Liberty University John W. Rawlings School of Divinity Potential Ministry Approaches for Reaching Hispanic Millennials in El Paso, Texas America’s Largest Ethnic Demographic in The Borderland A Thesis Project Report Submitted to the Faculty of the Liberty University School of Divinity in Candidacy for the Degree of Doctor of Ministry by William H. Lavender , II Lynchburg, Virginia April 2021 Copyright © 2021 William H. Lavender, II All Rights Reserved Liberty University John W. Rawlings School of Divinity Thesis Project Approval Sheet _________________________________ Dr. Michael S. Pardue Faculty Mentor _________________________________ Dr. Justin Smith Faculty Reader THE DOCTOR OF MINISTRY THESIS PROJECT ABSTRACT William H. Lavender, II Liberty University School of Divinity, 2021 Mentor: Dr. Michael S. Pardue How can evangelical churches be more effective when conducting Christ’s missional mandate to make disciples of all nations among one of the United States’ largest ethnic people group? A recent demographic study reveals that 60% of Hispanic Millennials form one of the nation’s largest ethnic demographics. The El Paso Metropolitan Statistical Area (MSA) is home to the largest concentration of Hispanic Millennials living in the United States. This Doctor of Ministry project discovers ministry approaches that will equip ministry leaders in El Paso, Texas to be more effective at conducting Christ’s missional mandate within their ministry context. Contents Chapter 1: Introduction ................................................................................................................1 Ministry Context ................................................................................................................2 The Primary Population Demographic ....................................................................2 The Geographical and Social Context of El Paso, Texas ........................................2 Overview ......................................................................................................3 Demographics ..............................................................................................4 Sociological Tensions ..................................................................................5 Problem Presented .............................................................................................................7 Purpose Statement .............................................................................................................9 Basic Assumptions ...........................................................................................................10 Definitions ....................................................................................................................11 Limitations ....................................................................................................................20 Delimitations ....................................................................................................................20 Thesis Statement ..............................................................................................................20 Chapter 2: Conceptual Framework ...........................................................................................22 Literature Review ............................................................................................................22 Traditional or Church Growth Approaches ...........................................................23 Seeker-Sensitive Ministry Approaches ..................................................................24 Disciplemaking Ministry Approaches ...................................................................25 Kingdom-Building Ministry Approaches ..............................................................25 Simple or Organic Ministry Approaches ...............................................................26 Church Planting Approaches .................................................................................28 Evangelism and Outreach Approaches ..................................................................30 Saturation Evangelism ...............................................................................30 Relational Evangelism ...............................................................................31 Small Group Outreach ...............................................................................32 Generational Studies ..............................................................................................33 Ethnic Studies ........................................................................................................35 Theological Foundations .................................................................................................37 Theology Defined ..................................................................................................37 Applied Theology Defined ....................................................................................38 Ecclesiology ...........................................................................................................38 Ecclesiology Defined .................................................................................38 The Church Defined ...................................................................................39 The Biblical Revelation of the Church .......................................................39 The Purpose and Mission of the Church....................................................43 The Roman Catholic Application of Ecclesiology .....................................44 The Latino Understanding of the Church ..................................................46 Theoretical Foundations ..................................................................................................48 Ministry Models and Approaches ..........................................................................48 Relevance of Ministry Models and Approaches ....................................................59 Previous Research ..................................................................................................59 i Chapter 3: Methodology..............................................................................................................64 Intervention Design ..........................................................................................................65 Overview ................................................................................................................65 Purpose ......................................................................................................66 Framework .................................................................................................67 Theological Considerations ...................................................................................67 Demographic Considerations .................................................................................68 Previous Research Considerations .........................................................................70 Consideration of Ministry Approaches and Models ..............................................70 Data Collection and Analysis.................................................................................71 Implementation of Intervention Design ........................................................................72 Data Collection ......................................................................................................72 The Collection Plan ...................................................................................72 The Collection Matrix ................................................................................73 Sources of Data ..........................................................................................74 Method of Collection..................................................................................74 Assessing the Data .....................................................................................76 Filtering the Data ......................................................................................76 Fusion of the Data .....................................................................................77 Tasks Accomplished ..............................................................................................78 Chapter 4: Results ....................................................................................................................80 Overview ...................................................................................................................80 Intervention Results .........................................................................................................81 Results of the Data Collection .............................................................................81 Online Survey Results and Analysis ....................................................................88 Emergence of A Theoretical Working Model .....................................................91 Analysis of Ministry Models and Approaches.....................................................97 Themes and Trends ............................................................................................101 Assessment of the Results ..............................................................................................103 Chapter 5: Conclusion ...............................................................................................................104