A Worship Model To Blend Cultural Differences at the Los Angeles Spanish-American Seventh-day Adventist Church

Problem The membership of the Spanish-American Seventh-day Adventist Church (SASDAC), in Los Angeles is culturally diverse; it includes immigrants from several Latin American countries, as well as Hispanics born in the U.S. Currently, the mixture of cultures, worship traditions, and language brought to the church setting by immigrants do not blend well with the worship style and language of church members raised in this country. Hispanics born in this country do not feel confortable in a worship service led in Spanish and tend to leave the Hispanic church. As a result, the church has lost many members and tithes and offerings have declined considerably. Method The SASDAC needed a method that will help bridge both Immigrant Hispanic (IH) and American Hispanic (AH) under the same roof. Therefore, a four-element method was implemented in 2010-2012. The first element was Awareness, intended to bring focus to the reality of the situation. The second element was Preaching, designed to share the vision and promote relevant spiritual growth. The third was Involvement, aimed at the inclusion of both IH and AH in leadership and planning. The fourth was Facility, directed to create a physical environment of worship through a building that will speak to the time and place of the targeted people. Results The results are seen in four different areas from 2010 though 2012. Church attendance has gone from 215 to 450 since the insertion of the program. Baptisms have not been less than thirty per year. Tithes have steadily increased an average of $30,000.00 per year. Offerings went from a $40,000.00 budget loss to more than $21,000.00 gain. The majority of the members who have been part of the entire process have witnessed the progress and understood the importance of the model. Those who became members during the implementation of the model have assimilated the model as the way to do church. Conclusion The understanding of the diversity among Hispanics in America is of great importance for the success and future of the Hispanic church. Ministries models inclusive of IH and AH are essential for the effectiveness, success and continuity of relevant Hispanic work in America