Rudy Paniagua is the director of Hispanic church planting for the SoCal Network (Assemblies of God). He is planting on fertile ground, with 20 churches already planted this year under his leadership and another 10 in the pipeline.

Rudy Paniagua is no stranger to church planting. Three years ago, he launched Vida Church (AG) in La Puente, California, and, after early God-given success, was approached to teach other pastors how to plant missional churches.

“It was a hard decision,” Paniagua says.

Having left behind the proverbial American dream to start Vida Church, he faced the possibility of moving on from another dream.

“The most difficult part was leaving a loving church family behind,” Paniagua says.

But now, as the director of Hispanic church planting for the SoCal Network, he sees God’s hand in every step he’s taken. This year he has seen 20 churches planted, and another 10 are already in the pipeline for 2018 and beyond. The difference has been the focus on missional-driven rather than program-driven systems for church planting.

“Missional-driven really just means that they understand the needs of the community and how they can reach them,” Paniagua says. “When we meet with a potential church planter, we ask them to first do some research and ask some questions of the people in the community. First, do you attend a church, and why or why not? Next, what are the needs in the community as you see them? And finally, what would attract you to a church and make you want to attend?”

Next, church planters are instructed to meet with the local city council to get a full picture of the needs right in their own backyard.

Paniagua sees God’s hand in every step he’s taken.

“This uncovers not only the physical and spiritual needs of the community, but reveals what the Holy Spirit is already doing there,” Paniagua says.

These foundational steps are vital to Hispanic church planting. For years, Hispanic churches have failed to produce new churches and leaders, Paniagua says. He explains that many pastors feel like they can’t afford to raise up leaders and watch them leave.

“But they really can’t afford not to,” Paniagua says. “Because once they invest in the kingdom of God, that’s when the parent church really sees growth.”

Currently there are 100 Hispanic churches in the SoCal Network, more than 20 percent of its total churches. And the number is growing.

Paniagua points to an important factor contributing to this growth: “We value the Hispanic pastor.”

Each Hispanic church planter goes through a five-month training process that includes monthly meetings where they discuss the needs of their community, how they are shaping the vision and values of their congregation, and how to obtain resources and manage money.

“The goal is to have a relevant church,” Paniagua says. “We want to help them plant a church for the 21st century and beyond.”

Not only does the SoCal Network provide spiritual and leadership mentoring, but it also helps financially — whether by connecting planters with an existing church that can help parent them or by offering scholarships to help offset the cost of training, books and immediate needs.

“We are committed to resourcing, encouraging and mentoring them each step of the way,” Paniagua says.

This article originally appeared in the October/November/December 2017 edition of Influence magazine.