Who we are
Proyecto Nehemías is non-profit Christian ministry (EIN o 46-2009291) that was created to produce professional, high-quality Spanish-language versions of the English-language content of other Christian ministries and publishers. We are especially interested in working with Christian ministries who will allow us to make the Spanish-language versions of the material we produce in collaboration with them available free of charge on our standalone library app (also available for iPhone and Android). We are an affiliate partner of the Oikonomia Network and work closely with other non-profit organizations in the faith work and economic wisdom space such as the Theology of Work Project and the Institute for Faith, Work & Economics.
Mission and Vision
What we are:
Proyecto Nehemías is non-profit Christian ministry (EIN o 46-2009291) that was created to produce professional, high-quality Spanish-language versions of the English-language content of other Christian ministries and publishers.
We are especially interested in working with Christian ministries who offer their content free of charge or at-cost via the Web and/or iTunes and who plan to do the same with the Spanish-language versions of the material we produce in collaboration with them.
Mission Statement:
Proyecto Nehemías exists in large part to help make the faith and work conversation possible in the Spanish-speaking world. We produce professional Spanish-language translations of key resources on faith, work, economic wisdom, resilience in ministry and biblical theology for whole-life discipleship, for print and digital distribution. We wholeheartedly agree with Steven Garber that “vocation is integral, not incidental, to the missio Dei.”
The number of people in many parts of the Spanish-speaking world who self-identify as religiously unaffiliated, agnostic or atheist are on the rise especially among university-educated professionals and thought leaders. A sector of the majority world that was once a poster child for the expansion of Protestant Christianity is arguably entering into a period of post-Christendom, characterized by pluralism and secularization. This is particularly the case of major capital cities of Latin America.
While globalization and increasingly free markets have clearly led to increased wealth for many in Latin America, this has also come at a cost in terms of emotional and mental health. People are asking, “What is all this for? Why am I working myself (literally) to death?” In this context, the overarching theme of faith and work, whole-life discipleship, public responsibility and vocational stewardship for the common good is one means to communicate the true telos not only of work, but of creation and human life. It makes the good news of the gospel relevant both for this life and the next. The faith and work conversation is also of tremendous importance to the Spanish-speaking church, as it reveals how the mission of God encompasses the renewal, restoration and reformation of all things, and that all Christians can take part in God’s mission through their work.
Vision:
The purpose of Proyecto Nehemías is to serve society and the church in all manifestations of evangelical Christianity in Latin America with a particular focus on denominations that are Reformed in outlook. We partner with other Christian organizations, denominations and mission organizations to make their content available in Spanish by providing professional transcription, translation and media production services. We also engage in teaching activities, seminars and conferences on vocational orientation, biblical counseling, stewardship and business ethics according to Biblical principles and produce digital and print resources on the same topics.
We seek to collaborate with prepare leaders through programs of theological education, with a particular emphasis on Spanish-speaking pastor teachers with a call to the teaching ministry at the graduate level. A primary long-term goal of Proyecto Nehemías is to produce an indigenous Spanish-speaking theological seminary professorate to engage Latin American society via their academic writing and form other pastor teachers in Latin America, both from a Reformed perspective.
Proyecto Nehemías is based upon the authority of the inerrant word of God, the Bible, and the five solas of the Reformation. While we are essentially Reformed in our theology, and fully committed to sovereignty of God in all things, including salvation, we have adopted The Lausanne Covenant as our Statement of Faith and basis for collaboration with other like-minded organizations and ministries.
Why Nehemiah?
Who was Nehemiah and why he is a role model for us?
We chose the name Proyecto Nehemías -Nehemiah Project- for a variety of reasons. Nehemiah was a layman rather than a priest. In Proyecto Nehemías we seek to see the key tenets of the Reformation taught, put in practice and then taught to others. One of these tenets of the Reformers was the notion of “the priesthood of all believers,” which was very much emphasized by Martin Luther in particular. What this means in practical terms is that all Christians have a role to play in ministry at some level. Just because Nehemiah wasn’t part of the priestly class did he excuse himself from being of any practical benefit to the people of God. It was actually just the opposite. He held a position of prestige in the king’s court and could have easily resigned himself to a life of relative comfort. God was actually able to use Nehemiah the way he did because of his position in “secular” society rather than in spite of it.
Nehemiah was also a man of prayer as revealed throughout the book in the Bible that bears his name. We encourage all believers to make prayer a priority in all they do. Nehemiah also knew the importance of explaining the meaning of Scripture to God’s people, which in effect, has to do with teaching them theology. He enlisted the help of the scribe Ezra for this purpose.
Theology can be defined as “the application of God’s Word by persons to all areas of human life.” Rather than something dry and purely academic, theology is practical, personal, comprehensive (covering all areas of life), pastoral, intellectual, volitional and emotional. Nehemiah addressed the issues the people of God faced in his day. It is interesting that some of these, such as unsustainable levels of personal indebtedness continue to be a serious problems in the church today.
Theology is also for all the people of God, not just pastors and missionaries. That said, one of our primary tasks is creating quality theological materials in the Reformed tradition and in particular in Spanish, as that’s primarily where our ministry activities take place.
Finally, Nehemiah knew how to get people from a wide variety of backgrounds involved in God’s work. We want to see the people of God have access to quality theological training in order that they then inform all they do in their families, places of work and in Christian service based on solid theological foundations.