Salt and Light: A Multigenerational Church Planting Story

At thirteen, I encountered God, and His love transformed me. Since then, I have seen His hand throughout my life, and church planting has played a central role in my story. In 2001, my parents were given the opportunity to plant an Open Bible Hispanic Church in Burbank, California. It would require a move from our current home in Bell Gardens, which is about 22 miles away from Burbank. At fifteen, I wasn’t very happy about the thought of changing churches, let alone high schools. However, my parents felt the need to explore the opportunity. Despite my initial hesitancy, the day we went to see the church was the day my heart changed. I remember entering through the front doors and sensing something special as I looked around. God was opening my eyes to all the church could become. My parents prayed and ultimately made the decision to plant the church and move our family to Burbank.

Soon after the move, they began having Sunday services. The church consisted of my parents, my little brother, and me. My mom would play the piano and lead worship while I attempted to play the drums on the “vintage” drum set that was there. My dad would preach to the three of us week after week. It wasn’t until the sixth month that we would welcome our first church member. Over time others came, and others also left, but there were always those that stayed. Looking back, I can recall so many different stories that showed me the good, the bad, and the ugly of planting and pastoring. I didn’t know it yet, but God was preparing me for what was ahead, not only through my parents’ experience but through what He was doing in my heart. He was maturing me through every team I led, every gap I filled, and every tear I shed. Maybe my parents didn’t realize it at the time, but in their instruction, correction, and creation of space for me to grow, they were investing in the future: the future of our church and the future of God’s Kingdom.

As the years passed, visitors would walk into the church during worship and leave because they didn’t understand Spanish. It was in 2016 that God began to stir in my heart a desire to start a ministry in English, and in February of 2017 God opened the door for me to start an English Bible study at my parents’ church. By this time, I was married to my husband Victor, and we had our daughter Olivia. On the week of our first Bible study, I found out I was pregnant. After a year of trying to conceive, my son Lucas was on the way. However, after giving birth to our healthy baby boy, I became very ill due to complications from the delivery. We had no choice but to put a hold on the Bible study. Little did I know the next five years would bring some of the most difficult seasons in my life. But as Psalm 30:5 says, “Weeping may stay for the night, but rejoicing comes in the morning” (NIV). I came out of those years stronger and with more fire than ever.

By the spring of 2023, due to my mom’s declining health, I began helping my Dad with preaching at our Friday night services. As time passed, God began to fiercely tug at my heart about what I had left unfinished in 2017. Our church still had a desperate need for an English ministry. I shared this burden with my husband, and we realized this time the stakes were higher and the need had become personal. Our own kids were missing out on certain aspects of church because of the language barrier. This ministry would not only bless our city, but the generations behind us as well. I began to pray for God’s will and knew it wouldn’t be an English Bible study but a new English church. I was filled with urgency and passion for this call. That is when I returned to my INSTE Level Two courses to prepare further, and as my mom’s health stabilized, I shared the vision with my parents. Soon after this, I applied for my pastoral credentials and received my license in August 2024. By October, my parents were on board as our “mother” or “sending” church, and we began to prepare for Salt and Light Church.

We are now working with the Church Multiplication Collective and our mother church to prepare for a launch in March of 2026. I’m happy to share that we have had a successful Vision Night as well as three Revival Nights this past summer. God has been showing up, and we continue moving forward with weekly Bible studies and team meetings. The road of church planting isn’t easy. It takes patience, faith, and a lot of courage. I’ve learned that things don’t always fall the way you envision they will, and the people you expect to join aren’t always the ones God has for the journey. There will be times your calling will be tested and tried. But I tell you, never lose heart because God never changes His mind on who He made you to be. Whether you are called to church planting, missions, or something else, ministry always starts with a yes to the call. God will give you what you need and who you need to build His Kingdom. Our God is the God who provides, and He will never fail. He is and forever will be.

ABOUT THE AUTHOR

Melissa Alvarez has her Bachelor of Arts in Psychology from California State University Northridge and has gone through the INSTE program. She is a second-generation Mexican American who grew up in the Open Bible Hispanic Ministries. She is bilingual and has used her gifts to minister in Spanish and in English. Her parents planted a Hispanic church in Burbank, California, in 2001, and she is now in the process of planting an English church in the same building. She is passionate about her family and about revival. She is married to her husband, Victor, and they have two children.