Samuel Rodriguez launched the National Hispanic Christian Leadership Conference (NHCLC) to unify, serve and represent the Hispanic Evangelical Community with the divine and human elements of the Christian message through our 7 directives – Life, Family, Great Commission, Edification, Justice, Stewardship and Youth.  He emphasized the vertical expression of our faith – our love for God – that should impact our horizontal impact through our faith – loving our neighbors.

Rodriguez articulated the vision for the NHCLC at a conference at Yale University: “Therefore, we are committed to reconciling the vertical and horizontal elements of the Christian cross: a cross that is both covenant and community, salvation and transformation, righteousness and justice, John 3:16 and Matthew 25, Billy Graham and Dr. Martin Luther King. Together we can stand up for biblical truth, build a wall of righteousness and justice in this generation while simultaneously ushering in a New Awakening in Christ’s Name.”

Serving as a catalyst of change within the Hispanic evangelical community since that time– NHCLC has educated and served pastors and Hispanic church membership on understanding important public policy issues, how they affect their individual lives and their families, and how to advocate for their biblical values.