PHILADELPHIA (April 11, 2000) - The Rev. Nelson Rivera of Philadelphia's East Mount Airy section has been appointed Assistant Professor of Systematic Theology and Hispanic Ministry at The Lutheran Theological Seminary at Philadelphia (LTSP). The appointment is effective July 1. Rivera joined the Seminary staff last July as Director of its Hispanic Ministry Program and Instructor in Theology. He will continue to serve as Director of the Instituto de Teología y Pastoral, a Latino leadership development program at the Seminary.

"The appointment means a great deal to me personally," Rivera said upon hearing the appointment announcement from the Seminary's Board of Trustees. "But it is also an important development for the Latino community in places like Philadelphia, New York, Reading and Allentown. It's a sign that Hispanic ministry is making a mark, developing a stronghold, having an impact on the church. Whenever I have been in doubt about my progress, or have thought of doing something else, it was the Latino community that rallied to my support." Rivera says much support has come also from Anglo students, who say they have been transformed by how Rivera teaches the values and perspective of his Hispanic tradition.

Nelson Rivera is a product of a Philadelphia Scholars program that sought to create leadership opportunities for persons of color and language other than English at the Seminary. He earned his M.Div. in 1987 from LTSP after graduating cum laude from the University of Puerto Rico in 1981 with a B.A. in Philosophy. In 1997, he was awarded a Masters of Arts in Religion (Philosophy of Religion) from Temple University. A year later he earned a Masters of Sacred Theology Degree from LTSP with a concentration in Historical Theology. Now he is a Ph.D. candidate (Religion) at Temple, doing a research topic on Isaac Newton's ideas of church history and Christian doctrine. (Rivera notes that Newton's scientific achievements, such as defining the force of gravity, sprang from his foundational grasp of theology and monotheistic faith.)

Rivera is excited about the growth and development of Latino church leaders, many of them lay people. Rivera has been partnering with Dr. José Rodríguez, a Lutheran School of Theology at Chicago theologian and teacher, to encourage Latino leaders around the country to educate themselves. The Evangelical Lutheran Church in America has a program called Theological Education for Emerging Ministries that likewise offers educational encouragement and opportunity for Latino leaders. A Latino Summer Program at LTSP this July 9-16 will encourage new leadership development for 20 Latino attendees. Currently, 14 Latino leaders are in various phases of academic study at LTSP. "That's a dozen more than were studying in this Seminary when I was a student," Rivera says.

As new leaders emerge, Rivera says his excitement is growing. "There is so much to do," he notes. One challenge soon will be to develop new books and materials for Latino students on such topics as preaching and liturgy (worship).

Rivera says he always thought he would end up working in his native Puerto Rico, where he has served three congregations as a parish pastor. But now he feels a real calling to provide quality teaching to the emerging leaders of Latino churches in the United States. "I am constantly told of the difference I am making to so many students," he says.

When Rivera isn't involved in academic life, he enjoys the company of his wife, Sara Calderón, and his four daughters: Noelia, 10; Paula, 8; Celeste, 4, and Laura, 3. He also enjoys reading literature and listening to music, especially his beloved Boleros, which he describes as excellent Hispanic romantic music.