La Iglesia Luterana St. Paul, en Indiana Harbor, Indiana, dirigida por el Rev. Theo Claus, quien aprendió español para este ministerio, comenzó su labor el 14 de septiembre de 1924. Él escribió: “Cuando acepté el llamado de nuestra congregación en Indiana Harbor, debí haber comenzado este trabajo de inmediato. Pero — ¡más vale tarde que nunca! En varias ocasiones noté que mexicanos asistían a nuestra iglesia. Sin embargo, al no poder entender el idioma que usábamos en nuestros servicios, recibían muy poco beneficio de ellos… finalmente, animado por varios hermanos, decidí estudiar el idioma español, que todos los mexicanos usan. Esto fue hace aproximadamente dieciocho meses…” El artículo describe los primeros esfuerzos misioneros y las reuniones que llevaron a que 40 personas asistieran en 1925.

La misión en español entre los mexicanos de Chicago se inauguró el 16 de agosto de 1925 en el salón parroquial de la Iglesia Luterana Peace. Treinta y tres personas estuvieron presentes.

El Rev. José Fernández, de España, ingresó a la LCMS por coloquio y fue ordenado e instalado para servir en Chicago en la Primera Iglesia Luterana Evangélica Española de la LCMS.

El Rev. Sergio Cobian, de Puerto Rico, ingresó a la LCMS por medio del coloquio, llegó a San Antonio, Texas, y comenzó a evangelizar.

El Rev. Andrés Meléndez, de Puerto Rico, se graduó del Seminario Teológico Concordia y comenzó a servir en Texas como pastor de la Iglesia Luterana Trinidad (Trinity Lutheran Church).

El Rev. Martinelli fue instalado el 17 de mayo de 1931. Aprendió español y comenzó los servicios en español en octubre. Ministró en español, italiano e inglés.

En 1932, las misiones dirigidas a grupos de lenguas extranjeras — incluyendo misiones entre judíos, indígenas, inmigrantes y marineros — fueron transferidas gradualmente a los respectivos Departamentos Distritales de Misiones Nacionales.

La edición de noviembre de Noticiero Luterano, una publicación luterana, incluyó un directorio de iglesias y pastores que servían en ministerios hispanos, con ubicaciones en Texas, California, Missouri y Nueva York.
- Trinidad, San Antonio, Texas & Rev. A. Melendez
- Getsemani, Vanderbilt, Texas & Rev. Harry H. Smith
- Mision Luterana, Bishop Texas & served by R. H. Wuensche
- San Pablo, Los Angeles, California & Rev. Bruno Martinelli
- 3 Misiones de San Luis, Missouri & Rev. R.A. Jargo
- San Juan, New York City, New York & Rev. J. Haviland

Una revista en español con estudios bíblicos, sermones, devocionales y artículos instructivos comenzó a publicarse en 1936 bajo la dirección del Rev. Andrés Meléndez y continuó hasta 1973.

El Dr. Andrés Meléndez, de Puerto Rico, llevó el Evangelio al mundo de habla hispana por medio de La Hora Luterana. Nombrado orador en español en 1941, su voz se escuchó durante los siguientes treinta y un años en América Latina, España y ciudades de los Estados Unidos con estaciones de radio en español. También ayudó a iniciar Noticiero Luterano y sirvió como editor de literatura en español para la LCMS.

En 1944, mientras continuaba como orador de The Lutheran Hour, Meléndez fue llamado para ser Director de Literatura en Español para la LCMS. Traducjo el Libro de la Concordia, el Catecismo Menor de Lutero, varios volúmenes de las obras de Lutero y un himnario luterano, Cantad al Señor. También tradujo folletos, textos devocionales, materiales de escuela dominical y libros para niños, como Pequeñas Visitas con Dios.

En 1953, el Seminario Teológico Concordia en Springfield le confirió a Meléndez el título de Doctor en Divinidad.

Culto Cristiano fue publicado en 1964 en Argentina como una obra ampliamente inclusiva bajo auspicios evangélicos, resultado de la cooperación entre varias iglesias, incluyendo la LCMS. Su propósito fue atender la necesidad de himnarios en español para iglesias inmigrantes que hasta entonces usaban himnarios en alemán y checo junto con textos solo de letras en español.

En 1967 se estableció Lutheran Border Ministry, con la participación de miembros de Zion Lutheran Church en El Paso quienes contribuyeron al trabajo de misión y misericordia en Ciudad Juárez iniciado por el Pastor Schrank, misionero del Distrito del Rocky Mountain para ministerio hispano.

En 1976, la Junta de Misiones de la LCMS nombró una fuerza de tarea para asuntos hispanos que incluyó pastores, laicos y líderes de varios distritos con el objetivo de desarrollar la misión hispana.

La primera conferencia nacional hispana se llevó a cabo en Concordia Teachers College en Chicago, con tema “La Reforma Continua y Nuestra Misión Hispana” y con la participación de pastores, maestros laicos y representantes de congregaciones en ministerio hispano.
- congregations 37
- full time servants in ministry:
- 14 ordained pastors
- 3 lutheran teachers
- 2 deaconesses
- 2 certified lay ministers
- 3 lay workers
- 1 lutheran social worker
- 3 vicars in Hispanic ministries
- 16 lay representatives from congregations doing Hispanic work
- 25 church representatives/ visitors from synod and districts.
- 70 counted (at least registered)
- of course, members of local congregations in Chicago participated at communion service

"The Institute for Hispanic Ministries was housed at Concordia University, River Forest, Ill., from 1978 to 1987. It prepared men in Spanish language for ordained public ministry and had a three-person full-time faculty. Functioning under the colloquy program, it prepared men for convertible vicarages after 27 months of full-time instruction. About 20 men completed the program."

"[The Rev. Carlos H.] Puig served in the U.S. Navy and worked as a businessman in Miami before beginning his career in the church. His first position with the LCMS was as a missionary at-large to the Hispanic community in Racine, Wis.
Puig was later called by the Synod’s Board for Mission Services to serve as the first executive secretary for Hispanic Ministry, a position he began in 1979. Later, he also was responsible for administering the LCMS pastoral colloquy program for Hispanic Ministry.
In 1988, Puig joined Concordia Publishing House (CPH) as the director of the Ethnic Resources Department, where he was instrumental in the publication of a Spanish-language edition of The Book of Concord. He also supervised the production of a number of other resources, including a Spanish hymnal and a Hmong hymnal."

Originally named “Centro Cristiano San Pablo,” established by Zion Lutheran Church, El Paso, TX, under the leadership of Rev Steve Hughey and the Rocky Mountain District (then Colorado District). Rev Karl Heimer as Pastor/Director is its founding Pastor/Director. It is now named Ysleta Lutheran Mission Human Care and San Pablo Lutheran Church in El Paso, TX.

Eighteen fully Spanish magazines were published between 1985 and 1990. It was the official publication of the National Hispanic Conference of the LCMS with valuable theological articles and resources along with news of Hispanic-Latino Lutheran work in the United States and important historical content.

"The Hispanic Institute of Theology, established in 1987 with offices in the Chicago area, prepared Hispanic men for certification for ordained ministry and women for deaconess certification. The Institute also trained lay workers. The program successfully combined video with local instruction in more than 30 cities for a I0-course pre-seminary sequence. Typically, 150 men and women take the pre-seminary courses at any given time, and about 15 men and women are enrolled in seminary-level courses leading to pastoral ministry or deaconess certification."

“[Rev Dr Roberto] Gonzalez served twice as a national executive with LCMS World Mission — as counselor for Hispanic mission-field development in North America from 1998 to 2003, and as counselor for Hispanic ministries from 1989 to 1994.
In the four years between those two positions, Gonzalez served the Ohio District as the Synod’s first missionary to Puerto Rico.”

"¡Cantad al Señor! was published in 1991 as an initiative of the Lutheran Church–Missouri Synod to respond to the need for a more Lutheran hymnal for use in Hispanic churches in the United States and in the mission field. Pastors and musicians from the American continent provided old and new hymns and a new liturgy with a more Latin flavor. This hymnal contains only 111 hymns from various Christian traditions. Although it is known in most Lutheran churches along the continent, it was not adopted as an every Sunday hymnal but used only occasionally. The small number of hymns and the difficulties in distribution might have contributed to this. The liturgy and some hymns were included in Himnario Luterano (2022)."
Rev. Dr. Hector Hoppe
(Retired Director of Multiethnic Resources, Concordia Publishing House;
Cantad al Señor committee member)

A taskforce is formed “in order to ensure of ethnic women of our church in mission.”

With a grant from the Paso del Norte Health Foundation, Ysleta Lutheran Mission and San Pablo Lutheran Church, El Paso, Texas, launched after school music ensembles and classes that included guitar, voice, piano, guitar, piano, trumpet, and percussion plus a brass ensemble, choir, praise band, and mariachi group. The program was called Sounds of Ysleta Music Ministry and later changed its name to Adelante Music Ministry and then Adelante Ministries. The program was directed by Stephen E. Heimer. Mariachi San Pablo was founded in this ministry by Rev. Jose Ruiz Ovalle and Stephen Heimer.

Originally named “Lutheran Hispanic Ministries” becomes a non-profit organization in 2002 and changes its name to Lutheran Latino Ministries when it becomes a 501c3 in 2003. It becomes a Recognized Service Organization of the LCMS IN 2010.

The first National Hispanic Ministry convention was held August 1-5, 2003 in Los Angeles, California with the theme: “Under the Cross of Christ: Yesterday, Today, and Tomorrow.” The President of the Hispanic Mission Society, Rev Eloy Gonzalez, presided. The convention elected its first board of directors:
Rev Dr Alberto Gomez, President
Rev Alex Merlo, Vice President
Susan Gonzalez, Secretary/Treasurer
Rev Julio Flamenco, board member
Rev Enrique Orozco, board member

“LCMS President Gerald Kieschnick appointed the Blue Ribbon Task Force on Hispanic Ministry in June 2006. He charged the task force to study and determine the best methodology for the Synod to move aggressively in its mission to Hispanics (Latinos).”

Members of the Blue Ribbon Task Force on Hispanic Ministry
Rev. Dr. David Benke, Bronxville, N.Y., president, Atlantic District
Rev. Eloy S. Gonzalez, ( chairman), St. Louis, Mo., associate director, Center for Hispanic Studies, Concordia Seminary
Rev. Dr. Douglas Groll, Chicago, Ill., retired director, Hispanic Institute of Theology
Rev. Carlos Hernandez, San Francisco, Calif., districts and congregations director, LCMS World Relief/Human Care
Rev. Jotham Johann Jhang JD, ( ex officio), Alexandria, Va., executive director, Center for Asian Missions and Evangelism and director of Cross Cultural and Ethnic Ministries for LCMS World Mission
Rev. Dr. Mark Larson, Aurora, Colo., mission executive, Rocky Mountain District
Rev. Alex Merlo, Aurora, Ill., pastor, San Pablo Lutheran Church
Rev. Angel Perez, (ex-officio), Casselberry, Fla., mission developer, Florida-Georgia District
Rev. Robert Selle, Fort Meyers, Fla., mission developer, FloridaGeorgia District
Melissa Salomon JD, Chula Vista, Calif., director, Cristo Para Todas Las Naciones, Tijuana, Mexico
Susan Gonzalez, North Richland Hills, Texas

Since September 2006, the Center for Hispanic Studies at Concordia Seminary, St. Louis, has incorporated- and continued- the work of the Hispanic Institute of Theology.

The Lutheran Hispanic Missionary Institute was established by the Rocky Mountain District in El Paso, Texas, in 2007 and held its first classes in 2008 with Rev. Richard Schlak as its director.

The LCMS testifies to Congress about, "our understanding of the relationship between the church and the state," and application to the issue of immigration. The testimony can be found here (as of November 12, 2025) https://files.lcms.org/file/preview/78w0nreA0K8FZaEFJdHhpl4u5H7Sw6vj

"Some 20 Hispanic church workers and lay leaders from Houston, Brownsville, McAllen, Del Rio and San Antonio came together for the event to discuss the process of growing from a mission plant to a full-fledged member congregation of the Synod.

The Rev. Dr. Carlos Hernandez, director of LCMS Church and Community Engagement — which includes the strategic development of Hispanic ministry — led the conference workshop.
 
“Many of our Hispanic congregations are not organized as congregations that can vote, have a presence at conventions or send the pastor as a delegate,” Hernandez said. “There’s a feeling that our Hispanic congregations don’t have enough of a voice in the matters of our Synod. We want to develop congregations with greater maturity and all the rights and responsibilities that come with it.”

[translated from document written in Spanish] "The Hispanic Ministry of the Lutheran Church—Missouri Synod is led by Rev. Dr. Carlos Hernández, its director (Sacramento, California), and by the following workers who serve under contracts with the Synod and in partnership with Director Hernández:
• Rev. Zabdi López – pastor of Grace Lutheran Church, Gridley, Calif.
• Rev. Rubén Domínguez – pastor of El Buen Pastor Lutheran Church, McAllen, Texas
• Deaconess Luz Guerrero – Woodbury Lutheran Church, Woodbury, Minn.
Other pastors and deaconesses serve voluntarily in the national Hispanic Ministry and are periodically called to serve nationally in their areas of interest and expertise and in their geographic regions as needed:
• Rev. Samuel Gómez – Grace Latino Ministries, Escondido, Calif.
• Rev. Tomás Angon – Immanuel Lutheran Church, Valparaiso, Ind.
• Rev. Martin Zárate – St. Paul Lutheran Church, Melrose Park, Ill.
• Rev. Pablo Domínguez – Cristo Rey Lutheran Church, East Moline, Ill.
• Deaconess Raquel Rojas – Redeemer Lutheran Church, Bronx, N.Y.
• Deaconess Ligia Morales – Prince of Peace, Orlando, Fla.
Our goal is to develop a national network of Regional Hispanic Ministry, composed of counselors and advisors who can assist in strengthening existing Hispanic ministries and in creating new ones."

"Nueva Vida — which means “new life” — is the first Hispanic congregation to be chartered in the LCMS Southeastern District. At the service, the Rev. Pedro Lopez was installed as Nueva Vida’s founding pastor.

But this moment was years in the making. The Hispanic outreach that would eventually become Nueva Vida started in 2008 when three congregations in Circuit 9A in northern Virginia — St. John’s Lutheran Church in Alexandria, Va.; Prince of Prince Lutheran Church, Springfield, Va.; and Grace Lutheran Church, Woodbridge, Va. — partnered to form a covenant in Hispanic ministry."

The convention’s president, the Rev. Dr. Leopoldo Sánchez, told Reporter that its main objective is “to offer Hispanic workers in our districts — and others who work in Hispanic ministries with them — a much-needed time of learning, fellowship, empowerment and refreshment so that they can return to their ministries re-energized and with a renewed commitment to continue their challenging work.”

La Liga Misionera Hispana se incorporó como una entidad 501(c)(3) para ser la entidad legal y agente fiscal, y el medio para implementar las prioridades de la Convención Nacional Hispana de la LCMS.

"By any measure, Himnario Luterano was a mammoth undertaking. Over 14 years in the making, it is the result of a collaboration reaching from the “Southern Cone” (Argentina, Chile, Paraguay) to South America, Central America, and North America. Its lofty goal: unite Hispanic Lutherans around the world with the same hymns and common orders of worship. Using Lutheran Service Book as a model, it is an elegant hymnal and a highly worthy successor to Cantad al Señor.
Barry L. Bobb
With special thanks to Professor Sergio Adrián Fritzler (editorial committee), Rev. Dr. Ted Krey (LCMS), and Ross Johnson (Interim Facilitator of LCMS Hispanic Ministry).

LCMS National Mission includes Hispanic ministry in the work supported by All Nations Ministry. Its All Nations Council includes representatives from the Hispanic Missionary League and the National Hispanic Convention.

Members of the boards for the National Hispanic Convention and the Hispanic Missionary League serve as representatives of Hispanic Ministry in the first All Nations Council: Rev. Juan Zamora and Rev. Rodrigo Fernandez

Rev. German Novelli is installed as the new director of Hispanic Ministry for Lutheran Hour Ministries.