Southern Baptist Convention New Blood Scholarship

I was blessed to grow up in a Christian home in Mexico, however I learned early on that an understanding of the gospel was not common, even among people who called themselves Christians. In Mexico, most people are Catholic but they do not fully understand the gospel. This early childhood experience planted a seed for the importance of biblical literacy. When I was in middle school, my family moved to the U.S. I started attending public school knowing very little English. I pushed myself academically and excelled in classes and learning English. Before long, I was in regular classes with native English speakers. At this time, my family and I attended a Spanish-speaking church. I was thankful to hear teaching in Spanish, but I noticed a gap developing. I found myself primarily using English outside of the home; however, Spanish was the language at church. Many of my peers and I preferred speaking in English but we were forced to learn Bible truths in Spanish and from a Bible translation that was antiquated with hard to understand terminology. As a result, I saw more and more of my friends leave the church or drift away from their parents’ faith as we got older. They didn’t find it relevant to their lives and I believe a big part of that stems from the language used. When I was in college, I started attending an English-speaking SBC church. This is where my faith became more of my own and I was discipled one-on-one with the Worship Pastor. I had been actively serving in church from a young age, but this was the season where my understanding of serving and leading others really grew. It was also in this setting that I surrendered to a call to ministry and began pursuing an MDiv in Worship Leadership from The Southern Baptist Theological Seminary. These life experiences of mine have shaped my faith personally and impacted how I minister to others as well. Based on first-hand experiences, I understand the importance of communicating with people in their preferred language. I utilize this in my current role as a Hispanic Minister. I teach a Sunday School class in Spanish and often translate materials and the sermon, but I also put on bilingual events and disciple Hispanic young men in English. My ability to effortlessly switch between two cultures has made me a more effective minister. However, my background affects more than just the language used. The cultural understanding cannot be understated. Having spent the first 12 years of my life in Mexico, I understand the Hispanic culture and have those roots. Having spent the last twenty plus years in the United States, I have acclimated to the culture here and can interact with locals just as easily. Looking ahead, my heart’s desire is to create gospel resources for the Hispanic community, from the Hispanic community. As I have delved deeper into theological education, I have realized that there is a void of such resources. The limited resources that do exist are often translations of English works. While there is nothing wrong with that, I desire to see Hispanics lead the way in creating culturally relevant materials to help spread the Gospel throughout the Spanish-speaking world. I am also concerned about a generation of Hispanic young people who grew up in the U.S., speak English, but are being taught about Jesus in their non-dominant language (Spanish). I plan to pursue a PhD in Christian Worship to be trained to more effectively contribute to the field of worship, specifically in the Spanish context, and for the local church.

“Sing a song full of the faith that the dark past has taught us Sing a song full of the hope that the present has brought us Facing the rising sun of our new day begun Let us march on till victory is won” The first verse of this hymnal, composed by brothers James and John Johnson, is an audible story of the history and identity of the black church. Through much suffering, perseverance, and an enduring faith, the black church has not only been able to survive dark times, but has thrived as a permanent fixture in American culture. I am a proud product of the “faith that the dark past has taught us”. I was raised within the Black Baptist Church, as my parents served as church psalmists. It was through the unique African American spirituals and boisterous sermonic moments that my theology was shaped. I learned about Christ’s sufficiency at the cross and God’s sovereignty over all things. I can still recall sitting in the pew, hearing the sermon of God’s love that moved me towards the place of confession, repentance, and trust in Jesus’s substitutional death on the cross. I was even introduced to the doctrines of grace and the reformed tradition through a Haitian American Deacon who spent time discipling me. It was the black church that counseled and married my wife and I. It was the black church that dedicated my children. It was the black church that called me to repentance when I was in sin and encouraged me when I was down. It was while serving within the black church that the Lord called me into pastoral ministry, and it was the black church that is now at work to confirm that subjective call on my life. In the providence of God, He has used the black church with all of its traditions, history, and idiosyncrasies to mold me. In short, I owe all that I am to what Christ has done for me through the black church. It is with all of this gratitude and indebtedness that I pray the Lord will use my time at Southern to serve the black church in future ministry. There is a trend that has become popular amongst young reformed black Christians who attend evangelical schools only to leave with a low view of the black church. To be clear, there is nothing wrong in serving in cross-cultural ministry context. We should go where we are called and grow where we have been planted. But oftentimes, black aspiring pastors and theologians turn away from the black church based upon false caricatures that have been crafted in place of their new experiences. There is this false notion that the black church does not teach sound doctrine, or does not disciple well, or is tainted by the prosperity gospel. While these characteristics could be used to describe any church, irrespective of their cultural context, the ones who comment this way regarding the black church are poorly informed or worse, willfully disingenuous. Time would not permit me to tell of the faithful black men shepherding black churches across this nation. So my resolve is to use all that the Lord has given me in preparation in pastoral ministry, biblical exposition, and sound theology to stand in the line of such great men who have stewarded the black church before me. As Dr. Charlie Dates has said, “do not give up on the black church”. I have not and I hope to show God's delight and splendor in the black church.

Being an international student from a country where there are less than one percent evangelicals give me a unique background as a seminary student. I grew up in a Buddhist family and was surrounded by a culture which places much of its focus on merits and the idea of earning things through one's action, which applies to the Buddhist conception of salvation. When I first heard the gospel in high school, I had a difficult time accepting the message because the idea that Jesus bore the sins and the penalty for sinners goes against the concept of earning salvation and rewards, whether in this life or next, through one's merit. At the same time, my religious backgrounds made me realize that actions have consequences, and that I am responsible for my actions, including those that are sinful. That further helps me realize my need for a savior, one who has to pay for the penalty of the sins I commit in order that I may have salvation. Sin has consequences, yet, the consequences are more severe than what I was taught under Buddhism. The penalty of sins is not something I can take responsibility of by trying to improve my actions, rather, I had to confess my responsibility of my sins and trust Jesus as the one who died and was raised for my salvation instead of trying to fix my actions on my own terms. If I ended up moving back home to Thailand and serve there, my background will be useful as a common ground and a bridge to gospel conversations. Roughly ninety-five percent of the populations identified as Buddhists, and while there are significant theological and philosophical diversity in Buddhism presented in Thailand, there are common beliefs in the role of merit in salvation and spiritual life. My background will not only serve as a common ground in conversations, it will also allow me to share my story of how Jesus opened my eyes to see the peril of a system which places the ultimate trust in one's own work and merit. The strong belief in the necessity of the consequences of one's action will also open the door for the people I will be evangelizing to to come face to face with the reality of their sinfulness and their consequences, opening the door to the story of Jesus being shared as God's provisions for the problem of their sins. My fluency in Thai will also help me accurately share the gospel there. If I ended up serving in a church in the United States, I do not believe that my background will be an obstacle or hinderance to my future ministry. There are increasing numbers of westerners exploring and converted to Buddhism, or at least what people here understand to be what Buddhism is. My background will come in handy in ministering to those who are "spiritual, but not religious", and those who are exploring different religions. In ministering to them, I hope to be able to help them working through their spiritual struggle by helping them see their greatest need. At the same time, my background will be helpful in helping people see the inadequacy of the merit-base religion they are seeking to pursue, which will open the door for gospel conversation and the opportunity for Jesus to be shared, for the spirit to work in the heart of the hearer, and for God to be glorified through the salvation of those who come to Him in faith and repentance.

My background has impacted my faith in many ways. As a first generation Haitian-American who came from a Catholic background. My Catholic background has shown me just how important evangelism is for the local church. Prior to my conversion, I thought that I was on my way to heaven because of my works, but I was lost. This has shown me that evangelism is important and it has propelled me to be more intentional with sharing my faith. I was not exposed to the gospel and certainly wasn’t raised in a Christian home. Thus, I know for a fact how impactful evangelism is in my life and the local church. Lord willing, when I pastor; I will endeavor to teach my congregation on evangelism. I will not only teach God’s people on how to evangelize, but I will also lead by example. Making disciples is an imperative in my future pastorate. I will teach and model the importance of evangelism wherever God sends me. Another way my background has impacted my faith is by understanding the importance of the family. My mom and dad were divorced when I was around the age of four and it affected me in many ways. When I became a Christian, I realized the necessity of understanding the biblical roles of the family. My Father was still active in my life, but his absence in the home played a crucial role in how I thought as a man. I was raised in a broken home, but the power of the gospel changed my trajectory and mindset in life. I now know how my background impacted my faith and what I need to do in order to serve and help others. Marriage and the family is a non negotiable for my pastorate. I will endeavor to serve God’s people by having a robust, loving and theological driven family ministry that will cater to the needs of the people. My prior experience and family background has motivated me to shepherd God’s people through family ministry. The last way my background has impacted my faith is my understanding of finances and stewardship. I was born in the 1990s to a Haitian immigrant family who desired to work for the sole purpose of paying bills. In other words, I was not born in a wealthy family and at times struggled financially growing up. This motivated me to be a better steward of the money that God has blessed me with. Lord willing, I want to educate God’s people on how to be good stewards of their money. I will not be a financial guru or expert, however I want to Shepherd God’s church in the area of money and resources. In conclusion, I desire to preach and teach a wholistic approach to Christianity. I want to serve God’s people with the mentality that the Word of God addresses and necessitates evangelism, the family and finances.