Sign up to save your podcasts
Or
Share It Takes A Village with Rev. Dr. Juan Carlos Huertas
Share to email
Share to Facebook
Share to X
Share to email
Share to Facebook
Share to X
Or
It Takes A Village with Rev. Dr. Juan Carlos Huertas
Rev Jenny Shultz-Thomas welcomes Rev. Juan Carlos Huertas to the podcast
This week, I had the joy of sitting down with Rev. Juan Carlos Huertas, whose story is as rich and layered as the community that raised him. Growing up in Puerto Rico, Juan Carlos was formed within the Latin American evangelical tradition, where faith wasn’t simply something you believed—it was a Spirit-filled way of life. His father modeled that devotion, and at just twelve years old, Juan Carlos felt his own call stirring when he read scripture publicly in church for the very first time.
That early spark has carried him into a lifelong ministry. Ordained in the United Methodist Church, he went on to serve five congregations before being called to First-Plymouth in Lincoln, where he leads in biblical proclamation and justice ministries. His work centers on the gospel’s command to love your neighbor—not just in word, but in practice. That commitment is alive at First-Plymouth, where the community has launched their own “Organizing for Jesus” movement, stepping into their neighborhoods to know their neighbors and respond to their needs.
In our conversation, Juan Carlos also named the tension between a society shaped by white privilege and those who live on the margins. Rooted in liberation theology, his preaching challenges the church to examine its practices against the radical love of Jesus—and invites each of us to listen for the Spirit’s call to discover our own practices of faithfulness.
When I asked what excites him most about ministry today, his answer came quickly: hope. Juan Carlos sees voices rising to proclaim hopeful resistance and radical love in the face of empire’s false witness. He is energized by the love of Jesus Christ and by the church’s power to bear witness to God’s work—even in the midst of pain and suffering.
You can learn more about Juan Carlos’s ministry at First-Plymouth here: 👉 www.firstplymouth.org
🎧 I’d love for you to watch or listen to my full conversation with Juan Carlos—you can find the links below!
As always, may we remember: together we can bring the power of God’s hope, light, and joy to those living in the shadows of pain and suffering. Let your light shine—because it truly does take a village.
With gratitude, Jenny
View all episodes
By Rev. Dr. Jenny Shultz-ThomasRev Jenny Shultz-Thomas welcomes Rev. Juan Carlos Huertas to the podcast
This week, I had the joy of sitting down with Rev. Juan Carlos Huertas, whose story is as rich and layered as the community that raised him. Growing up in Puerto Rico, Juan Carlos was formed within the Latin American evangelical tradition, where faith wasn’t simply something you believed—it was a Spirit-filled way of life. His father modeled that devotion, and at just twelve years old, Juan Carlos felt his own call stirring when he read scripture publicly in church for the very first time.
That early spark has carried him into a lifelong ministry. Ordained in the United Methodist Church, he went on to serve five congregations before being called to First-Plymouth in Lincoln, where he leads in biblical proclamation and justice ministries. His work centers on the gospel’s command to love your neighbor—not just in word, but in practice. That commitment is alive at First-Plymouth, where the community has launched their own “Organizing for Jesus” movement, stepping into their neighborhoods to know their neighbors and respond to their needs.
In our conversation, Juan Carlos also named the tension between a society shaped by white privilege and those who live on the margins. Rooted in liberation theology, his preaching challenges the church to examine its practices against the radical love of Jesus—and invites each of us to listen for the Spirit’s call to discover our own practices of faithfulness.
When I asked what excites him most about ministry today, his answer came quickly: hope. Juan Carlos sees voices rising to proclaim hopeful resistance and radical love in the face of empire’s false witness. He is energized by the love of Jesus Christ and by the church’s power to bear witness to God’s work—even in the midst of pain and suffering.
You can learn more about Juan Carlos’s ministry at First-Plymouth here: 👉 www.firstplymouth.org
🎧 I’d love for you to watch or listen to my full conversation with Juan Carlos—you can find the links below!
As always, may we remember: together we can bring the power of God’s hope, light, and joy to those living in the shadows of pain and suffering. Let your light shine—because it truly does take a village.
With gratitude, Jenny