Concordia Seminary Newsroom
Loving God, Serving People
Becoming a ‘welcoming church’
When Grace Lutheran Church was searching for a pastor, its members knew they wanted someone who could minister to their congregation and also reach out among the growing Hispanic community in their south-side Milwaukee, Wis., community. That person was Germán Novelli Jr.
Nearly 3,000 miles away in Venezuela, Novelli was already serving The Lutheran Church of Venezuela (ILV), helping the pastor in his home church and taking classes at nearby Instituto Teológico Juan de Frias in Caracas. He also completed a summer term at Wisconsin Lutheran Seminary in Mequon, Wis., in 2009.
In 2011, he moved to Milwaukee, where he supported a variety of Hispanic ministries in Wisconsin, including that of Grace Lutheran. That same year, he began Concordia Seminary’s Specific Ministry Pastor (SMP) Program, a four-year distance pastoral formation program. In 2012, he officially received his SMP vicarage, which enabled him to serve at Grace Lutheran while taking classes in the four-year program. It also was during this time that he met and married the love of his life, Lucia.
His SMP training helped him to not only become a pastor, but one who could serve The Lutheran Church—Missouri Synod (LCMS) in the United States. His native language, Spanish, may have been the same language as the people he was encountering, but it was a different world in his new home. Culture, he said, always goes beyond language.
“We have the same God, we hold the same belief and we honor the same Lutheran Confessions, but the way we do church and the way we are the church is different because it responds to the culture in which we are living,” Novelli said.
“Some of the things that were brought to the table as I was starting my ministry at Grace Lutheran were questions such as ‘Are we becoming a Mexican church?’ and ‘Are we becoming a Hispanic church?’ And I said, ‘No, we have to become a welcoming church.’”
Numerous generations of Latinos, including 1.5 and 2.0 generations who primarily speak English, attend Grace Lutheran, as do many first-generation immigrants who only speak Spanish.
Grace Lutheran intentionally creates an environment where all feel welcome, regardless of a person’s ability to speak English, Novelli said. The church provides devices that offer live translations of the service for those who only speak Spanish. And Novelli says the church includes Latin American hymns and Bible readings in Spanish throughout its services to create a welcoming atmosphere for all.
In addition to generations of immigrants, there also are a number of blended families in his church — presenting another unique ministry context. Novelli recalls one blended family in particular where the wife was from Mexico and the husband had a German/Irish background. He officiated their wedding and baptized their children.
“Their kids look Hispanic, but they don’t speak Spanish,” Novelli said. “They don’t like soccer. They prefer American football.”
The family caused him to reflect on the early days of the LCMS. “As a church, we have to see our own history,” Novelli said. “At some point, our church was thoroughly German, and the language spoken in our worship services was German, because that was the language of our forefathers. But the kids began to speak English and that became the norm.”
After completing the SMP Program in 2014, Novelli wanted to learn more about serving in Hispanic ministry in the United States, so he pursued classes through the Seminary’s Center for Hispanic Studies (CHS), which are taught in Spanish. “The professors that lead CHS have such good experience, and they know how to teach theology,” Novelli said. He received his certification for general ministry through CHS in 2018, while also earning a Master of Arts (M.A.) in theology taught in Spanish.
Today, in addition to his busy pastoral duties, Novelli serves as a Student Recruitment Ambassador (SRA) for the Seminary, building relationships with prospective students and helping them discern whether ministry and the Seminary could be part of their future.
“Sometimes we see ministry as a sacrifice, as a burden,” he said. “And yes, it’s filled with challenges. Sometimes it breaks your heart to see your people, your flock, suffering and dealing with sin and dealing with the cause of sin or the results of this fallen world. But it is beautiful to bring the balm of the Gospel to people. It’s beautiful to bring the Gospel to all nations, ‘knowing that in the Lord your labor is not in vain’ (1 Cor. 15:58 ESV).”
The commission to bring the Gospel to the world belongs to us, the church, Novelli said. “If you love people and if you want to serve people, there’s nothing more powerful than being or becoming a full-time church worker. God can do great things through us, His servants!”