We Are Not Guests in This Democracy: The Latino Church and the Recovery of a Prophetic Public Voice

By Rev. Martin Garcia

Last week, public advocacy stopped being an abstract idea for me.

Jhonatan Manrique, a 21-year-old young man deeply loved by families connected with Iglesia Amistad, lay in the intensive care unit at Lutheran Hospital in Fort Wayne in critical condition. His parents, Fredy and Diana, were in Colombia, desperately trying to come to the United States to be with their son. Their request for emergency visa consideration on humanitarian grounds was denied by the U.S. Embassy in Bogotá.

As a pastor, I visited, prayed, listened, and stayed close to those who loved him. But pastoral care quickly moved beyond the hospital room. I contacted congressional offices, elected officials, clergy colleagues, and others who might help amplify this family’s plea. Some listened, made calls, and tried to help.

Jhonatan died on September 6. His parents never reached his bedside. I have not been able to stop asking: How many Latino families face moments like this without a pastor who knows whom to call, without a relationship with an elected official, and without anyone able to carry their story into a room where decisions are made?

That experience reminded me that proximity to power matters—not because the church should seek power for itself, but because relationships can create access for the sake of service. Scripture says, “Speak out for those who cannot speak” (Proverbs 31:8, NRSVUE). Yet our neighbors are not truly voiceless. Often, the problem is that institutions have decided whose voices they will hear.

Latino churches are remarkably good at responding when crisis arrives. We pray, collect food, help with rent, interpret, visit hospitals, and sit with frightened families. These ministries are sacred. But charity and pastoral care are incomplete if we never enter the places where policies are shaped and decisions are made.

The Latino population in the United States reached 70.1 million in 2025—about 21% of the country (U.S. Census Bureau, National Hispanic Heritage Month: 2026). We are not a small community standing outside American public life. We are workers, parents, voters, immigrants, citizens, neighbors, pastors, and congregations.

Yet Latino and immigrant communities are still too often discussed as subjects of political debate rather than included as full participants. That is why I believe the Latino church must recover a prophetic public voice.

Prophetic, however, cannot mean partisan. The church cannot become the religious arm of Republicans, Democrats, or any political movement. Christian witness must remain free enough to confront injustice wherever it appears—and humble enough to examine itself.

That includes my own denomination. I am grateful to belong to a church that has often advocated for immigrants. But I have also experienced moments when I needed to raise my voice within the church itself. Even institutions committed to justice can speak about immigrants rather than with them. Decisions about Latino ministry, resources, and advocacy can be made while those most affected are absent from the table, or represented only by a few familiar voices.

Representation is not simply having a Latino person in the room. It means creating space for communities to exercise voice, leadership, and meaningful influence over decisions affecting their lives.

Latino churches need relationships with mayors, council members, legislators, school officials, congressional offices, denominational leaders, and community organizations—not so a few pastors gain influence, but so that when people without institutional power need to be heard, we can help open the door and make room for them to speak.

Our calling is not to become the voice of our communities as though they have no voice. It is to help make sure their voices reach the places where decisions are made.

We must pray in the sanctuary, serve in the neighborhood, organize around the table, register eligible voters, attend public meetings, meet those who hold power, and advocate alongside those who cannot vote. Civic engagement does not replace ministry; it can become an expression of ministry.

We are not guests in this democracy. We belong to these communities. Perhaps the Latino church’s prophetic voice begins when we stop asking whether we are allowed into the conversation and start asking:

What does love require us to say—and whom does love require us to stand beside?

Rev. Martin Garcia is a Presbyterian pastor, nonprofit professional, educator, and community leader with more than 30 years of ministry experience and over two decades of work in nonprofit and community development. He currently serves as Designated Pastor of Iglesia Amistad in Fort Wayne, Indiana, where his ministry focuses on Latino communities, immigrant advocacy, community engagement, and the development of new expressions of Christian community.

He brings extensive professional experience in the nonprofit sector, with work spanning poverty alleviation, immigrant and Latino communities, community organizing, leadership development, faith-based initiatives, and cross-sector partnerships. His career has included nearly a decade with World Vision U.S., as well as significant experience connecting congregations, nonprofit organizations, community leaders, and institutions around issues of social impact and community transformation.

Garcia holds a Master of Divinity from Claremont School of Theology and a bachelor’s degree in Communication from Monterrey Institute of Technology in Mexico. He is currently pursuing a Doctor of Ministry in Church and Community Leadership at Christian Theological Seminary.