Project ID: CL0001-65301

LCMS involvement in Chile began in the 1960s in the port city of Valparaiso. Since the late 1990s, LCMS Disaster Response efforts have helped extend the reach of the Gospel. The Confessional Lutheran Church of Chile has ten congregations in Santiago, Valparaíso, Viña del Mar, Talca and Constitución.

The seven pastors who serve the Chilean church are stretched very thin. For example, Pastor Obed Coronado serves with Rev. Marcelo Rivas, a 2022 graduate of Concordia the Reformer Seminary, to provide spiritual care for more than 1000 students who attend Lutheran schools in Viña del Mar and Valparaiso. Each man also serves as the pastor of a local congregation.

Intentional outreach to the local communities has borne much fruit. For example, in Valparaiso, Talca and Santiago, church members came together during lockdowns to pool their meager resources and serve their communities with physical food as well as spiritual food. That effort continues to produce fruit three years later.

The Chilean church is seeing rapid growth. With that growth comes the challenge of identifying and nurturing future pastors. Pastor Rivas was ordained in March 2023 and Rev. Rafael Flores joined the Chilean pastorate in 2024. He is accompanied by his wife, Deaconess Jamielynn. A new residential pastoral formation student is studying in the Dominican Republic. Many more are needed. We pray the Lord will bless His Church with workers for the ripe harvest fields.

Chile Mission

Checks should be made out to Lutheran Church-Missouri Synod or LCMS Memo Line: CL0001-65301
The Lutheran Church—Missouri Synod Mission Advancement
P.O. Box 66861
St. Louis, MO 63166-6861
FORO Contact: james.sharp@lcms.org

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