David Zayas not only faithfully leads his own congregation, he also spearheads church planting as superintendent of the Southern Latin District. The district is only three years old and spans boundaries from Mississippi, Alabama, and Georgia up to the Carolinas along the East Coast. Pastor Zayas is just now beginning official efforts in the district to focus on church planting, though it’s been a passion of his for a long time.

Pastor Zayas moved to Georgia from Syracuse, New York, in 1997. It was in Marietta, Georgia, that he began serving at Iglesia Misionera Asambleas de Dios, first as a youth pastor and then teaching at the church’s Bible institute. His wife served as children’s pastor.

During that time, he felt the call to step out on his own and plant a new church, Iglesia Fuente De Vida Asamblea de Dios in Woodstock, Georgia.

“Ten years later and we’re still here, the church is still growing, and we’re confident God has us where He wants us,” Pastor Zayas says.

Pastor Zayas is no stranger to church planting. His parents moved from Buffalo, New York, to Syracuse when he was young. When they couldn’t find a Hispanic church they liked, Pastor Zayas’ father started his own. That makes him a second generation church planter.

“I felt a burning in my heart to be intentional about church planting.” — David Zayas

Now he’s raising a new generation of church planters in the Southern Latin District. The first years have been focused on putting a structure in place.

“We’ve been laying a foundation,” Pastor Zayas says. “I felt a burning in my heart to be intentional about church planting.

“Part of my district has been using a church multiplication model that asks pastors to identify potential church planting candidates who are then brought in for a day workshop called ‘Sembrando Iglesias Saludables’ (Planting Healthy Churches).”

These programs are crucial to helping Hispanic pastors get off on the right foot. They incorporate training materials that have been translated into Spanish, but they also identify culturally unique aspects of Hispanic church planting and how to apply them.

“Some things are universal, but other things are not,” Pastor Zayas reminds us.

With a new focus on church planting comes new challenges. Finances are at the top of the list. Pastor Zayas is challenging churches in his district to give monthly to a central fund to help pay for the rent of new churches and even provide salary assistance to new church planters.

Another challenge is finding settled Hispanic communities in cities where church planters are ministering.

“Some of our adherents are very mobile, taking on seasonal jobs that don’t allow them to stay long in one place,” Pastor Zayas adds. Also, there is a real fear among some that they or their relatives may be deported, which can prevent deep roots from setting in.

But these challenges have not deterred Pastor Zayas and the pastors he leads. The district has shown real growth, adding new churches to its fellowship every year. And the future is bright, thanks to the passion and intentionality that come with the Holy Spirit’s leading.

This article originally appeared in the June/July 2017 edition of Influence magazine.