Dr. Pablo A. Jimenez has been elected to serve as National Pastor for Hispanic Ministries by the Pastoral Commission for Hispanic Ministries of the Christian Church (Disciples of Christ) in the United States and Canada. The National Pastor Search Committee, led by Paul D. Rivera, Valley Stream, New York, presented Jimenez to the Pastoral Commission after a lengthy and thorough search process. The 19-member Pastoral Commission, chaired by Maria C. Perez, Bronx, New York, unanimously elected Jimenez by mail-ballot vote.

A Puerto Rican ordained minister and professor of Homiletics at the Episcopal Theological Seminary in Austin, Texas, Dr. Jimenez will begin work as National Pastor the first week of January 2000. By petition of the Pastoral Commission, Rev. Lucas Torres, who retired officially at the end of May 1999, will continue to offer part-time administrative and pastoral services to the office.

Dr. Jimenez has served as pastor at Iglesia Cristiana (Discipulos de Cristo) - Sonadora in Guaynabo, Puerto Rico from 1981 to 1984; Director of the Biblical Institute (Disciples of Christ) in Puerto Rico; adjunct faculty of the Evangelical Seminary in Puerto Rico, the Northern Baptist Theological Seminary and the Austin Presbyterian Seminary. Additionally, he also served as a member of missionary personnel for the Disciples Division of Overseas Ministries, assigned to the faculty of the Latin American Biblical Seminary of San Jose, Costa Rica. Prior to his current teaching position, Dr. Jimenez spent five years as Executive Director of the Association for Hispanic Theological Education in Atlanta, Georgia.

Dr. Jimenez has a Masters of Divinity degree from the Evangelical Seminary, San Juan, Puerto Rico; a Master of Sacred Theology degree from Christian Theological Seminary, Indianapolis, Indiana; a Doctor of Ministry from Columbia Theological Seminary, Atlanta, Georgia; and is currently completing academic requisites for a Doctorate in New Testament from the Superior Evangelical Institute for Theological Education (Instituto Superior Evangelico de Educacion Teologica-ISEDET) in Buenos Aires, Argentina. His articles and essays have been extensively published in books, magazines, and academic journals, and he also has published several books. Besides Spanish and English, he speaks and writes in French, and has taught New Testament Greek.