Fernando Amaro’s ministry is a testimony of God’s provision and the power of the Cooperative Program. During his 33 years of commitment to the Arizona Southern Baptist Convention, Amaro has served as pastor, church planter, multi-ethnic church planting facilitator, Hispanic ministries facilitator, and Hispanic church planting catalyst (CPC). He is also the founder and director of Escuela Bíblica de Liderazo, a Biblical leadership school for Spanish speakers.

In 2019, he was appointed as the church planting catalyst for the Interstate-8 corridor, one of the six CPC regions in Arizona. His mission is to actively address the need for and development of new churches among the region’s 610,500 people. The majority of people living in the I-8 corridor are Anglo, Hispanic, and Native Americans. In addition, there are a smaller number of other cultures, including Filipino, Chinese, Brazilian, Japanese, Vietnamese, and Middle Eastern.

“I exist to develop relationships with pastors and congregations, to serve them and resource them when they are ready to multiply,” Fernando says. “We will assess your church to get help from the North American Mission Board and train church planters and provide materials. I participate in the whole process.”

Why invest in new churches?

“Generations are changing,” Fernando says. “Society is moving forward. By 2028, the projected population of Arizona will be 9 million. We will not be able to keep up with the growth.”

The key is multiplication.

“We are not inviting pastors to lead megachurches but to multiply their churches in different places to make outreach easier,” Fernando says. “You can do better ministry if you multiply.”

Fernando Amaro is the CP.

Because you and your church give, You are the CP.