Illinois Mennonite Conference is excited to welcome Martin Navarro as the new Associate Conference Minister for Hispanic Ministries. This is a new part-time staff position within the conference.

Navarro is a Chicago native. He grew up in the Comunidad Cristiana Vida Abundante in Cicero, Illinois. He has a Master of Divinity degree from Anabaptist Mennonite Biblical Seminary in Elkhart, Indiana. Currently he holds the position of stewardship consultant and financial service representative with Everence. In that role, he serves exclusively Hispanic Anabaptist churches.

Navarro says, “In this position (with IMC) I expect to bridge cultural gaps and also strengthen relationships with the Hispanic churches within IMC. Also I’m hoping that this will be a time where reconciliation can occur between the Hispanic congregations and the conference. Historically, Hispanic churches have been neglected or not well represented within IMC…”

Conference Executive Minister, Michael Danner, said, “I’m excited to have Martin on the staff of IMC. I’m hopeful that his work will help us begin to move us toward being a multicultural conference in practice, not just on paper.”

Danner also said, “In my excitement, I’m also careful to guard against a quick fix mentality. The relationship between Anglo and Hispanic congregations in IMC has a long history. Moving toward a new way of functioning will take time. Having Martin on staff is a good first step. ”

Illinois Mennonite Conference leaders are excited about the possibility of growing relationships between Hispanic congregations and the rest of the conference. Navarro began his work with IMC on Aug. 11. You can reach him via email at mnavarroimc@gmail.com.