Mexico Partnership Update February 2025
Visiting Our Friends and Partners in México
From the windswept high desert of Durango to the sweltering tropical Pacific coast lowlands of Colima, the Spirit of God is on the move in a mighty way in this predominantly Catholic country. Since 2021, The Outreach Foundation has partnered with the National Presbyterian Church of México (INPM) to advance the Gospel and mature disciples for Christ’s kingdom. The Presbyterian church is alive and thriving south of the border, with 8,000 congregations and over six million members.
Reaching the Lost in Durango and Colima
One of the key priorities of the Presbyterian church in México is planting new churches where there is minimal evangelical presence. Outreach Foundation donors and church partners currently support a church plant in the southern city of Tapachula, which focuses on ministering to the +30,000 immigrants that come across the nearby border with Guatemala. They also support a vibrant new church for the next generation in the southwestern state of Oaxaca, which includes youth and young adult ministries and regular evangelistic outreach.
This past February, Executive Director Mark Mueller, Latin America and Africa Specialist Doug Nielson, and Trustee Rev. Deena Candler journeyed to México with the INPM leadership team, where they visited church plants in the northwest states of Durango and Colima.
Durango city is the capital of the state and its largest city (700,000 population). Iglesia Vida is the only Presbyterian church in the state of Durango (two million population). This vibrant church of 70 and their pastor, Noe Reyes, has a big vision for their city. They want to plant four more churches in Durango. Two of their elders are already making plans for the near term. Julian, who is pursuing his seminary degree, plans to use his professional wrestling-themed restaurant to host services on the east side of the city. Arturo, who has a computer repair business and is also working on his Master of Divinity, ideally wants to plant a church on the north side of the city. The Outreach Foundation will be coming alongside Iglesia Vida and the INPM to help fund these two church planters.
In the bustling tropical city of Colima, we visited la Iglesia Puerta de Salvación (Door of Salvation). It is also the only Presbyterian church in the state (750,000 population). Congregants drive up to 1.5 hours from Manzanillo and Tecomán, the second and third largest cities in the state, to attend this church. Pastor José Luis Rodríguez and his congregation of 30 are actively serving their community (including holding services at the local drug rehabilitation center). They also dream of partnering with the INPM to plant churches in Manzanillo and Tecomán.
Training Leaders
The Outreach Foundation is also partnering with the INPM to sponsor leadership training events to help church leaders faithfully lead their flocks and re-energize their personal walks through accountability groups. These conferences use an interactive curriculum taught by experienced Mexican pastors and have reached hundreds of pastors, elders, and deacons. These conferences, which started in 2023, will continue in 2025, with at least seven conferences already completed or planned as the Mexican leadership team attempts to reach as many of their 77 presbyteries as possible.