One of the biggest frustrations for Hispanic pastors is the
“revolving door” effect of ever-shifting Hispanic demographics. This “easy
come, easy go” syndrome is common among Latino immigrant populations. We know that longevity and consistency in
ministry are valuable assets that lend much stability and strengthen influence. Unfortunately, many Hispanic church pastors
have to constantly “swim upstream” to try to overcome the instability of an
ever-moving church population.
Why does this happen? The first big factor is
economics. To survive financially, one
must find work. For decades many Hispanics
have engaged in farm labor jobs that follow the agricultural harvesting
seasons. They are often referred to in
our stereotypical jargon as “migrant workers.” And those workers live in “migrant camps”,
makeshift and barely-livable communal housing they can afford until they move
on to the next harvest fields. Their whole lives and existence revolve around
moving from job to job, just to survive.
Some workers are fortunate enough to land a decent-paying hourly-wage
job. However, if the employee has lower-than-average
education and skill qualifications, many of these jobs are so labor-intensive,
and are carried out in such harsh conditions, that physical exhaustion forces
the worker to immediately look for different employment, even if that means
moving cross-country. It is not unusual
for a Hispanic church pastor to ask about a family who didn’t show up for a
church service as usual, only to find that the absent family is permanently
gone, without a word or trace of where they have gone.
For the undocumented, the constant fear of being “caught” by
U.S. Immigration and naturalization services is very real. If one does not have proper documentation and
work permits, something as simple as a traffic ticket can start a process that
could lead to deportation. If things get
too “hot” undocumented Hispanics (the minority) may feel obligated out of fear,
to flee to avoid prosecution or deportation.
In Anglo congregations it is common practice to use a
“connection card” which newcomers are asked to fill out with their personal
contact information and then drop in the offering plate. The pastor can use it to contact the new
family to welcome them or to visit them in their home. This data is particularly
important when trying to integrate new families into small group settings, and
for quickly cultivating a sense of belonging. However, many Hispanics who are undocumented
will be very reluctant to give any traceable information to any church or group
where deep trust has not yet been established.
Again, when that family disappears from services for a few Sundays, the
pastor often has no way to contact them because the address and telephone
information was false or just never came in to begin with. Rather regular Hispanic attenders sometimes just
vanish—and no one knows where to find them.
A few weeks ago, a young pastor of a small Hispanic
congregation with a core of about 40 people told me that he absolutely has to
make at least ten new contacts each
week just to maintain the church’s attendance at an even level. He explained that if he did not do so, the
church would literally close operations if four to five weeks. Needless to say, this is a tremendous
pressure point for this caring pastor, or for anyone who has concerns about the
continued health of the Hispanic congregation.
All of these frustration factors are exponentially
multiplied when one confronts the fact that the shifting demographic factor
that is so destabilizing, is also totally beyond his control. Although the
longer a Hispanic immigrant remains in the USA the more he tends to adapt and
adjust, reality tells us that as long as there are new waves of incoming
immigrants, this shifting demographic sand will remain a nagging challenge.
It is very important to realize that this constantly-changing
population phenomenon varies greatly from city to city and from region to
region. In a recent visit to a Hispanic
church in Illinois, the pastor told me that, although there is not a great
influx of new Hispanic families being drawn to his city, neither is there an
exodus. The actual population numbers are
remaining fairly steady. That
congregation (which was about 14 years old at the time of my visit) has an
average attendance of about three hundred. It has enjoyed steady growth, no
doubt in part, due to the demographic stability of the area’s population. This
makes the “shifting sand factor” a lesser challenge.
WHAT YOU SHOULD KNOW: Study the demographics of the specific
area where you are involved. Try to see any trends regarding the rate of demographic shift. This will
help you determine if the area is becoming more stable or is still in a
“shifting” mode, and to what degree.
The Pew Research website is a great source for demographic
data. You can find it at www.pewhispanic.org
Until next time,
Tom Hines
Until next time,
Tom Hines
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