Dominican Republic
The Land and the
People
The Dominican Republic occupies the eastern two-thirds of the beautiful tropical island, Hispaniola. Haiti occupies the western third. The Dominicans have a much lower standard of living than the people of Puerto Rico but a higher standard than Haiti. There is a large middle class but also the extremely poor and the extremely rich. About 23 percent of the people cannot read or write.
Religion
About 97 percent of the Dominican people claim to be Roman Catholics. However, many are losing faith in the priesthood and veneration of saints, and religious indifference abounds. Religious freedom is total.
Past and Current
Work
When Baptist Mid-Missions entered the Dominican Republic in 1949, there were no Baptist churches outside of small Haitian groups that spoke Creole. Hato Mayor, a small city east of the capital, was the center of our early ministries. Our first established church is there. This church is responsible for the founding of churches in five other surrounding cities. Its Christian day school, which today has more than a thousand students, was the first school of its kind. These churches, in turn, are starting churches in about 15-20 villages. They have a Bible institute program operating. In the capital of Santo Domingo, there is a fellowship of five churches. The Lord has blessed there, and the work is spreading to six other cities and towns.
Goals
Challenges
Baptist Mid-Missions had not had a missionary presence in the Dominican Republic since the early 1990s, but that changed in 2007, when a single missionary began serving in Hato Mayor.
Our urgent need is for teachers and mentors to assist and train the Dominicans to reach their own people. There are many cities and towns that need a sound, fundamental Baptist testimony. Missionaries are desperately needed, especially in the area of theological training, to come alongside Dominicans to instill a burden for church planting and to show them how to do it.
Workers Needed
Church planters and teachers