Spiritual hunger, receptivity rise among Hispanics

NASHVILLE — Two Southern Baptist Hispanic leaders see evidence of a spiritual hunger and high receptivity to the gospel among Hispanics in a recent study by the Pew Research Center.

Bob Sena, director of the field services team in the North American Mission Board’s church-planting group, said the fact that 23 percent of the Hispanic population now identifies with either evangelical or Protestant churches "indicates that Hispanics are now more receptive to the gospel message than ever before in the history of this country."

Southern Baptists planted 1,592 Hispanic churches during the past five years, Sena reported, an average of 318 per year.

Pew researchers documented how Latinos tend to place an emphasis on the Holy Spirit intervening in daily affairs. Also Latinos are transforming the Catholic Church as more than half of Hispanic Catholics identify themselves as charismatics and report such things as divine healings and speaking in tongues.