{"id":28671,"date":"2025-10-02T12:58:29","date_gmt":"2025-10-02T16:58:29","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.namb.net\/send-network\/?post_type=resource&p=28671"},"modified":"2025-10-02T12:58:29","modified_gmt":"2025-10-02T16:58:29","slug":"a-new-song-in-chula-vista-the-herreras-journey-of-covocational-church-planting","status":"publish","type":"resource","link":"https:\/\/www.namb.net\/send-network\/resource\/a-new-song-in-chula-vista-the-herreras-journey-of-covocational-church-planting\/","title":{"rendered":"A New Song in Chula Vista: The Herreras\u2019 Journey of Covocational Church Planting"},"content":{"rendered":"

From the beginning,\u00a0<\/span>Jonathan and Olympia<\/span>\u00a0Herrera made two conscious choices:\u00a0<\/span><\/span>multiply<\/span><\/span>\u00a0and\u00a0<\/span><\/span>remain\u00a0<\/span>covocational<\/span><\/span>. Those decisions are shaping a story where everyday life and gospel mission are inseparable<\/span>,\u00a0<\/span>and where a small, simple church is already bearing fruit.<\/span><\/span>\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

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New Song, a fresh expression of praise that emerges in a diverse community where Hispanic, Filipino, African American, and Anglo neighbors coexist.<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n

I<\/span>n 2023 they\u00a0<\/span>began<\/span>\u00a0a new church,\u00a0<\/span><\/span>Iglesia\u00a0<\/span>Nueva Cancion<\/span>\u2014\u201c<\/span>New Song\u201d<\/span><\/span>\u2014in Paradise Hills<\/span>, CA<\/span>. The name ca<\/span>ptures<\/span>\u00a0their vision: a fresh expression of praise\u00a0<\/span>rising up<\/span>\u00a0in a diverse community where Hispanic, Filipino, African American, and Anglo neighbors live side by side<\/span>.<\/span>\u00a0\u00a0<\/span><\/span>\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

The Herreras\u00a0<\/span>are passionate about\u00a0<\/span>embrac<\/span>ing\u00a0<\/span>the\u00a0<\/span>hard work<\/span>\u00a0of church planting<\/span>\u00a0to\u00a0<\/span>s<\/span>tart from scratch<\/span>, build teams, and watch God breathe life into a new gathering of believers<\/span>.\u00a0\u00a0<\/span>\u201c<\/span>We<\/span>\u00a0love\u00a0<\/span>the gritty\u00a0<\/span>part<\/span>\u00a0of\u00a0<\/span>planting churches,\u201d Jonathan says. \u201c<\/span>It\u2019s<\/span>\u00a0what God has wired us to do.<\/span>\u00a0<\/span>Though it<\/span>\u00a0is not easy,\u00a0<\/span>it is truly a joy<\/span>.\u00a0<\/span>\u00a0<\/span>When ministry feels heavy,\u201d Jonathan says, \u201cwe stop and rest in\u00a0<\/span>God<\/span>. He carries it.<\/span>\u201d<\/span>\u00a0\u00a0<\/span>God is faithful to complete the\u00a0<\/span>good work<\/span>\u00a0that He began (Phil. 1:6), and as\u00a0<\/span>the Herreras and their core team<\/span>\u00a0engage the city, they find rest and strength in the Lord.<\/span><\/span>\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

Choosing a Different Strategy<\/h3>\n

Jonathan is not only a pastor. He is also a sixth-grade teacher in a dual-language school. For more than twenty years, he has shaped young minds in both Spanish and English. Teaching is his passion,\u00a0and\u00a0this vocation\u00a0is\u00a0central\u00a0to their mission strategy.<\/span>\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

Rather than stepping away from his career to pursue a full-time pastoral role, Jonathan and Olympia chose the\u00a0covocational\u00a0path. Unlike\u00a0<\/span>bivocational<\/span><\/i>\u00a0planting, which often serves as a bridge until a church can pay its pastor,<\/span>\u00a0covocational<\/span><\/i>\u00a0planting is a deliberate choice\u00a0to use\u00a0the spheres of influence within the marketplace to\u00a0live missionally.\u00a0This approach keeps leaders deeply embedded in the community, building trust in daily life while leading the church.<\/span>\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

Jonathan has many conversations with colleagues and neighbors who know him not only as a teacher, but also as a pastor.\u00a0Many families come to Nueva Canci\u00f3n because they already know \u201cMr. Herrera.\u201d\u00a0For Jonathan and Olympia, being woven into the fabric of the community and living out the gospel in classrooms, work meetings, grocery store aisles, and other everyday spaces has become a natural rhythm of life.<\/span>\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

One of the benefits of\u00a0covocational\u00a0planting is credibility. Neighbors see a pastor who understands their schedules, their work, and their family struggles.\u00a0And they see a church growing through deep, authentic relationships\u00a0crossing over\u00a0into daily routines where people work, live, and play. That street-level trust lowers walls. As colleagues discuss politics, culture, or anxiety, spiritual conversations\u00a0emerge\u00a0naturally. \u201cI\u00a0don\u2019t\u00a0lead with \u2018I\u2019m a pastor,\u2019\u201d Jonathan explains. \u201cI lead as a disciple, then share more as trust grows.\u201d<\/span>\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

Simple Church, Shared Work<\/h3>\n
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In 2023 they started a new church, Iglesia Nueva Canci\u00f3n (\u2018New Song\u2019) in Paradise Hills, California.<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n

Iglesia\u00a0Nueva Cancion is a simple church with clear values:\u00a0<\/span>Connecting, Loving, Growing, Expressing\u00a0Jesus<\/span><\/b>. These values shape everything they do.<\/span>\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

Life groups and discipleship are the heartbeat.\u00a0Rather than\u00a0overloading the calendar with programs, the Herreras keep ministry focused on\u00a0building\u00a0relationships, equipping\u00a0disciples,\u00a0growing,\u00a0and serving\u00a0the neighborhood.\u00a0\u201cWe have a simple\u00a0focus and simple budget,\u201d Jonathan explains, \u201cwhich frees us to engage people\u00a0in natural rhythms of life.\u201d<\/span>\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

To keep work, ministry, and family in healthy balance and to avoid burnout, the Herreras invest in developing leaders who share the load of ministry.\u00a0\u00a0A\u00a0plurality of elders\u00a0who\u00a0rotate\u00a0teaching. Young adults are trained and released\u00a0to serve in their\u00a0giftedness. \u201cCulture is something that is\u00a0cultivated\u00a0and developed\u00a0by\u00a0the leadership,\u201d Jonathan explains. \u201cThe\u00a0early church\u00a0shows us how to\u00a0encourage\u00a0others to lead\u00a0in their gifting,\u00a0so the whole\u00a0body\u00a0grows\u00a0and\u00a0serves\u00a0together.\u00a0\u00a0Joy is increased when we\u00a0live\u00a0out the gospel in this way.\u201d<\/span>\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

This\u00a0shared\u00a0culture prevents burnout and multiplies leaders. Already, a young Timothy is preparing to be sent\u00a0from their church\u00a0as a future planter. The church\u2019s five-year plan includes sending another team by 2026. Multiplication is not an afterthought; it is part of\u00a0the\u00a0DNA\u00a0from the very beginning.<\/span>\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

Olympia expressed her calling in this journey,\u00a0\u201cPart of being\u00a0covocational\u00a0planters is being\u00a0a\u00a0witness to how God calls individuals and couples into His work.\u00a0\u00a0Sometimes He calls us when we least expect it.\u00a0\u00a0And when He calls, we are invited to respond with faith and courage.\u00a0\u00a0I\u00a0see my calling as supporting the work of the church, caring for our family, and walking alongside Jonathan in faith. It is a privilege to serve the body of Christ while also tending to the well-being of our home, knowing that God is at work\u00a0in all things.\u201d<\/span>\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

This commitment to multiplication is strengthened by a wider culture of collaboration, as several local pastors link arms to encourage one another and model Kingdom unity.\u00a0\u00a0They connect and encourage one another through quarterly \u201cKoinon\u00eda Gatherings,\u201d where nearby church planters unite their congregations to pray, worship, and break bread together. This spirit of connectedness reflects the pattern of the early church in Acts 2:42\u201347, where believers devoted themselves to fellowship (koinon\u00eda), to prayer, to the breaking of bread, and to worship together. In the same way, these gatherings embody a broader Kingdom synergy that points to the unity and mission of Christ\u2019s church.<\/span><\/p>\n

Multiplication Through Partnership<\/h3>\n
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Jonathan and his wife, Olympia, have been married for twenty years and have two beautiful daughters: Azarell, 15, and Sofia, 12.<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n

Recently, a larger established church in nearby Chula Vista took notice of what God was doing through\u00a0<\/span>Iglesia\u00a0Nueva Cancion<\/span><\/b>. They invited the Herreras to partner, offering them a building and new opportunities to reach the Latino community alongside an English-speaking\u00a0demographic.\u00a0\u00a0Jonathan was offered a full-time role,\u00a0but he\u00a0declined.\u00a0\u201cThat\u2019s not what God has called me to do,\u201d he said. \u201cWe\u2019ve\u00a0been faithful with a little; now\u00a0He\u2019s\u00a0opening a bigger door.\u00a0We\u2019ll\u00a0walk through it as\u00a0covo\u00a0planters.\u201d\u00a0Once again, he\u00a0and Olympia\u00a0chose again to remain\u00a0covocational, convinced that this strategy is not a\u00a0steppingstone\u00a0but a calling.\u00a0\u00a0<\/span>\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

Today the church has about 80 members,\u00a0with\u00a0roughly\u00a0100\u00a0attending\u00a0weekly gatherings.\u00a0\u00a0Now, the Herreras and their team are preparing to move their ministry to Chula Vista,\u00a0continuing\u00a0to serve and multiply. They step into this new season with open hands, ready to see what God will do.<\/span>\u00a0\u00a0<\/span><\/i>Olympia shared,\u00a0\u201c<\/span>I rejoice in seeing all that God is doing!\u00a0\u00a0Church planting is not easy, but it\u00a0draws\u00a0us to pray with diligence and intentionality. Patience reminds us that it is truly God at work, not us. And while it does require sacrifice and time, we count it joy because we love the work God is doing in us and through\u00a0us as the local body of believers.\u201d<\/span>\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

What Their Story Shows Us <\/span><\/h3>\n

The Herreras\u2019 journey offers a living picture of\u00a0<\/span>covocational<\/span>\u00a0planting:<\/span><\/span>\u00a0<\/span><\/strong><\/p>\n