12 things you should know about Mexico

Recently, a young man from a Christian school in the United States sent me a list of questions for a report he was doing on missions. Since I took the time to answer his questions, I figured I’d post our conversation here in hopes that it would help you to better understand what do and where we do it.

1. Does the government place many restrictions on your ministry?

Mount Hebron Baptist Church – Picture by Jonathan Ashcraft

The government of Mexico does not restrict our evangelistic efforts in any way. We are, however, required to register our church under "Asuntos Religiosos" which is a branch of the secretary of state. We also have to declare our income and expenses to the Mexican government. I believe this is to cut down on money laundering through religious and non-profit organizations.

2. Does the government disapprove of you spreading the Gospel?

The government does not disapprove of the spread of the Gospel, but they don't help either. Mexico is a Catholic country at heart. It seems like we have a harder time getting things done than the Catholic church across the street. I'm not saying that the Catholics get any preferential treatment, but it sure seems that way.

3. What religions are dominant?

As stated above, Mexico is a Catholic nation at heart. Most of the customs, holidays and traditions are based, or have been heavily influenced, by the Catholic Church. Christmas is a good example. In the U. S., we don’t necessarily consider Christmas to be a Catholic holiday. We consider it a religious holiday, but in Mexico there are many traditions related to Christmas that make it more of a Catholic holiday. In fact, many Baptists in Mexico who converted from Catholicism, refuse to celebrate Christmas because it reminds them of when they were Catholics.

Other religions that are dominant are Mormons, Jehovah’s Witnesses, Charismatics, Pentacostals and Seventh Day Adventists.

4. How many independent fundamental Baptist works are present in your country?

The Independent, Fundamental Baptist movement has grown considerably in the last 40 years. Since the 1980’s IFB churches have been planted in all of Mexico’s 31 states. Our city, Monterrey, has several. If I had to guess, I would say there are more than 1,000 Independant, Fundamental Baptist churches in Mexico.

National Pastors and Workers Conference – Mount Hebron Baptist Church, Monterrey, México

5. How well are you and the Gospel received in your country?

Ángel Zuñiga being baptized at Mount Hebron Baptist Church (Dad and grandmother are present)

Mexicans are warmhearted, hospitable people by nature. It’s in the culture to be polite. It is commonplace to be invited in for a cup of water while out soul winning. So, as a person, you will be well received. Of course, you’ll run into the occasional rude person, but it’s not nearly as common as in the United States. I would 1000 times rather go soul winning in Mexico than in the U. S.

Mexicans are open to the Gospel. The Gospel is the powerful message of the death, burial and resurrection of Jesus Christ. It is a powerful key to people’s hearts and minds. It is well received. I rarely come back from soul winning without seeing at least one person saved. On many occasions, everyone I have spoken to on a given day out soul winning, received Christ as their Savior.

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6. What is the greatest challenge the new believers face?

Improvised Philosophy of Ministry class with Mexican missionaries Armando Anaya, Victor Velazquez and Luis Monje.

Growth. In my opinion, this is the same no matter where you are in the world. Jesus said that the Word of God is like a seed. Some seed falls on the rocks, and the sun comes out and dries it up. Some seed falls by the road and the birds come and eat it. Some seed falls in the thorns and they grow up and strangle it. Then other seeds fall in fertile soil and grow well. When people hear the Word of God, there are many distractions – the Devil, the world, sin. We all need prayer to grow in the grace and knowledge of our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ.

In our city specifically, the #1 excuse I get from people is that they just don’t have time. Many people move to our area for work so they are busy all the time. This is one of the things that gets more people out of church than anything else… secular work and making money.

7. What is the most difficult challenge that you have?

Our ministry has been going through a legal battle for the last several years. We have had several acres of property taken from us. We have a Bible Institute. Two thirds of that property was taken from the ministry. On that property were over 15,000 square feet of ministry buildings including girls dorms, our 300 seat dining hall, our offices, our Bible distribution center and five staff homes. We have been in court trying to get all this property and facilities back for the ministry. It is very costly and stressful. Please pray for this struggle.

8. What customs or traditions do you need to honor so that you do not offend the natives of your country?

As far as our part of Mexico is concerned, we don’t have to worry much about things like that. We live in a modern city with a population of over 4 million. There is a mixture of traditions and cultures from all of Mexico here, so people have moved on from being offended when their particular customs aren’t observed.

That being said, people do expect you to be polite, speak to, and greet them. Other than that, nothing out of the ordinary.

9. What unique geographical features does your country contain?

Mexico spans from the Atlantic to the Pacific just like the United States does, so we have a variety of geographical features —coastline, deserts, mountains, high plains, jungles, and rain forests just to name a few.

Where we live, in Monterrey, we are surrounded by some of the most beautiful mountains.

10. What is the weather like?

Mexico has a varied climate. Some of the country is sub-tropical, but the Northern states do see some cold weather in the winter. Sometimes we get snow!

11. Are there dangerous animals that you might encounter?

Centipedes, scorpions, spiders and snakes are common in our area. In the jungles, there are panthers and cougars. Up in the mountains, there are bears. You have to watch out for stray dogs too (wink).

12. Is the country dangerous due to political issues (If so, please explain)

Our family's safety is always a concern. Mexico has been in the middle of a drug war for years. In my opinion, this is directly due to poor police work by the government. The drug cartels bribe Mexican officials (and probably threaten them as well) in order to be able to move their drugs to the United States. The violence is primarily between the different cartels that try to control the main routes through the country.

Here, in Monterrey, the violence has seemed to diminish in the last few years. It’s possible that this is due to les competition between drug cartels. Foreigners are rarely targeted by criminal organizations, but it’s not uncommon for them to get caught in the crossfire.

Please pray for our protection.

Jonathan AshcraftDecember 10, 2022Comment