Key points:
- Juana Jamileth Moncada Torres, Héctor Mauricio Rodríguez Laínez and María Magdalena Zelaya Cruz are the first pastors ordained as elders in the United Methodist Mission in Honduras.
- “This is historic for Methodism in Latin America,” said Bishop Rubén Sáenz Jr., episcopal leader of the mission and incoming president of the Council of Bishops.
- A new agreement between the mission and the Domingo Marrero Navarro Theological Studies Center aims to strengthen the formation of Methodist laity.
- The Methodist Clinic operating at the Migrant Care Center in Danlí, supported by the United Methodist Committee on Relief, served 16,726 migrants in 2025.
The United Methodist Mission in Honduras is experiencing a defining moment in its history, with the ordination — for the first time since its founding — of native elders of the country.
Juana Jamileth Moncada Torres, Héctor Mauricio Rodríguez Laínez and María Magdalena Zelaya Cruz are the first pastors to be ordained as elders in the United Methodist Mission in Honduras and in Latin America more broadly, as this mission is currently the only denominational presence of The United Methodist Church in the region.
“This gathering is very special because we are ordaining the first elders in the history of this mission,” said Bishop Rubén Sáenz Jr., episcopal leader of the mission and incoming president of the Council of Bishops of The United Methodist Church. “This is historic for Methodism in Latin America.”
The United Methodist Board of Global Ministries has sent missionaries and funded the United Methodist Mission in Honduras for more than two decades and continues to do so, working closely with Bishop Sáenz and local leaders to strengthen the development of the church in Honduras.
Additionally, the United Methodist Board of Higher Education and Ministry and the Horizon Texas Annual Conference have worked alongside the mission to provide the structure and support necessary for the ordination of these first three mission elders. The board continues to support leadership development and ongoing basic and advanced Course of Study training.
The bishop’s remarks were delivered during the sixth annual Meeting of the United Methodist Mission in Honduras, held Jan. 30-31 in Tegucigalpa, the country’s capital.
The meeting began with an opening worship service in which Bishop Juan de Dios Peña of the Evangelical Methodist Church of El Salvador and president of the Council of Evangelical Methodist Churches of Latin America and the Caribbean highlighted God’s call in the lives of the candidates for elder’s orders in The United Methodist Church in Honduras. He emphasized that ordination is the result of a long process of formation, sacrifice and obedience that begins well before the public act.
Peña underscored the importance of personal and spiritual care, citing 1 Timothy 4:16, and affirmed that ministry is first strengthened in the inner life of the pastor before being reflected in the community.
“Ordination is not a final achievement, but a commitment to discipleship, service and spiritual guidance, especially in a challenging social context marked by violence, poverty and migration,” he said in his sermon. He urged pastors to sustain hope, faith and “a heart after Christ,” reminding them that before being ministers, they are disciples called to transform their communities.
Next, Bishop Lizzette Gabriel Montalvo of the Methodist Church of Puerto Rico, one of the special guests at the annual meeting, presented a keynote titled “Women and the Church: Challenges of Today and Tomorrow.” She highlighted the paradox within Methodism and Christianity more broadly, where women make up the majority of church membership, yet their access to leadership remains limited and marked by discrimination.
Gabriel Montalvo noted that “data from the United States, Europe and Latin America reveal a persistent gap between participation and authority, and nearly half of women acknowledge having experienced some form of discrimination in ministry.” She addressed this reality from a biblical and historical perspective, reaffirming equality between men and women from creation and through the ministry of Jesus, and affirmed that women’s leadership has a strong theological and evangelical foundation.
Meet the elders
The Rev. Héctor Mauricio Rodríguez Laínez
The Rev. Héctor Mauricio Rodríguez Laínez began his journey with the church in childhood, when his grandmother would take him “almost by force” to the Central United Methodist Church of Tegucigalpa. “It was never my goal to become a presbyter; my goal was always to serve the church,” he states. After years of theological studies and 11 years in ministry, he experiences his ordination as a joy beyond words. “I can’t even explain the joy of being among the first.” His calling was confirmed in a powerful spiritual experience: “That’s when I knew it was God; I felt as if someone was embracing me.” He has served in communities affected by violence and poverty, yet he maintains his commitment. “The United Methodist Church does not look at social class; what matters is bringing the Gospel where no one wants to go.”
The Rev. María Magdalena Zelaya Cruz
LThe Rev. María Magdalena Zelaya Cruz comes from a deeply Catholic family and was the first among her siblings to take a different path within the Christian faith. “I didn’t plan to be a pastor; I just wanted to help the church,” she says. Even facing resistance for being a woman, she accepted pastoral candidacy in the mid-2000s. She has served in multiple congregations, experiencing both love and rejection. “I’ve learned that as pastors we are sometimes doctors, counselors, psychologists … we do everything,” she notes. Her emotion at being among the first ordained elders is overwhelming: “I cried. … I still cry. It’s such a huge step that I have no words.”
The Rev. Juana Jamileth Moncada Torres
From a rural community with limited education, the Rev. Juana Jamileth Moncada Torres joined The United Methodist Church in the late 1990s. “I arrived broken, and there I found the love of God,” she recalls. Walking kilometers with her children to serve, she began a ministry with children that grew into a full faith community. Despite interrupting her studies, she resumed with a clear goal — “I wanted to be a pastor” — selling garments to support her calling. For Jamileth, The United Methodist Church represents hospitality, opportunity and mission, a place where her vocation was recognized and her faith found a path to serve others.
She recalled that Methodism has historically embodied this conviction through women preachers, missionaries and leaders such as Susanna Wesley, Sarah Crosby, Julia Torres Fernández — the first Latina woman ordained in The United Methodist Church — and several Latin American bishops. Nevertheless, she acknowledged ongoing challenges such as patriarchal structures, wage inequality and exclusion from decision-making spaces, calling for the construction of a truly inclusive church in which women’s leadership is recognized as an act of justice, biblical faithfulness and communal enrichment.
Later, Bishop Juan Miguel Simpson Bennett, connectional president of the Methodist Church of the Caribbean and the Americas and episcopal leader of the Panama-Costa Rica District, presented the address, “Epiphany as Inclusion: Come, All Are Welcome.”
Simpson reflected on Matthew 2 to explore the meaning of Epiphany “beyond Three Kings Day,” noting that the wise ones from the East, attentive to “the signs of the times,” recognized God’s manifestation, while Herod and religious authorities reacted with fear and corrupted power. From a Methodist and Wesleyan perspective, he affirmed that “God is revealed outside established religious circles” and that the church is called to live an inclusive faith in which “God does not belong to a single group.” In this context, he reminded the ordinands that ordination “is not a final achievement but a commitment” to discipleship and spiritual care, necessary to serve with hope amid violence, poverty and migration.
Educational agreement
Gabriel Montalvo and Sáenz signed an agreement between the United Methodist Mission in Honduras and the Domingo Marrero Navarro Theological Studies Center to strengthen the formation of Methodist laity. Gabriel Montalvo expressed “very high expectations,” trusting that the partnership will offer theological and spiritual formation to a large number of Honduran laypeople and further strengthen the relationship between both churches.
For his part, Sáenz stated that the agreement will make training more accessible for both laity and clergy, calling it “a blessing for the initiative in Honduras.” He emphasized that the hybrid format will expand theological and missional capacity and affirmed that “a solid formal education, provided by well-prepared teachers, will help move this mission forward,” creating momentum for future ministerial steps.
The Rev. Luis Daniel Román, dean of the Theological Studies Center, explained that the agreement integrates the center as an official resource for lay formation in Honduras. In turn, the Rev. Daniel Contreras, Honduras Mission program director, noted that the goal is to “empower the laity,” increase their involvement and form “lay leadership capable of meeting today’s challenges.” He added that, following a period of promotion, the courses are expected to begin in the second half of 2026.
The church gives account
The second day of the meeting began with a presentation by Bishop Sáenz reflecting on Christian maturity and the mission of the church in light of Paul’s letter to the Ephesians. He explained that immaturity manifests when life is centered solely on oneself, while maturity in Christ involves thinking of others and embracing sacrifice.
“That is spiritual maturity; that is maturity in Christ,” he said.
Sáenz pointed out that Paul writes to formerly pagan communities to affirm that “Christ is supreme” and that in Him God creates “a new humanity” reconciled.
Drawing from Ephesians 4, he emphasized that faith must be integrated into everyday life, calling the church to “live worthily” and to grow “to the full stature of Christ.” He applied this message to the Honduran context, marked by violence and poverty, reminding that the mission of the church is “to make disciples of Jesus Christ for the transformation of the world” and to live united as “one Lord, one faith, one baptism,” reflecting the Kingdom of God today.
Reports were presented by districts and ministries on activities and progress during 2025. A special recognition was given to the report from the Methodist Clinic operating at the Migrant Care Center in Danlí, supported by the United Methodist Committee on Relief. In 2025 alone, the clinic served 16,726 migrants, highlighting the ongoing migration flow and the need for sustained resources in health care.
Approved as ‘workers of God’
Following approval by the Board of Ministry of the United Methodist Mission in Honduras, in connection with the Horizon Texas Annual Conference, and by the plenary session, the consecration of the three new elders took place during the closing worship service.
In a special ceremony, the ordinands received the laying on of hands by the bishops, the imposition of the presbyteral stole, the ordination certificate and The United Methodist Book of Worship.
Subscribe to our
e-newsletter
Sáenz, who delivered the ordination sermon, described the service as “a truly sacred moment” and the fruit of “more than 20 years of faithful work” by bishops, pastors, laity and communities who have sustained the mission in Honduras.
He emphasized the historic importance of ordaining Magdalena, Jamileth and Héctor as the first local elders, celebrating their response to God’s call with the biblical words, “Here I am, send me,” trusting not in human certainty but in the divine promise: “I will be with you.”
He concluded by situating the ordination within Honduras’ complex reality — marked by migration, violence, poverty and corruption — and affirmed that precisely in such a context, God calls the church to grow “to the full stature of Christ.” He reminded the assembly that elders are not ordained to do everything themselves, but to “equip the saints for the work of ministry,” concluding that what was experienced “is not the end of a process, but the beginning of a new chapter in God’s work in this nation.”
Vásquez is coordinator of Hispanic-Latin Relations at United Methodist Communications.
For inquiries, contact UM News at (615) 742-5470, newsdesk@umnews.org or gvasquez@umcom.org. To read more United Methodist news, subscribe to the free UM News Digest.
