TEGUCIGALPA, HONDURAS – The United Methodist Mission in Honduras marked a historic milestone with the ordination of Juana Jamileth Moncada Torres, Héctor Mauricio Laínez, and María Magdalena Zelaya Cruz as the first locally born elders to be ordained in the mission’s history — a first for United Methodism in Honduras and Latin America. The ordinations took place during the mission’s annual meeting in Tegucigalpa and were presided over by Bishop Rubén Sáenz Jr., who serves as resident bishop of the Horizon Texas Conference of The United Methodist Church and is also assigned by the Council of Bishops as the presiding bishop in Honduras. Bishop Sáenz emphasized the significance of the moment and the continued growth of the church in the region.
The General Board of Global Ministries of The United Methodist Church has sent missionaries and funded the United Methodist Mission in Honduras for over two decades and continues to do so, working closely with Bishop Sáenz and local leaders to further develop the church in Honduras. GBHEM and the Horizon Texas Conference worked with the United Methodist Mission in Honduras to provide the structure and support for the first three mission elders ordained at the meeting and continues to support leadership development and ongoing courses of study training.
In the opening worship service, Bishop Juan de Dios Peña, episcopal leader of the Evangelical Methodist Church in El Salvador and president of the Council of the Evangelical Methodist Churches in Latin America and The Caribbean (CIEMAL), said ordination is the result of a long journey of formation, sacrifice and faithfulness, and not an end in itself, but a lifelong commitment to discipleship, service and spiritual leadership.
During the conference, Bishop Lizette Gabriel Montalvo of the Methodist Church of Puerto Rico reflected on the challenges women face in church leadership, affirming that women’s participation is rooted in strong biblical and theological foundations. Bishop Juan Miguel Simpson Bennett, who serves as president of the Methodist Church of the Caribbean and Americas, offered a reflection on Epiphany based on Matthew 2, calling the church to embody an inclusive faith that welcomes those who have often been pushed to the margins.
Conference leaders also signed an educational partnership agreement between the United Methodist Mission in Honduras and the Domingo Marrero Navarro Theological Studies Center of the Methodist Church of Puerto Rico. The agreement seeks to strengthen lay formation through accessible certification programs and to expand opportunities for theological education and leadership development, with new programs expected to begin in the second half of 2026.
The conference included reports from districts and ministries, as well as updates from affiliated institutions such as the Methodist Clinic in Danlí, supported by UMCOR, which provided medical care to thousands of migrants in 2025, highlighting the church’s ongoing social witness.
In the closing worship service, Sáenz pointed out the ordination of the newly ordained elders within Honduras’ challenging sociopolitical context, marked by migration, violence, poverty, and corruption. He said it is precisely in this reality that God calls the church to grow “to the full stature of Christ,” reminding the congregation that elders are not ordained to do all the work themselves, but “to equip God’s people for the work of ministry.” Sáenz emphasized that ordination is not the conclusion of a process, but the beginning of a new chapter of pastoral leadership committed to hope, accompaniment, and transformation in Honduran society.
The Rev. Gustavo Vásquez is coordinator of Hispanic-Latin Relations for United Methodist Communications.
