Author Description

The strength of U.S. Hispanic churches is an untold story documented in Emerging Voices, Urgent Choices: Essays on Latino/a Religious Leadership. In this pioneering volume, experts from various disciplines examine the remarkable contribution of Hispanic churches to U.S. society and the challenges their leaders face in serving the country's growing Latino population. Chapters analyze success stories in Latino/a ministry, specific issues for Catholic leadership and Protestant denominations, and the political and community-serving activities of diverse congregations. Together, the essays demonstrate how Hispanic churches of every denomination are generating social capital in neglected communities. The book updates previous research on religion that largely ignores U.S. Latino/as, and adds a new dimension to Latino Studies scholarship by recognizing the important role that religion plays in Hispanic life. Contributors are: Rebecca Burwell, Jackson W. Carroll, Kenneth G. Davis, Gastón Espinosa, Mary L. Gautier, Mark M. Gray, Andrew Hernández, Edwin I. Hernández, Philip E. Lampe, Adair Lummis, Melissa D. Mauldin, Milagros Peña, Marciana Popescu, Juan Carlos Rivera, and Amy L. Sherman.