This May, Rev. Orlando Ramirez of Iglesia Luterana Confesional Conexion in Naples, Florida (pictured above) celebrates his one-year anniversary joining The Lutheran Church—Missouri Synod, a journey that could not have happened if not by the Holy Spirit leading him to confessional Lutheran teachings taught in LHF’s Spanish texts. Read on to learn how his formerly neo-pentecostal Hispanic congregation has come to embrace Lutheran theology!
How did your church first start?
“The origin of our church was the result of God’s grace, who helped me to begin a church planting effort in 2013. At that time, I was sent by my [previous, neo-pentecostal] denomination to start a new church to serve the Hispanic community in the Naples, Florida area. We began with a series of projects aimed at connecting with the community. Then we started holding a series of pre-launch services, as we called them—one each month. And finally, after three or four, we launched the new congregation. Since then, we have been functioning as a church and serving the Hispanic community through the proclamation of the Gospel, although honestly, the message and focus were not very clear at the beginning. That was part of the reality I lived in, which eventually led me to begin a search that brought me to the Lutheran tradition.
“Having been formed, both as a Christian and a pastor, in a charismatic environment, there came a time when I began to feel a sense of rejection toward that setting and started to question many of the practices, customs, and, initially, some of the teachings that were common in that context. I was overwhelmed by a deep sense of frustration. During that time, providentially, I began reading some material that, while not originating from the Lutheran tradition, contained a teaching very characteristic of Lutheranism—namely, Law and Gospel. That teaching blew my mind. I can say it was key in starting the journey of faith that lay ahead.
“The author referred, among others, to John Wesley, the founder of the movement I belonged to. That prompted me to read Wesley’s sermons and writings for the first time. There, I encountered another doctrine—not one Wesley is mainly known for, but one he articulated emphatically—namely, justification by faith. This doctrine, so basic and fundamental to our Protestant heritage, was extremely novel to me, unknown in its depth and richness. As illogical as it may seem, the more I read Wesley, the farther I felt from my own Wesleyan tradition. Through Wesley, I was introduced to Reformed theology – completely unknown to me at the time. Yet in the Reformed tradition, I was finding a richness of faith and spiritual nourishment that I had never experienced in my contemporary evangelical theology. However, at that time, there were obstacles that prevented me from leaving evangelicalism and embracing the Reformed world; for example, the doctrine of double predestination.”
What drew you to the Lutheran church body?
“In the midst of this process came the pandemic, along with the theological debate on “online communion.” In my previous denomination, this was not a debated issue—some accepted it, some didn’t, and everyone was fine with that. But since I was on a different theological page, I found it necessary to begin studying the matter – something I had never taken time to examine, like so many other doctrines. Since Wesley was somewhat ambiguous and unclear on this subject (as he was on others too), I was, providentially, guided to read about Holy Communion from the Lutheran perspective. And that’s where it all began. The more I read confessional Lutheran authors, the more I discovered a completely unknown, yet ancient, scriptural and beautiful tradition.
“The study of the Sacrament of Holy Communion led me to study the Sacrament of Holy Baptism, which was another extraordinary discovery. These studies led me to focus particularly on sacramental theology. At this point especially, I was already definitively distancing myself from both the Reformed and Wesleyan worlds; I had already entirely renounced the charismatic and neo-Pentecostal world. And something interesting happened— as I was discovering and studying sacramental theology, this led me to the discovery of liturgical theology.
“While I was discovering the Lutheran tradition, the only source of help I had was social media— despite how confusing and unreliable it can sometimes be. During my search, I came across a reference to LHF, and to my great delight, I found they had extremely valuable materials that were key in my formation. For example, the series of Lutheran Dogmatics books was crucial. I received them and began devouring them. To this day, they are a treasure in Spanish that I frequently consult.
“The LHF books were fundamental for me. I remember studying at night, discovering entirely new doctrines that challenged my reason and my previous teachings, with no one to guide me through the process—only the Lord, the Bible, and the LHF books.”
How did your congregation begin the process of learning about Lutheranism?
“As I started to study [these new teachings], I began sharing with the church what I was learning. As my Biblical and theological understanding was being redefined by the Scriptures and the Lutheran perspective, I was conveying the teaching through the Sunday sermon and Wednesday night Bible studies. These were very intense sessions with the congregation—many questions, as [this was a] Biblical understanding quite far from what we had been formed in—but as we moved forward, the Lord has been mercifully helping us. We have been aligning doctrine with practice, particularly in liturgical matters. In this way, the church has also been part of this process that, even today, still occupies us.
“Although our church was “Methodist,” in reality it consisted of brothers and sisters from various religious backgrounds—for example, Baptists, Pentecostals, Methodists, Presbyterians, Reformed, non-denominational and Roman Catholic. This has been part of the great challenge I’ve faced as a pastor throughout this process. You can imagine that it has not been an easy task to introduce the doctrine and practice of the Lutheran tradition into a group of believers who are very diverse in their Biblical and theological formation!
“The learning process with the congregation has been very interesting and at times challenging. In recent years, we’ve had a very stable group, most of whom have been open to study and learn what I’ve been sharing (without a doubt, the Lord has been at work). The reactions have been mixed. At times, tension when old perspectives are confronted by new teaching. At other times, joy upon discovering the richness of a new teaching. And sometimes, sorrow when beloved members left the church, unwilling to continue along the Lutheran path. We’ve had a bit of everything. But overall, it has been very positive and spiritually enriching.”
Where does your congregation stand today?
“In May 2024, after due process, I was accepted into the LCMS roster through colloquy. It was a very special moment, personally. Later, in October, our congregation was incorporated into fellowship with the LCMS in our Florida-Georgia District, and I was installed as pastor of our congregation. This journey of faith has been and continues to be a great challenge, but we keep trusting in the Lord to reach the intended destination.”
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