Elizabeth Rios is an Afro-Latina native of Manhattan’s Lower East Side and a spiritual daughter of Bishop Raymond Rivera, founder of the Latino Pastoral Action Center in the Bronx. As a pioneering Founder of Passion2Plant, one of the nation’s few church planting networks led by a woman, Rios empowers majority planters to start holistic, justice-focused churches. She is also the founder of the Passion Center, an online, justice-oriented, liberation-driven training center based in South Florida and program director of Púlpito Fellows at Urban Strategies, a Compelling Preaching Initiative of the Lilly Endowment.
Rios has served on several national boards and is an ordained Christian Church (Disciples of Christ) minister. She has written for or has been quoted in numerous national publications including Sojourners, Influence, Called, Christianity Today, Pentecostals and Charismatics for Peace and Justice , The Atlantic, The Washington Post, Religion News Service, and Outreach Magazine. She is the author of Don’t Buy the Lie: Eradicating False Belief Systems That Keep You From Your Destiny (Ghetto Rose Publications, 2012). She has also contributed to many books including Rhythms of Rest: 40 Devotions for Women on the Move and Latino Religions and Civic Activism. She has also received a number of recognitions and most recently was inducted into the prestigious Martin Luther King Jr. College of Ministers and Laity Board of Preachers of Morehouse College.
The joy of Rios’ life is her family, Samuel (25) and her husband of 34 years, Rev. Hiram Rios. Together, they’ve made their home in Miramar, Fla. She cherishes the memory of Daniel, her special needs angel, who transitioned to glory on his 23rd birthday, September 22, 2022.
Posts By This Author
The Urgent Need for Justice-Oriented Churches in the United States: Embracing Sankofa at the Margins
Profound political, social, and economic divisions characterize the United States at a pivotal juncture. The Church’s role becomes more crucial as the nation grapples with systemic inequities and historical injustices.
Latino Evangelicals Say No to the Death Penalty
Death chamber in Sing Sing prison (Everett Historical / Shutterstock)
THE NATIONAL LATINO Evangelical Coalition announced in March that it would no longer support the death penalty, making it the first U.S. evangelical association to take this stand. Coalition president Gabriel Salguero announced the change at a press conference in Orlando, Fla., and urged NaLEC’s 3,000 member congregations to work toward ending capital punishment nationwide.
“As Christ-followers, we are called to work toward justice for all. And as Latinos, we know too well that justice is not always even-handed,” said Salguero.