The Hispanic population in the U.S. not only is increasingly adopting the mainstream beliefs and practices of the surrounding culture, but also is assimilating their faith—and rapidly—according to a survey published in July by The Barna Group.
In 9,232 interviews conducted between January 2007 and November 2008—1,195 of those being adults identifying themselves as Hispanic—researchers found that the faith of Hispanics in the U.S. has changed significantly in the last 15 years, comparing results of the new survey to the faith profile of Hispanics 15 years ago.
Among 11 areas of substantial change the survey detailed were the discoveries that Hispanics’ alignment with the Catholic church is down 25 percent; being a born-again Christian is up 17 percent; church attendance is up 10 percent; and believing the Bible is accurate in all of the principles it teaches is up 6 percent.
These signs of spiritual change are reflected in the ministry of The Foursquare Church as well.
“One of the greatest areas of spiritual vitality and growth in The Foursquare Church in the U.S. is among the Hispanic population,” notes Ted Vail, director of Urban and Multicultural Ministries for the denomination. “Just over 1 in 7 U.S. Foursquare churches is Hispanic. With a focus on enfranchisement of Hispanic ministry, Hispanic ministers, and collaborating with the larger global Hispanic movement, The Foursquare Church is empowering a national task force of five key Hispanic leaders to build an even stronger Hispanic movement in the U.S.”
Ted notes that these five Hispanic leaders are working directly with district and national leaders “to inspire, equip, advise and advocate for this Spirit-led movement. During this coming year, they will be broadening the scope of this ministry to include key leaders in each district as well as nationally recognized voices.”
