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Sarah Bean
5 December 2008
Nazarene Missions
Research Paper
The Rise and Work of Early National Leadership in Mexico
Mexico is among the oldest fields of the Church of the Nazarene. Our roots in that
country go back before the denomination was organized. In 1903, the Texas Holiness
Association sent missionaries to begin a work in Southern Mexico. Rev. Samuel Stafford and
Rev. Edwin Hunt (who would shortly marry another young missionary, Miss Carrie Lewis) were
the first Nazarenes to begin work in the country. The first group was joined within a few years
by more missionary recruits. They built and pastored churches, sold Bibles, preached the
Gospel, opened medical work and schools, and even translated some portions of scripture into
the language of the Zapotec Indians. As more and more missionaries joined the team, the work
continued to expand into neighboring cities (Vaughters 22-24).
In 1907, Rev. Charles Miller, one of the missionary recruits who had come to help in the
South, felt lead to make a transition to Mexico City in hopes of expanding the work into central
Mexico. The next year, the Texas Holiness Association, and all their missionary work, merged
with other groups at Pilot Point, Texas to form the Church of the Nazarene. Rev. Miller’s work
in Mexico City would prove to be providential in helping the work of the young holiness
denomination survive the coming struggle the revolution. For while there had been much
missionary work in Southern Mexico, including an attempt to organize a Nazarene colony, it was
the national leaders that arose out of Rev. Miller’s work in Mexico City that would serve as the
backbone of the church during the difficult years of the war (Vaughters 24-26).
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In November of 1910, just 7 years of after the very first missionaries of the Texas
Holiness Association (now called Church of the Nazarene) had come to Mexico, the Mexican
Revolution began. Within 2 years almost all of the missionaries would be forced to return to the
United States, leaving the young church in the hands of God and Mexican leaders (Crutcher 1415). Dr. Vicente Santin, a medical doctor who had been raised in a Protestant home, happened
into a Nazarene service and was sanctified at an altar after Rev. Miller’s invitation. Dr. Santin
would provide leadership and vision to the Nazarene work in Mexico City during the turmoil and
persecution of the revolution. His efforts and vision would indeed be the groundwork for the
incredible growth and maturity of the Nazarene Church in Mexico (Reza 14-15).
The faith of Dr. Santin and other national leaders in Mexico that God would sustain and
protect and prosper his church in Mexico was unshaken even in the darkest of times. To Dr. H.
F. Reynolds in 1914, he wrote:
“The year which we have now ended has been one of great trials, but they have not been
powerful enough to overthrow us. No! They have given us strength, leaving us more
determined to struggle. …The great religious revival will yet come, and then we will
forget all that we have suffered. That a great and powerful revival is coming to Mexico
there is no doubt!” (Vaughters 27).
Mexican Nazarenes, as well as all protestant groups, did suffer greatly during the revolution.
Nazarene churches were burned and robbed, pastors and members were scattered, a Nazarene
farmer was even kidnapped for the church to pay ransom.
In 1919, when it was finally safe enough for an American to visit the country, Rev. Scott
supervisor of Nazarene Missions in Latin America made a trip to assess the state of the church in
Mexico. He found that what had been a thriving work southern Mexico had been all but
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completely eradicated. However, in Mexico City, Scott found a growing work full of life and
enthusiasm. Both First Church of the Nazarene (lead by Dr. Santin) and the Nacozari Mission
Church (lead by Dr. Cristobal Morales, son-in-law of Dr. Santin and another gifted national
leader) were overflowing their rented worship halls (Temple 55-56).
In 1919, Dr. Santin was officially named as district superintendent of the work in Mexico
(Reza 15). Though the political situation remained somewhat uneasy, Dr. Santin, Dr. Morales,
and the Mexican church felt that the climate had shifted such that the moment was right to seize
opportunities for the advancement of the church. In May 1920, before missionaries were even
able to return to the country, Mexico City First Church of the Nazarene commissioned Rev. Jose
Mota as a missionary to reopen the work in southern Mexico. In August of that year, when Rev.
Scott again visited the country, he was surprised to find churches opened and members returning
and ministry taking place! All this was under the leadership of the Mexican church (Temple 58).
Another groundbreaking accomplishment that ought to be attributed to the vision and
sacrifice of national leaders is the founding of a Nazarene Bible school in Mexico City in 1922
(Reza 15). Dr. Santin and Dr. Morales saw the need to train Mexican leaders to carry on the
work of the church. Young men and women were eager to respond to the call of God, but there
was no ministerial training available for them at that time. Even though the denomination had no
funds to help with the organization of a Bible school, Dr. Santin and Dr. Morales volunteered
their time and established a school. Students worked or took university classes during the day;
and at night they would receive Biblical and ministerial instruction in keeping with the
requirements of the Nazarene course of study. The school grew, and many Mexican young men
and women were sent out as vibrant leaders to help shape and guide the Church of the Nazarene
all across their country (Temple 61).
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The passion and enthusiasm of Mexican Nazarenes to share their faith and transform their
nation even in the face of restrictive political conditions is in some ways reminiscent of the New
Testament Church in Acts. Everywhere Nazarene’s went with the gospel of Jesus Christ and the
message of holiness, the Holy Spirit seemed to have gone before. From Chiapas in the south to
work along the boarder with the US and seemingly everywhere in between, Nazarenes were
being given opportunities to share their faith, and people were being saved! In spite of
opposition, the Kingdom was advancing and the church was being established (Temple 69).
There are two amazing stories of indigenous movements that were absorbed into the
Church of the Nazarene in Mexico at about this time without any influence from missionaries,
purely national movements! In 1928, in southern Mexico, a Nazarene pastor heard about a group
who had begun holding meetings in a remote mountain area and went to investigate (Crutcher
18). When he arrived in the village of Villaflores, he found a group of over 100 who had broken
from the traditional church that had been so heavily influenced by traditional pagan ritual. The
group gathered in a home to read and study the Bible. They had never heard a public prayer, or
sung a hymn – all they knew was to wait on the Lord for guidance. The Nazarene preacher
found this group, shared the message of holiness with them, encouraged them with the presence
of an international body of believers called, like Christ, the Nazarenes. The group received his
message with great enthusiasm and voted to be joined with the denomination! This group of
Mexican believers that had been organized out of nothing but the Word of God and the moving
of the Spirit was thus united with the Church of the Nazarene (Vaughters 29-30).
The Church of the Nazarene received some unexpected growth in the city of Guadalajara.
A man had received the sanctifying work of the Holy Spirit and begun to testify to his
experience. Many people were brought to faith and also experienced sanctification. The group
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knew of no church whose doctrine was consistent with what they had experienced in Holy Spirit.
The group decided to call them selves Nazarenes, for in Matthew chapter 2 Jesus is called a
Nazarene. Eventually, someone from the Nazarene Church in Mexico City heard that there were
Nazarenes in Guadalajara. Upon visiting the group, both he and they were amazed that their
teaching was almost exactly the same as that which Dr. Santin and the rest of the Church of the
Nazarene held. In 1933, the group called Nazarenes, 347 members with 5 active mission
churches, came into the membership with the Church of the Nazarene (Temple 69-70). Is this
not the revival that Dr. Santin had spoken of! These are two dramatic stories that speak to us of
the advance of the gospel by the power of God and the dedication of Mexican believers.
Seventy five years later the Church of the Nazarene in Mexico is stronger than ever. We
have almost 50,000 Mexican Nazarenes on 14 districts with over 700 churches and countless
more preaching points and outreaches (Crutcher 25)! Mexico remains, as it was in the
beginning, a country rich in national leadership, a country rich in passion for evangelism.
Mexican Nazarenes have organized a Boarder Initiative to plant house churches in every village
along the US/Mexican Boarder. They have participated and contributed to the denominational
mission program, by sending both career missionaries and Work and Witness teams.
The maturity, vision, and growth of the work of the Church of the Nazarene in Mexico
could not have been achieved without the dedicated, sacrificial leadership of Mexican nationals
from the early days until now. As Mexican Nazarenes continue to respond to the call of God,
there can be little doubt that God will continue to use them to build his church!
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Bibliography
Crutcher, Tim. Mexico and Central America: A Tapestry of Triumph. Kansas City, MO:
Nazarene Publishing House, 2008.
Reza, Honorato. Washed by the Blood: Stories of Native Workers in the Mexican Field of the
Church of the Nazarene. Kansas City, MO: Beacon Hill Press, 1953.
Temple, Helen. Like a Tree by the River. Kansas City, MO: Nazarene Publishing House, 1973.
Vaughters, William C. Fruits of Progress: The Church of the Nazarene in Mexico and Central
America. Kansas City, MO: Nazarene Publishing House, 1968.