Our Vision

To be truly visionary we have to root our imagination in our concrete reality while simultaneously imagining possibilities beyond that reality. —bell hooks

In this regard, our vision is to inspire a movement of justice-oriented churches that are a positive force for community transformation and credible witnesses for God. Lead by planters who have been trained in liberation and sankofa principles.

Our Mission

To educate, equip, and empower global majority leaders (and allies) to plant fully egalitarian, holistically-minded, justice-oriented churches right from the start.

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Spirit & Justice Symposium

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I'm so thankful that the Lord brought about Passion 2 Plant (P2P), and that Dr. Liz was the willing vessel cooperating with His heart! I was searching for "my tribe” as a ministry leader seeking to discern the Lord's will in church planting. When I came across P2P online, I knew I had stumbled upon the answer to my search. I have been encouraged, challenged, and equipped by the amazing ministry leaders who spoke to us each week as well as inspired by all that was shared by the others in the cohort— the highs and lows of walking through a faith journey centered around serving the Lord and His people. Dr. Liz's wisdom in claiming a space for Black and Brown church planters who desire to plant justice-oriented churches has truly been a rare but desperately needed source of respite and refreshment. I believe that attending to God's heart for justice and the need to amplify prophetic, ethnically diverse, male and female voices in the American body of Christ is part of a modern-day, Spirit-led reformation. I am grateful to be a part of this wave of transformation through P2P!

Julie Heras | Cohort 1
Julia planted RadiantCityNJ.org in New Jersey
Passion 2 Plant provided me with a valuable space to navigate my role in the church planting landscape. As a Black woman from the South, I operate in a region that retains some traditional perspectives. Although women thrive in church leadership here, the journey can be challenging. Passion 2 Plant helped me recognize my unique contributions and encouraged me to pursue higher education in theology. I am now just a few credits away from earning my master's degree from North Park Theological Seminary, a journey enriched by exposure to Black and Brown excellence. Grateful to Rev. Dr. Liz Rios for her guidance and support.

Valarie Grimes | Cohort 1
Valarie planted Radiant Rising in Georgia
Passion2Plant is paving the way for the future of the Christian church in western spaces. The ability to form a leadership style that is effective and inclusive, collaborative and contextual, and well-informed has not been the formal education I’ve received, and yet Passion2Plant has the resources and ability to take theory and make it practical. I’ve been able to rest in the tension between a diversity of thoughts and opinions while trying to navigate a middle ground that is founded in truth. If you are a church leader or future church planter, joining a cohort under P2P is a must for a healthy church that embodies the whole gospel.

Antonio Vargas | Cohort 1
Antonio went on to Yale Divinity School after pastoring in his local church in Conneticut
Passion2Plant has created a space for me to listen, to heal, and to be challenged in community as familia. It has quickly become one of the most powerful experiences of my ministry life, and I know the lessons learned and conversations had will be guiding me for the rest of my time on this earth. I am humbled and grateful to be able to call the men and women in this cohort my brothers and sisters, and I am so inspired and convicted by the gracious and tenacious leadership of Dr. Liz Rios. We need more laborers like Dr. Liz, and we need more spaces like P2P!

Chuck Armstrong | Cohort 1
Passion2Plant became a space where I got to truly experience being in a place where we were each celebrated (not just tolerated). It was a place we could show up as our full selves, letting light shine through all the cracks, and be embraced. It has been a healing balm. Dr. Liz curated an amazing panel of facilitators. Each week presented an invaluable opportunity to learn from and interact with authors, professors, and pastors who are innovating and leading the conversations around practicing a justice-centered Gospel. "Never forget that justice is what love looks like in public.” - Cornel West.

Marissa Mattox Heffernan | Cohort 2
Marissa is an ordained Free Methodist Elder, and has served as associate pastor at churches in Central New York, leading in the areas of discipleship, worship, facilitating leadership development. Marissa currently serves in conference ministry as Director of the Genesis Justice Network.
This space created for black and brown planters became a second family and a sacred time in my life. I am so glad and honored that I got to be a part of it.

Alicia Dixon-Garrard | Cohort 2
Alicia pastors Community of Grace in Binghamton, NY
Entering each time to P2P was a beautiful hogar, a home, for me to be with Dr. Liz Rios and other church familia. Checking in good or tostada, burnt-out, times, yet each minute was worth it. Dr. Liz gave us mighty "manna" each night bringing amazing speakers to pour into us who altogether were craving to receive as we all mutually poured out to our ministries. If you sign up, you're in for a banqueta, a banquet, of knowledge by prominent atrevido, courageous, BIPOC leaders around our nation. As a Latina Dreamer and pastor, I'm excited to recommend P2P to all who are hungering and thirsting for justice-oriented churches led by an amazing Afro-Latina hermana pastora with an immense heart for you to thrive celebrating our ethnic richness!

Milly E. Silencio | Cohort 1
An ECC licensed minister, after serving in pastoral roles in two church plants, Milly is expecting baby number 1 and is coaching church planters for City to City NY and Evangelical Covenant Church
I have been in many different church planting spaces. Most of them have been predominantly white and/or male and/or mainline and high church denominations. What a breath of fresh air the P2P cohort has been. I've deeply appreciated just being at the digital table with my fellow BIPOC planters and ally planters. It's a space where I don't have to over explain myself, where people get it and get me. It's also a blessing to be in a space where people are decolonizing the approaches to church planting that have been handed to us by mega churches and white evangelism. It's been a beautiful opportunity to fan into flame the gift and the "outside-the-box" ideas that the Spirit has stirred in me since I began the adventure of church planting. 10/10 would recommend to women BIPOC church planters like me.

Sarah Gautier | Cohort 1
Sarah planted Living Stones Church in CrossFit Jeffries Point in Boston, MA
The opportunity to participate in the Passion2Plant Cohort has proven to be a valuable experience as a minister of an inner-city church. At a time in which the church finds itself bombarded with division, syncretism, and half-truths, Dr. Liz Rios provides a space in which church leaders can really take in and absorb the message and mission of the ecclesia and its purposeful application for today through insightful conversations as well as resources provided by leaders of various social locations. In this space, I gained a deeper understanding of the necessity of incarnational faith and uncompromised kingdom principles.

Lizanne Espina | Cohort 2
Lizanne is a minister at Love Gospel Assembly in the Bronx and went on to enroll in the Doctor of Ministry program at Fuller Theological Seminary.
Passion2Plant was one of the most encouraging and hopeful experiences of my faith journey so far. Meeting every week with energetic, thoughtful leaders of color who love Jesus and strive to live out His compassion in the world— what could be better? I found a community of people who have shown me what the future of the church can look like, and I am so grateful to be a part of it.

Matt Arciniega | Cohort 2
I'm a sixth-generation minister and a mother. I'm a child of God, the Brown Church, and the Chicano movement. I connected with Dr. Liz Rios during the beginning of the pandemic. When she started the Passion2Plant network, I was excited to hear that such a group of people who were pursuing Jesus and Justice was going to become a church planting cohort and network. As a member of Cohort 2, I can say that P2P has been a Godsend. I'm thankful to have found familia en Cristo who are doing justice and loving mercy en conjunto.

Elia Maria Rotch | Cohort 2
Elia served on a mega church team and after P2P went on to serve the organization in the role of Operations Associate for one year. She now serves in her local church in CA and is a listening ear to current church planters .
P2P has exposed me to key black and brown leaders throughout the US who are working towards justice. It's inspired me as I see a coalition of Kingdom leaders working in their context for the same cause. As we launched Aviva Church, I've been able to continuously reflect on how our church can better embody justice-oriented ministry. Dr. Rios is responsive and approachable and has lived experiences that allow her to be a voice for Latino/a pastors launching churches for the next generation. I look forward to building life-long friendships and partnerships with the pastors and leaders in our cohort and collaborating on this work together.

Lumar Vargas | Cohort 2
Lumar planted Aviva Church in Cleveland, OH and is now DR. Vargas after completing a PhD in Urban Education from Cleveland State University.
Passion2Plant is such a great training for anyone who is interested in starting a church or being part of building a culture within their church that has God's justice and love in mind. All of the speakers are great, and their knowledge and experience are vast! I wholeheartedly recommend this training!

Will and Marianne Peña | Cohort 2
Already planting pastors in FL, the Pena’s moved to Houston, TX and planted Essential Life Church.
It was through the insight of our Executive Pastor that my wife and I were introduced to Professor Liz Rios and the P2P network. We have spent many years in ministry, and we're looking into the process of planting and then shepherding a community in the context of today's world. This class was way more than we expected! Every last session was impactful, informative, and engaging. The range in diversity within their choice of speakers provided insight into different perspectives, past experiences, and approaches to effectively communicate the role of the church. It opened our eyes to the anemic parts of our past experiences in ministry. The importance of the church being a shining beacon for truth, justice, and love was made evident every week. Thank you, Dr. Liz and P2P. The cohort has forever changed our perspective and passion for ministry for the better. We would happily jump back into the cohort's next session to stay relevant and transformative in our local community.

Devin & Yolanda Wharwood | Cohort 2
The Wharwoods went on to embrace their call and now serve at Hope East Village in NYC.
My time in the cohort helped me to realize that I am not crazy to pursue a vision of a church that can faithfully speak to issues of injustice going on in the world without compromising faith and convictions. The trainings taught by world-class instructors affirmed the importance for a vital church to have a clear and robust theology of justice that leads to relevant communication and action in its community. Most of all, this cohort emboldened me at a critical time in my life to take steps of faith towards what I knew God was leading: to position myself geographically where He wants me, to continue doing the work of learning the issues and needs of those around me, to pursue action as a pastor, and to connect with other like-minded pastors doing the work in this area.

Sócrates Pérez | Cohort 2
Sócrates served as worship pastor at Saddleback church but through the process of P2P discerned his passion to plant and moved to Orlando where he currently serves as Service Programming Director at Horizon West Church as he waits for God’s guidance on planting a church in the area.
I did a Google search for resources that bore fruit when I came across Passion2Plant and Dr. Liz Rios, and what I read on the website spoke to me. It stirred up excitement within me to know that there are resources out there like Passion2Plant. As a bi-vocational pastor and attorney, the idea of planting a justice-oriented church speaks deeply to me. Signing up for this cohort is one of the best decisions I've ever made. This isn't only an investment in me as a Pastor, but also an investment in the Kingdom of God that will bless the church and community. The training sessions have been phenomenal. Each presenter has imparted so much knowledge and perspective into us. The cohort has also fostered a great camaraderie between the participants, a community of kingdom builders seeking to do ministry with the heart of Jesus. This has been a tremendously wonderful experience, one that has breathed new life into me. Thank you, Dr. Liz Rios, for birthing Passion2Plant!

Pastor Dr. DeShonda Bailey | Cohort 2
Pastor Dr. DeShonda planted a brick-and-mortar church, New Hope Christian Worship Center, which is now a digital church in the Fort Lauderdale area.
Passion2Plant was one of the most transformative experiences of my ministry journey so far. It taught me aspects of our Black and Brown church history I was unaware of, while challenging me to wrestle with the disconnect between what I was taught and the reality my sisters and brothers of color face in our American culture. I'm grateful for the opportunity I had to learn from an amazing group of speakers while processing the various teachings alongside those in my cohort. Thanks to Dr. Liz's leadership, my justice lens has broadened, my passion for making change has deepened, and my desire to learn what it means to be unified without being uniform has settled in my heart for our church community.

Danielle Beaver Reeves | Cohort 3
Pastor Danielle planted Resilience Church in Colorado.
An Afro-Latina pastor launched a Church-planting network during a global pandemic, and I was led to it through nothing more than a series of masterful “But God” moves. Dr. Liz Rios is a giant in a normal-people costume. LOL!! The immensity of her heart and her wisdom is unmatched and spending time with her has been an absolute joy. But to magnify that with some of the greatest theological minds of our generation is an honor that I will be talking about for the rest of my life! Passion2Plant is absolutely mandatory for any leader seeking to live out and lead with the heart of God. Resisting the tension within the topics presents only shows a lack of desire to actually BE like Christ because Jesus sat in the tension and made sure that those around Him elevated to meet Him there. That is our role as leaders and pastors. LEAD them toward Christ’s character. As a Black woman, new in the pastor/church planting world, I felt seen, valued, respected, and emboldened to step into the spot that God has been nudging me into. Please. Go enroll in the next cohort. No matter who you are and how long you’ve been in ministry, this movement needs ALL OF US!

Uwem Ward | Cohort 3
Uwem and her husband Keith (also P2P grad) went on to start the All Made Well micro-church and Uwem is also a Spirit-Led Deconstruction Coach.
Being in different justice-oriented as well as generic church planting spaces before, I was wary about being disappointed again. Hermanas, it is not too good to be true. The Passion2Plant cohort is a genuine Jesus-loving, table-turning, Black, Brown and woman-affirming church planter’s feast! When I saw the all star line-up of teachers, I could not believe it. And many of the weeks had me fan-girling because of the wisdom of these well-known and influential lovers of shalom. Though our church plant has a vision for being a fellowship that loves our city, working juntos for justice, I was lacking community that could guide me intellectually, spiritually, emotionally as a church planting pastor. The Passion2Plant cohort was exactly that, a place to flourish as myself, to lament and let down the burdens, and an oasis for this desert-dwelling Latina Anglican. Our church knows I’m healthier with P2P in my life and the “mixing” of peoples from different backgrounds, ages, ethnicities, and denominations spices up my ministry as only real church familia can. I’m looking forward to being in another cohort soon!

Reverend Noel Collins, (MDiv, STM) | Cohort 3
Noel planted Emmaus Anglican Church in Albuquerque, NM and serves as Assistant Director of the Anglican Multi-Ethnic Network (AMEN)
P2P helped me to see my role and reminded me that my role in my community was not on the sidelines. Rather it was to use my voice in the places God has brought me to be an encouragement to others.

Christine Martinez | Cohort 3
Christine serves on the Resilence Church plant team in Colorado.
My time in the P2P Cohort had a tremendous impact on my understanding of what it means and what it looks like to pursue justice as a follower of Jesus. It was an honor to hear a variety of voices in different contexts with varying backgrounds give insights into justice issues throughout the United States and beyond. This experience made me aware of some blind spots when it comes to understanding and pursuing justice. This experience has helped inform the ways our church seeks justice in our community and beyond!-

Luke Mathewson | Cohort 3
Luke serves on the Resilence Church plant team in Colorado.
I think it’s important to note that while in seminary at X University, I must confess, I did not enjoy it much at all. With that said, the sessions felt like I was back in seminary. However, I learned more in this short time with Passion2Plant than I did in the four years as a part-time student at X University! I have come to be more justice-minded than I did before becoming a part of the cohort. I am so glad that being P2P was part of my journey. Thank you for taking on this work.

Laren S. Rouse | Cohort 3
Planted Life In The Meantime Ministries, Newark, NJ