Cailyn Stevens
Dr. Howard Culbertson
Nazarene Missions
5 December 2008
Church of the Nazarene in Mexico: History to Present
Mexico is one of the oldest countries the Church of the Nazarene has been in.
It is the largest of the countries that comprise the Mexico and Central America
(MAC) region, one of the seven world regions of the Church of the Nazarene. (This
region is currently comprised of seven countries: Mexico, Guatemala, Belize,
Nicaragua, Honduras, Costa Rica, and Panama [Nazarene World Mission.]) The
church had a humble start here, but grew through church planting, an emphasis on
national leadership, a medical mission, and publications in Spanish.
Mexico was first entered in 1903 when pioneer missionary Rev. Samuel M.
Stafford went out from one of the holiness groups from Texas that merged to
become the Church of the Nazarene in 1908 (DeLong 107). Stafford travelled to the
southernmost state in Mexico, Chiapas, and began evangelizing there. The results
were great enough for him to send for recruits. Once the two missionaries were
together, they began dreaming of a building program. A generous donation was
made by a layperson, Mr. T. J. Shingler, and the Shingler Mission was built, which
included a church and parsonage. Rev. Stafford’s recruit, Rev. Edwin Hunt,
continued as pastor of the church while Stafford returned to the United States in an
effort to recruit additional missionaries. His efforts had tremendous results, and
fifteen mainly self-supporting missionaries answered the call to minister in Mexico
(DeLong 108).
With the expanded missionary team, they were able to spread out to new
locations, one of which was Mexico City, the capital city at the strategic center of
Mexico. Rev. Charles Miller promoted the creation of a mission station in the
location. He moved to Mexico City in 1907 to preach the gospel. During the first
year, a Mexican doctor, Dr. Santín, was converted. “One Sunday morning as he was
passing by a humble hall where Rev. Charles Miller was preaching, he heard the
singing of some well-known hymns. This interested him greatly, so he entered the
building. Brother Miller was inviting those who wanted to be saved or sanctified to
come to the altar. Dr. Santín felt a need for the second work of grace, and willingly
made his way to the mourners’ bench. The following caption appears in his personal
Bible: ‘I was sanctified on May 5, 1907. Praised be the Lord’” (Honorato Reza qtd. in
DeLong 108). This event played an important part in the work in Mexico; Dr.
Santín’s influence led many other people to their own spiritual awakenings. In
December of 1908, thirty-nine people became charter members of the Church of the
Nazarene in Mexico City.
However, the work was complicated greatly by the Mexican Revolution in
1910. It became unsafe for foreigners to remain in the country; therefore, in May of
1907, the missionaries returned to the United States deeply disappointed. This and
the governmental regulations that followed led the nationals to step up, taking
responsibility for administering and promoting the Church of the Nazarene in
Mexico. The emphasis on national leadership promoted self-support and ministerial
training. Nonetheless, the missions in southern Mexico were forced to be closed, and
the only remaining active part of the work was the church in Mexico City, under the
leadership of Dr. Santín. In addition to the church, he decided to open a medical
clinic, which increased the influence of the church.
At the General Assembly in 1919, Dr. Santín made this address: “I feel tonight
that a heavy burden which I have been carrying for years has fallen off my
shoulders, and I hope that God will now lay this burden on the shoulders of the
entire Church of the Nazarene; the burden of the evangelism of the
world…especially on the robust arms of our General Foreign Missionary Board, to
which Mexico looks for evangelization (qtd. in DeLong 111). This address along with
a favorable report from Dr. J. D. Scott regarding his inspection of the conditions of
the work in Mexico, the country became a foreign missions district in 1919.
Upon his return to Mexico, Dr. Santín took on the task of reviving the closed
missions throughout Mexico. The workers he sent out to help him not only reopened
the old missions but also opened several new places of worship. The church’s
growth and God’s call made the creation of a Bible school the next step that needed
to be taken to train in the areas of theology, Bible, church history, and preaching
methods (DeLong 112). The Bible school was opened in connection with the First
Church of the Nazarene in Mexico City in 1922.
Furthermore, another step was taken to expand the work, and they began
publishing literature in the language of the people. This project began with a
periodical called La Antigua Fe in 1924 (DeLong 113). The publication grew so much
that it eventually became the district bulletin for the Mexico District. After the
periodical, they began to publish Sunday school materials. In 1933, El Heraldo
Nazareno was published as a way to explain the doctrine of the Church of the
Nazarene. Shortly after, a hymnbook was also published.
These projects at the beginning of missions work in Mexico are what I believe
have made the church in this country such a strong force today. The church was
planted, humanitarian needs were met via the medical clinic, and publications were
created in Spanish. However, I think the most important aspect of the work came by
accident; Mexican people took ownership of the church—they had too. This was
necessary because of civil unrest, and granted it did cause several setbacks, but
Americans do not run the church, and that has been the case since the beginning,
which I consider a very good thing.
The Church of the Nazarene is still thriving today in Mexico. There are many
ministries that contribute to this, including Compassionate Ministries,
Communications Ministry, Discipleship Ministry, Theological Education Ministry,
Sunday School Ministry, Evangelism Ministry, NYI, and NMI (MAC Region).
There is strong hope for continued growth for the Church of the Nazarene in
Mexico; the MAC region experienced a growth rate of 4.4% in 2007, compared with
that of only 0.4% growth in the North America Region (Nazarene World Mission).
From humble beginnings, a well-built church has grown with excellent national
leadership and great ministries that will allow the church to grow further.
Works Cited
DeLong, Russell, and Mendell Taylor. Fifty Years of Nazarene Missions. Vol. 2. Kansas
City, MO: Beacon Hill Press, 1955. 3 vols.
Nazarene World Mission. 2008. Church of the Nazarene. Dec. 2008
<http://www.nazareneworldmission.org/regions.aspx>.
Mexico and Central America Region. Church of the Nazarene. Dec. 2008
<http://www.nazmac.org/WMMACEN/Ministries/tabid/193/Default.aspx>.