when hearing God is difficult, the Lord always finds a way through his church to proclaim the word about Jesus to those he loves. 

Converge Southwest is a movement of churches working to help people meet, know and follow Jesus. We do this by starting and strengthening churches together worldwide. For 170 years, we’ve helped churches bring life change to communities in the U.S. and around the world through church planting and multiplication, leadership training and coaching and global missions.