The Church of the Nazarene in the Dominican Republic celebrated 50 years of ministry with a large gathering at the Sambil Convention Center on 23 August 2025. Nearly 2,000 Nazarenes and friends came together to thank God and renew their missional commitment.
The Dominican Nazarene family celebrated under the theme “50 Years of Building in Love.” The program included music led and performed by various districts.
Founding missionaries and former Global Missions Director Louie Bustle and his wife, Ellen, participated, along with General Superintendent Emeritus Jerry Porter and his wife, Toni.
Mesoamerica Region Director Carlos Sáenz and family, along with past and present district superintendents, pastors, leaders, and delegations from the country’s five districts joined the celebration, turning it into a true family reunion. Jerry Porter gave the main sermon, and Louie Bustle led a moment of consecration and Communion for all attendees.
The Nazarene ministry took its first steps as a house congregation in the Bustle family’s home in Las Palmas, Santo Domingo. Librado Figuereo later became the first pastor in the country. In the first year, churches were planted in Fundación de Barahona, Bonao, Santiago de los Caballeros, and La Romana. Six new congregations emerged in just two years from the initial plant in Santiago. The Church of the Nazarene would officially add the Dominican Republic as a world area in 1974.
The missional momentum was supported by pastors and laypeople from Puerto Rico—including the Alvarado family and by William Porter, who was Jerry Porter’s father, as well as Youth in Mission teams and volunteers. Preaching reached the bateyes (settlements of immigrants) and remote areas of La Romana. Shortly thereafter, the first District Assembly was held at Las Palmas (Alma Rosa, Santo Domingo Este). In the second assembly, 13 churches and 228 members were reported; in the third, 30 churches and 528 members. With the motto “Each One Win One,” based on John 15:16, membership doubled to 1,079 in just one year.
Today, the Church of the Nazarene in the Dominican Republic has 211 organized churches, five districts, and 17,098 members. In children’s ministries, 671 children benefit from 15 Child Development Centers (CDC), and 34 pastors’ children receive sponsorship.
“This commemoration not only marked a historic milestone but also became a divine reunion with our identity and mission to make Christlike disciples,” said Carlos de la Cruz, field strategy coordinator for the Mesocentral Field.
The atmosphere reflected the unity of the Spirit when the participants expressed deep joy, bearing witness to God’s grace over five decades. National leaders, district superintendents, pastors, and laypeople—both past and present—were recognized for their dedication and sacrifice.
“Their names resounded like an echo of victory…” added De la Cruz.
With a solid foundation and eyes on the future, the Church of the Nazarene in the Dominican Republic embraces the challenge of its founders: to advance in love, unity, and holiness, empowered by the Holy Spirit, convinced that the best chapters are yet to come.
“We reaffirm our commitment to the Great Commission, recalling the motto that propelled growth nationally and internationally: Let every Nazarene win one.”
–Church of the Nazarene Mesoamerica Region