Influence: Please share your experience working in a nondenominational church plant and your recent launch of an Assemblies of God church.

Liz Rios: In 2015, we attempted to start a church in Hollywood, Florida. While we had our home church and another church helping us financially, we needed on the ground support, mentoring, coaching and access to more funding. After one year, we decided to close and ask God what could we do better and where. That was when we met a network that told us to consider planting with the Assemblies of God’s Church Multiplication Network. Now, we are so excited to be pastoring in our own city, which happened to be the No. 1 city on the CMN’s top 10 list of places that needed a Spirit-empowered church before we claimed it.

So far the difference between planting alone and through the AG has been night and day. We received excellent training from CMN, and we have had access to other funders to help us in our first year. We are looking forward to meeting other AG ministers in our area who want to link arms with new church plants. We hope to do good in the community as one force, learn from pastors who have been in this area longer, and continue to build alliances.

You and your husband describe yourself as “New York Ricans.” How does your intercultural background influence your ministry?

We believe churches take on the flavor of their pastors. Thus, our NuYoRican background definitely adds to our faith community. By ethnicity, Puerto Ricans are really Afro-Latino due to the historical mix of indigenous tribes. When we started recruiting for our worship team, we explained our style as "blatino" so they would understand our cultural influences in music selection.

We believe churches take on the flavor of their pastors.

We are a gospel-centered, urban-flavored, Spirit-driven, community-focused church. Jesus destroyed cultural walls at Calvary, and we as the church are intentionally trying to form a community where everyone is welcome.

What is one way a church can become more multicultural?

If we really want our churches to look like heaven, we need to intentionally add people to our teams, including high-level leadership, that look like the rest of our community. When people visit, they should see themselves as part of the fabric of the church. Nothing screams you are the real deal on multiculturalism than adding voices to the table that don't look at or see the world like you.

Is there a Scripture verse that directs your approach to ministry?

Romans 15:20 says, “It has always been my ambition to preach the gospel where Christ was not known, so that I would not be building on someone else’s foundation.”

My husband and I are bivocational and have made an intentional decision to be very active in the community. In this way, we let our life speak by sharing our love for God in places some pastors wouldn't bother to go. At our launch, half of the people there were from our community connections. We are doing the reverse of the attractional model. Instead of saying, “come to our cool church,” we are going to their cool events while praying that one day our relationships will be at a point where they trust us with their spiritual lives.

This article originally appeared in the December 2016/January 2017 issue of Influence. For more print content, subscribe.