Sermons in two tongues: Kentucky pastor bridges language gap in his congregation

Pastor Charles Lawson’ philosophy of pastoral ministry is to meet people where they are. Upon assuming his leadership role in the Paducah district of Kentucky back in 2023, he quickly realized the need to better connect with his Spanish-speaking congregation in the Murray Church. Despite his limited fluency in Spanish, he committed to delivering sermons in the language at least once a month.

Born and raised in Wisconsin, Lawson studied Spanish throughout elementary and secondary school. Even during his college and seminary years, he would try to practice his skills by interacting with Spanish-speaking friends. While he now considers himself a proficient reader, he acknowledges his ongoing struggle to grasp the spoken language.

Still, when Lawson realized that approximately one third of his church members primarily spoke Spanish, he felt compelled to intensify his efforts in connecting with them.

“I believe the gospel should be spoken in the language of the heart,” Lawson said. “Whatever you say impacts far deeper than a secondary language or tertiary language. To me, it’s [important] to make sure people feel involved and people feel connected, even if it's just through a small thing.”

Using the assistance of artificial intelligence, Lawson translates his sermon manuscript into Spanish every Sabbath. This is then distributed to church members who need help following along. In addition, Lawson also delivers his sermon in both English and Spanish every third Sabbath of the month.

“Now, I am definitely a manuscript preacher when I'm preaching in Spanish,” Lawson said. “My Spanish is not yet that proficient to go off script, but [my church members] really appreciate it. It has also inspired the English-speaking people to learn Spanish, too.”

Currently, Lawson is enrolled in a Spanish class at Murray State University, in Kentucky, dedicated to further improving his language skills. As he prepares to transition to a new role as youth pastor at the Desert Valley Church in Arizona come June, he's committed to continuing his language studies at the University of Arizona.

Above all though, Lawson remains committed to meeting people exactly where they are and encourages fellow church members to adopt the same approach.

“I think it’s so important we follow the incarnational model Jesus set out; you know?” Lawson said. “God became flesh to live with us. Therefore, when we’re going into people’s lives, we can’t just be a distant individual. We need to be involved in their communities, their cultures, speak their language and reach the heart.”