Philanthropic Spirituality & Leadership Success Models in the U.S. and Puerto Rico Hispanic/Latino Churches with Community Service Experience

“"Who are the U.S. and Puerto Rico Hispanic/Latinos Churches, clergy, and lay leaders demonstrating philanthropic psychology and spiritual principles? How they created healthy and thriving communities of faith engaged in community service ministries that engender personal and communal well-being?" ”

Team Members/Contributors

Hector Lopez-Sierra Universidad del Sagrado Corazón, Puerto Rico, Universidad de Puerto Rico Contact Me
Franklin Guerrero AARP Foundation Contact Me

About this pastoral study project

We are identifying and conducting on-site visits and semi-structured interviews with pastors and key laypersons in each regionally identified Hispanic/Latino Churches of the North East, South East, Southwest, Mid-West of the US and Puerto Rico.

The main criteria for the identification will be 1) congregations that generate revenue of three hundred and fifty thousand dollars, financially sustain personnel and infrastructure, discipleship programs and ministries, and support their community service; and 2) support codes of fundraising ethical standards. Because there is no comprehensive list of congregations in the US, researchers must consult the following Hispanic/Latino: American Baptist Church, Christian Reformed Church; Disciples of Christ; Evangelical Lutheran Church in America; Pentecostal Church of God; Presbyterian Church, USA; Roman Catholic; Seventh-day Adventist; Southern Baptist; United Church of Christ; and United Methodist Church.

The interviews outcomes will be:
1. Map out the journey, processes, systems, and how the pastoral theological praxis of those types of churches connect with philanthropic psychology and spiritual principles that can create healthy, well-being-focused, and thriving communities of faith.
2. Generate a short guide of concepts and tools that clergy and lay leadership can utilize in developing a practice of fundraising sophistication that will help to create sustainability for the churches and eliminate excessive dependency on fragile financial denominational structures; and
3. Create a self-directed sustainability communication platform to come together to learn about philanthropic psychology principles, fundraising, share case studies, and best practices in raising major private contributions to generate long-term sustainability of their churches and community service.