Guatemala

The Lutheran Church—Missouri Synod began work in Guatemala in 1947. LCMS work focused on the areas of evangelism, church planting, leadership and seminary education. Long-term missionaries taught at Christian schools, planted churches, engaged in holistic mercy projects, and provided theological education for candidates through the Center for Theological Education (CLET). After many years of preparation, LCMS missionaries helped form the the Lutheran Church in Guatemala (ILG),today a partner church in the International Lutheran Council (ILC). The LCMS continues to support theological education and diaconal formation in Guatemala. The ILG has joined the LCMS, LCC, RSOs and congregations in the Honduras FORO to extend Lutheran church planting, education and mercy ministry in its neighbor country.

Four Countries, Eight Days

After years of hard work, patience, and coordination, the Spanish Lutheran hymnal, Himnario Luterano, arrived in Guatemala. The hymnals were published by a group of dedicated Lutheran pastors throughout Latin America, who considered the many cultural differences among the Spanish-speaking countries. Thanks to a generous gift from the Lutheran Heritage Foundation, a large portion of the printing and shipping costs were covered, making the hymnals affordable for our sister churches.

August 23, 2023

Guatemalan Lutheran School Expanding

LCMS Mission Area Facilitator and missionary Pastor Herb Burch, Pastor Roldan Rios, and Communications Specialist Justin Logston recently had the opportunity to visit Cristo el Salvador (Christ the Savior) Lutheran School in Puerto Barrios, Guatemala. The trio met with Pastor Byron Paz for a tour of the school, which has been offering quality, Christ-based education to the city of Puerto Barrios and the surrounding communities since 2002.

April 14, 2023

Giving Thanks for the Lutheran Heritage Foundation

The Lutheran Heritage Foundation (LHF) is a great help for the mission work in Latin America. We are grateful for their excellent work and congratulate them on thirty years of service to the Lord’s Church worldwide.

November 11, 2022

Deaconesses, Servants of the Church

Concordia the Reformer Seminary’s deaconess program provides training for women in five Latin American countries: the Dominican Republic, Guatemala, Mexico, Panama and Venezuela.

October 10, 2022

New Pastor for Guatemala

Rudy Carbajal was ordained and installed at Cristo Rey (Christ the King) Lutheran Church in Guatemala City, Guatemala on Sunday September 26, 2021. Pastor David Rodriguez, Senior Pastor at Cristo Rey led the liturgy; Pastor Byron Paz, Vice President and Director of CLET program for the Lutheran Church in Guatemala certified Rudy’s completion of requirements for ordination and preached at the service; Pastor Ignacio Chan, president of the Lutheran Church in Guatemala ordained and installed Carbajal at Cristo Rey; Pastor Herb Burch, Area Facilitator for Guatemala, represented the Latin American and Caribbean Region of the Lutheran Church, Missouri Synod.

September 28, 2021

Christ for All!

“Christ for all! That is how we can define the Alliance Project. From February 28 to March 14, 2021, on a trip to the Dominican Republic, I had the great opportunity to accompany eight IELB pastors and their families in language, culture and mission training. What a challenge! What learning! More than a special moment, as the Evangelical Lutheran Church of Brazil (IELB) and The Lutheran Church – Missouri Synod (LCMS) joined forces in this project to bring the love of Jesus to different peoples and cultures.

April 18, 2021

Rapid Response to Hurricanes Eta and Iota

The countries of Belize, Cuba, Guatemala, Honduras, Mexico, Nicaragua and Panama have been hardest hit by back-to-back hurricanes. Eta made landfall as a category 4 hurricane in Nicaragua on November 3rd, then lingered for two days over Central America before intensifying and moving on to Cuba, where flooding was already a growing problem.

December 15, 2020

Disaster Response Training for Guatemala and Honduras

Sixty Lutheran pastors and church members from Guatemala and Honduras gathered online for four days of Disaster Response Training last week. Pastor Alejandro Lopez presented the virtual classes from his location in Panama. Missionary Deaconess Cheryl Naumann from the Dominican Republic coordinated the instruction through the Mercy Center, an institute of Concordia the Reformer Seminary in the Dominican Republic.

September 9, 2020