Primera Iglesia Bautista de Waco
Information about Primera Iglesia Bautista de Waco
A well-established Hispanic congregation, the church is led by senior pastor Emmanuel Roldan, who preaches in both Spanish and English, and estimates that about 90 percent of the congregation speaks English. The church has many ties to Baylor, and its congregation includes a number of Baylor students, faculty, and staff. The church has strong lay leadership and is doing significant ministry within the Waco community. On Wednesday evenings, for example, church members minister to the children and families at the Waco High Lofts, a low-income apartment complex in the heart of Waco.
Website: https://www.primerawaco.org
Information about Primera Iglesia's Congregational Project
Primera Iglesia wants to deepen connections, friendships, and relationships among members of the congregation. Members will meet in small groups to learn more about each other, including faith, motivations, and needs. These groups will be intergenerational, intercultural, and interdenominational. Group facilitators will undergo training. They might, for instance, learn techniques of active listening, encouragement, cross-cultural and intercultural communication, and theological formation.
The Soundings Team at Primera Iglesia will provide facilitators with resources such as questions, discussion ideas, and models for leading the small groups. This team also will keep track of the groups and reconfigure questions and discussion ideas based on feedback from them. Periodically, groups divide and invite others in, with these new groups led by two trained individuals who “shepherd” the group. Primera Iglesia hopes to capture and document some of the stories that develop from these conversations.
Groups also will consider the opportunities before the Body of Christ for deepening theological and practical reflection upon vocation. The groups will be able to share their ideas with Primera Iglesia’s Soundings Team, with the possibility of financial support.
Through this project, Primera Iglesia hopes that members will gain greater appreciation for the diversity of the lives in the congregation in order to be strengthened as the hands and feet of Christ in the wider community.