What did a pharmacist really need of faith? Especially one who was raised in a good Catholic home?
For 34 years, Iván didn’t think much about faith until his wife became an evangelical Christian. He turned down her invitation to go to church, but over time, as he listened to words of the music she would play, he realized the words were from God. One day, five years later, when he was alone in the house, he confessed his belief in Jesus and prayed to accept Christ into his heart. A few days later, he told God that if He wanted him in church, He would need to make it obvious. Iván’s wife walked into the room immediately and invited him to church . . . so he went.
To his surprise, it wasn’t a church at all. His wife took him to a “Casa de Paz” (House of Peace). There were about 15 people in the group when he started. As he was discipled, he began to serve wherever needed and grew in his faith. He eventually went through the ministerial formation program. At the same time, the group grew. Seven additional Houses of Peace grew out of the original one. Those house churches were consolidated into an established church, called Dios Sea Gloria – Tituro. In 2020, 11 years after his first visit, and just as the country was being shut down due to the pandemic, Iván was ordained and named head pastor of this church.
In August 2024, Iván was elected as the Superintendent of the Creative Access Country where he serves. He said, “God always has something new to teach me.” His dream is to expand the ministry of the Free Methodist Church to all 22 states of his country (the FM Church is currently present in eight states). What strategy will they use? Community Church Planting, of course, because, as Pastor Iván says, “It works!” If you have any doubts, look back at his original Casa de Paz. All 15 of the original members are pastors or in some form of church leadership . . . and involved in expanding the Kingdom of God throughout the country and wherever they go.
*To learn more about the Biblical model of Houses for Peace, read Luke 10:1-24.
