El Salvador – Iglesia Misionera Ebenezer
- San Salvador, El Salvador
Organizational Overview
For many years Iglesia Misionera Bautista Eben-Ezer in San Salvador has been a pillar of support in one of San Salvador's most violent communities. The church has long focused on outreach to gang members and marginalized populations, running evangelistic and social reintegration programs for ex-gang members, including transitional housing and skills training, becoming one of the few evangelical churches in El Salvador focused on reaching gang members and their families for Christ. Despite internal resistance and external threats from both authorities and gangs, Eben-Ezer's commitment to rehabilitation saw the successful reintegration of many former gang members. In recent years, the church needed to reinvent itself, due to changing national security policies, forcing it to halt its work with ex-gang members. Today, Eben-Ezer focuses on youth and kids prevention programs and coming alongside them and the families of incarcerated gang members, while preparing to systematize and replicate its community church model for broader impact in urban, vulnerable communities.
Beneficiary Population
- Urban Poor
- Children & Youth
- Women
- Families
- Leaders
Focus Areas
- Spiritual Transformation & Faith Communities
- Leadership Development & Training
- Community Development
- People & Family-Centered Development
- Vulnerable Populations (ex-convicts)
Organizational Track Record
Founded in 1964 and officially established in 1987, Iglesia Misionera Bautista Eben-Ezer has had a notable track record of community impact in Colonia Dina, in San Salvador. Particularly its work in local prisons, offering evangelistic and discipleship opportunities for inmates, as well as reintegration efforts for ex-gang members solidified the church’s commitment to working with the most vulnerable and marginalized. From 2012 to 2022, the church successfully reintegrated around 80 former gang members into society, providing housing, vocational training, and spiritual discipleship through their transitional program. They established two transitional homes and partnered with Ministerio Huellas de Esperanza to further support these individuals. Eben-Ezer's outreach garnered international recognition, attracting attention from media outlets like CNN, BBC, LA Times, Le Monde, as well as formal support from organizations such as USAID and the United Nations Development Program. Despite the cessation of its reintegration program in 2022 due to changing national policies, the church continues to serve its community by focusing on youth and kids’ prevention programs, regularly supporting 100 children and adolescents, coming alongside vulnerable family members of incarcerated gang members, and developing a strategic plan for the next decade to expand its mission.
Key Leader Biosketch
Nelson Moz, casado desde 1986 con Marta Teresa Vindel de Moz y padre de tres hijos, es un líder comprometido con la expansión del Reino de Dios y la transformación de comunidades a través de la paz y los valores cristianos. Licenciado en Teología con especialidad en Misiones, ha sido pastor de la Iglesia Bautista Misionera Eben-Ezer en San Salvador desde 1996. Durante muchos años trabajó como gerente en empresas privadas, pero en 2010 decidió seguir su llamado al ministerio a tiempo completo, enfocándose especialmente en el trabajo con exconvictos. Con más de 14 años de experiencia en la prevención de la violencia y reinserción social, Nelson ha formado parte de mesas de trabajo en centros penales, centrado en temas de derechos humanos. También ha sido consultor para Naciones Unidas y actualmente colabora en la Mesa de Convivencia Ciudadana, un proyecto respaldado por USAID. Su enfoque principal en la actualidad es el trabajo con niños y adolescentes, desarrollando programas basados en valores cristianos para impactar positivamente a las comunidades marginadas y afectadas por la violencia social en El Salvador. Nelson sueña con replicar y construir un modelo de iglesias comunitarias que generen un verdadero impacto en sus comunidades. Su visión es una iglesia evangélica activa y profundamente conectada con la vida cotidiana de las comunidades salvadoreñas, que vaya más allá del crecimiento numérico y económico. Desea ver iglesias que utilicen sus recursos para transformar realidades y ofrecer soluciones innovadoras, presentando propuestas concretas en el diálogo público. Nelson Moz también es miembro directivo de la Unión Bíblica en El Salvador, reafirmando así su compromiso con la justicia social y el bienestar espiritual de las comunidades.
Funding History with Camino Alliance
Thanks to a special grant of $150,000 USD given in 2021, Camino Alliance was able to help Eben-Ezer purchase a van and a building located behind their church. The goal of the grant was to double the capacity of their residential program for ex-gang members, expand their in-house bakery to provide training and employment for the men in their program, and turn the space into a training center to equip other churches to work with ex-gang members and their families. However, with the state of exception imposed by the government in March 2022, Eben-Ezer had to rethink the purpose of this facility. They are currently using it for their children and youth programs and plan to turn it into a residential training center for emerging urban leaders in the coming years.