Pastor Leo Castro, the founder of Eternidad Centro Cristiano (Eternity Christian Center) discusses the unique challenges of starting a church that serves a predominantly Hispanic immigrant community, including language and cultural barriers, high turnover, and financial constraints. Despite these challenges, Pastor Leo highlighs the blessings of serving the members of his church. There is a strong sense of family, a joy in working together, and great rewards in assisting this underserved segment of our region. 

He emphasizes the importance of equipping believers to be disciples and ministers, rather than just focusing on church attendance numbers. His vision is for churches in the Reno area to come together in unity to reach the community with the love of Jesus Christ.

Pastor César Minera shares the story of how he started Palabra de Vida, one of the first Hispanic churches in the Reno area. This happened after César felt called by God to preach despite his initial plans to become a dentist. He describes Palabra de Vida as a multi-ethnic, bilingual church that is a “picture of heaven.”

César also discusses his involvement in planting other Hispanic churches in the region and leading the Association of Evangelical Ministers of Nevada (AMEN) to promote unity and outreach among Hispanic churches. He highlights the unique challenges of pastoring a migrant congregation and the importance for all of the local church to support the Hispanic community.

Pastor Craig Dyson shares how he felt called by God to plant CONVO Church in Reno, Nevada in 2018, and describes the difficulty of navigating through the pandemic in 2000. He also talks about how he enjoys leading a diverse, multi-generational congregation that empowers both young and seasoned believers.

Pastor Craig also speaks about the church’s mission to influence culture and address difficult topics from a Biblical perspective. Dyson encourages people to pursue their God-given purpose and use their unique gifts to impact the world around them.

Beginning by sharing his journey to faith, Pastor Bryan Smith tells the story of Summit Christian Church, which was founded in the late 1990’s and has since expanded to a large campus in Sparks and another in Fernley. 

Pastor Smith shares what he believes is the key to bringing young people into the church, and he also talks about the importance of collaboration and support among local churches to collectively reach the community for Christ.

Pastor Phil McKay shares his journey of faith, from being saved at a young age to serving as the pastor of Calvary Chapel Reno-Sparks. He discusses the importance of having a multi-generational congregation and the church’s vision of “walking authentically with Jesus” and “giving hope” by sharing the Gospel.

Pastor McKay emphasizes the church’s role in engaging with the local community and collaborating with other pastors to make an impact in the city.

Pastor Jack Quinn discusses his role at Grace Community Church, where he oversees the youth, middle school, and young adult programs. Jack shares his personal journey of growing up in a family of faith and finding his own connection to the Church later in life.

He emphasizes the importance of mentorship and intergenerational relationships within the church, and how older, wiser leaders have impacted his own faith. Jack also speaks about the challenges and opportunities of ministering to the younger generation, and his efforts to collaborate with other youth pastors in the community to reach more young people for Christ.

Brian shares how he has witnessed prayer transforming cities and communities.

He tells his personal story of how his daughter’s illness led him to dedicate his life to mobilizing prayer across America and the world.

He also discusses the “Pray for Five” initiative, which encourages believers to pray daily for five people in their lives who do not know Jesus.

Gabriel tells his personal story of coming to faith and overcoming depression and suicidal thoughts.

He discusses the diversity and growth of the Latino evangelical community in the United States, highlighting their values of community, family, and missional outreach.

Gabriel provides practical advice for building bridges across cultures and engaging in public life with faith, emphasizing the importance of curiosity, empathy, humility, and integrity.

Jeff discusses the importance of discipleship and equipping all believers to live out their faith in every aspect of life, not just within the walls of the church. He encourages all Christians to be disciple-makers and to see their everyday lives as an expression of their love for Christ.

How do we lead a city to Christ? The way to do this is for the knowledge of God’s glory to saturate every area of life, with believers displaying the character of Christ in their workplaces, neighborhoods, and communities.

Christ Together is an organization that aims to unify churches across the United States to reach cities with the gospel. The executive director, Will Plitt, shares his faith journey of going from being disillusioned with the church to becoming a pastor and eventually leading Christ Together.

He describes how Christ Together was formed by a group of pastors who recognized the need for a shift in the church’s priorities, moving away from a focus on individual church growth and towards taking responsibility for reaching entire cities and regions with the gospel.