Great Commission catalysts stand ready to serve North Carolina Baptist churches, pastors and associational mission strategists.

Great Commission catalysts stand ready to serve North Carolina Baptist churches, pastors and associational mission strategists. They assist in developing strategies to impact communities with the gospel, identify unreached people groups and places for gospel engagement, and help churches and associations mobilize N.C. Baptists to engage the nations.

There are three statewide catalysts who work with strategic ethnic churches across North Carolina. They assist pastors, churches and associations with missions mobilization, ministry strategy development and catalyzing new work for greater kingdom impact. They help resource ethnic churches with effective ministry tools to advance their Great Commission focus.

Amaury Santos serves as the statewide Hispanic catalyst. By age 16, Santos felt called to teach God’s Word. He has served in ministry in a variety of capacities, including pastor and church planter in the Dominican Republic and the U.S.

He previously served as a language church planting missionary with the Florida Baptist Convention in partnership with the North American Mission Board.

We asked the three statewide catalysts to tell us about their work and a little bit about themselves. Here’s what Santos shared.

Tell us a bit about yourself.

I’m originally from the Dominican Republic. I came to know the Lord at 14 and was the first Christian in a mostly Catholic family. I’m married to my wife Virginia and have three boys between the ages of 15 and 20. We live in Wake Forest.

When did you join the N.C. Baptist staff?

I joined the state convention in November 2007. Since then, I’ve had the privilege of serving North Carolina churches in different capacities, always related to Hispanic ministry. I currently serve as the statewide catalyst for Hispanic churches.

If you could sum up your role in a mission statement, what would it be?

Help Hispanic North Carolina Baptist churches to be “On Mission Together.”

What excites you about your role? What makes you hopeful?

It’s exciting to motivate our Hispanic churches to look beyond their congregations. It’s also encouraging to create awareness of other ethnic groups that can be reached with the gospel right here in our own backyard.

What are the greatest needs among the churches and people you work with?

Needs vary from church to church, but one common denominator is the need for a steady income. The Hispanic population is transient. So it’s hard for some of our churches to become financially independent. It’s also hard for them to support a full-time pastor or pay off a building.

What is something unique about your area of ministry? How does it help N.C. Baptists be on mission together?

More than a dozen Latin American countries are represented in our state, which means that we have more than a dozen windows of opportunity into those countries. Also, even though we come from different countries, we share a common language and some cultural ties.

What is a fun fact about you? 

I love spending time with my family. I also love playing the drums whenever I have the chance.