About Us
When the walls in Jerusalem had been broken down, God called Nehemiah to rebuild them.
Like Jerusalem’s walls, many of Nicaragua’s physical, social, and spiritual structures have been broken down by natural disasters, civil wars, and corruption.
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Core Values
Centrality of the Church
We hold that the local church is the principle agent ordained by God for the advancement of His Kingdom on earth (Acts 1:8), commissioned by Christ for the proclamation and demonstration of the Gospel (Romans 10:11-17). Each church is called to live as the incarnated body of Christ, and her members are called to live intentionally, making a difference in all spheres of life and society (Ephesians 4:11-16).
Biblical Worldview
We see the world and all of creation through the Bible’s perspective. The creation of God is good, and even though corrupted by human sin, it is being reconciled to God through Christ (Colossians 1:15-20). For this reason, the Nehemiah Center seeks the lordship of Christ in all aspects of life (Isaiah 9:6-7) and sees the church as the body of Christ, called to be His ambassador of reconciliation in the world (2 Corinthians 5:17-20).
Holistic Mission
We seek the transformation of the culture of the local church, family, and professional sectors into the culture of the Kingdom of God (Romans 12:1-2) so that, together, all spheres impact the different ideologies, values, and practices of society (1 Cor. 3:5-7) through a servant-hearted leadership.
Servant Leadership
We recognize that Jesus is our model of servant-leadership (Mark 10:45) and that He shows us how to influence the lives of people and communities with love, humility, integrity, and respect (John 20:21). We acknowledge the gifts and abilities as well as the weaknesses and needs of ourselves and others and the necessity of transformation in our lives and contexts.
Collaboration
We value and model the diversity and unity of the body of Christ (John 17:20-21). We encourage and cultivate spaces for mutual learning and cooperation on a local, regional, and global level for the common good and for the fulfillment of the Great Commission (Matthew 28:19-20) and the Great Commandment (Matthew 22:34-40).
Our History
1998
In October of 1998, Hurricane Mitch had blown in Central America. A Category 5 hurricane, Mitch devastated Nicaragua
1999
The Nehemiah Center was launched in 1999 as an interdenominational ministry to respond to the devastation that followed Hurricane Mitch. In the wake of catastrophe, the Nehemiah Center offered Nicaraguans a biblical worldview—a belief in a God who loves not just His church, but His entire creation. Following a vision conference, the center offered a series of workshops, to build not just healthy churches but also robust businesses, schools, and families. Some believe the Nehemiah Center’s best work in its first decade was in assisting pastors and church members to build healthy family relationships. The center focused much of its work in the cities of Chinandega and León.
2010
In 2010, the Nehemiah Center entered a second decade of working with Chinandega and León churches. In its new five-year plan (2010–2015), the center included continuing to strengthen these churches and schools with workshops on education, family and marriage, and church health. The center also planned to assist members of the churches of León and Chinandega to become agents of urban transformation in their communities. A third part of the plan was to launch biblical worldview training in Estelí, 150 kilometers north of Managua, a prominent stop on the Pan-American Highway with a temperate climate and a population of 119,000.
2015
In 2015, the Nehemiah Center moved towards a new strategic direction. The revised vision focused on collaborating with churches to strengthen them in their mission in God’s world. Included in that vision was continuing to build cross-cultural relationships between Nicaraguan and North American churches for their mutual transformation. According to the new strategic plan, the work of strengthening churches would switch from Esteli to Managua, where the Nehemiah Center was located.
2019
“Waiting for Our Blessed Hope” Titus 2:11-14
In November, the Nehemiah Center celebrated its 20th anniversary. To honor the accomplishment, local staff coordinated a conference in which the entire network was invited to hear from speaker, Dr. Israel Ortiz. An evening gala followed in which guests enjoyed a meal together and listened to music performed by Santiago Benavides. In addition to the local celebration, there was also a gathering hosted in Iowa, in the United States where many previous mission group participants attended and celebrated God’s faithfulness to the ministry of the Nehemiah Center and prayed over continued work as “we wait for the blessed hope”. Titus 2:11-14
Now
In recent years the Nehemiah Center has faced new challenges that have caused facilitators to adapt many of the programs to better serve pastors and church leaders. During the COVID-19 pandemic, staff learned to navigate virtual meetings and find creative and safe ways to encourage churches in difficult times. The Nehemiah Center also transitioned to a 4 person leadership board instead of a single director position. Through many changes, the mission of the Nehemiah Center remained the same, to transform lives in service to the Lord. The Lord has shown favor on our efforts and program participation has continued to grow to reach 5 departments across the country and mission teams have returned from Canada and the United States.
Our International Collaborators
Collaboration is an important core value of the Nehemiah Center. One of the ways that collaboration is exemplified is through partnerships with other like-minded organizations. Over the years the Nehemiah Center has collaborated with many organizations that have helped advance our mission.
These international partners support the work of the Nehemiah Center and are important sources of finances, personnel, ideas, teaching materials, and strategies. All work together to encourage a spirit of transformation in the lives of the people of Nicaragua.
Currently, the following organizations continue to partner with the work of the Nehemiah Center.
- Nehemiah Center Nicaragua 2021
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