MIAMI — Emanuel Roque has spent much of his life serving in the same region he now feels called to help lead.

Raised in South Florida as the son of Cuban immigrants who came to faith through the work of Florida Baptist and Southern Baptist missionaries, Roque said his story has always been deeply connected to the Southeast region and the churches serving there.

Now, as he steps into his new role as Southeast regional catalyst for the Florida Baptist Convention, Roque hopes to help churches strengthen their gospel impact through collaboration, discipleship and leadership development.

“It started before the Hispanic Ministry catalyst role in that I was raised, saved, baptized, discipled, called, and equipped as a second-generation Hispanic in this wonderful Southeast Region,” Roque said.

Roque previously served as Hispanic multicultural catalyst for the Florida Baptist Convention and has ministered in South Florida for decades. He pastored Iglesia Bautista Resurreccion/Resurrection Baptist Church in Miami for nearly 16 years and also served with the Miami Baptist Association in Hispanic-International ministries.

During his years as a pastor, Roque witnessed a first-generation Hispanic church develop into what he described as a “multicultural, multigenerational, multinational, multilingual and multiplying church.” He believes those experiences helped prepare him to serve a broader and increasingly diverse region.

“The mission of the Florida Baptist Convention is to support churches in their mission of making disciples of all nations through the gospel of Jesus Christ,” Roque said. “That is the same mission for the Southeast Region, just contextualized for the mission field(s) and churches of the region.”

Roque said Southeast Florida represents one of the most strategic mission fields in the country because of its diversity and rapid population growth. His priorities align with the convention’s mission imperatives: evangelism, discipleship, church planting and revitalization, and cooperative missions giving.

“As we align with and contextualize Dr. Rummage’s Mission Imperatives, those areas become our priorities, processes and kingdom potential expressions for churches,” he said.

In the role, Roque hopes to strengthen churches by helping create environments where pastors and leaders can learn from one another, develop healthy ministry practices and work together more intentionally.

“The essence is always about the local church making disciples who become missional servant-leaders who then make other disciples,” Roque said.

He emphasized that programs alone cannot sustain healthy churches. Instead, he hopes to encourage a gospel-centered culture within congregations while helping churches build strategic partnerships throughout the region.

“We are truly better together,” Roque said. “In this mission field environment, we not only need each other, but must see the greater opportunity and potential for God-glorifying gospel and kingdom impact when we intentionally collaborate and cooperate to see His Mission fulfilled.”

Roque also expressed appreciation for the work of former Southeast regional catalyst Al Fernandez, whom he described as a longtime ministry partner and friend.

“Brother Al is a dear friend and has been a ministry partner of ‘all’ in the region,” Roque said. “His passion, giftedness, and experience in church planting and networking people and churches with the right resources and partners, has been a hallmark characteristic of his.”

While Roque plans to continue building on the foundation already established in the region, he also hopes to expand leadership development efforts and create stronger ministry partnerships.

“There is always a need for a larger and more effective mission force for the mission field to be expressed through Jesus’ church in new and even greater ways,” he said. 

Roque also emphasized the important role local associations and associational mission strategists play in strengthening churches and helping advance cooperative ministry efforts throughout the Southeast region.

Among the greatest challenges churches currently face, Roque pointed to pastoral discouragement, rapid community changes, leadership development needs and cultural brokenness.

Still, he believes those challenges also create opportunities for churches to depend more fully on God.

“The New Testament church thrived and expanded in the midst of a hostile and spiritually dark environment, yet the gospel always prevails,” Roque said.

A major emphasis for Roque moving forward will be fostering unity among churches of different cultures, languages and generations.

“We begin from the truth, position, and reality that what we have in common is One Savior and One Lord, fulfilling His Mission through One Church in His Kingdom,” he said.

Roque said Southeast Florida’s diversity should be viewed as a strength rather than a barrier. He hopes churches throughout the region will continue building relationships, praying together and partnering in ministry to better reflect the kingdom of God.

“The diversity of cultures, languages, backgrounds and expressions allows us to be a stronger and more effective expression of our united work in the mission field,” he said.

Roque also highlighted the importance of investing in younger leaders and creating intentional pathways for leadership development.

“I am a grateful recipient and result of that kind of intentional next generation leadership development,” Roque said. “We must pray for, communicate the value and need, while providing real processes, environments and pipelines for that to occur.”

Looking ahead, Roque said his vision for the Southeast region includes seeing churches multiply, discipleship increase and more people reached with the gospel.

The southeast region is home to 7 million people and while Florida Baptist churches in the area reported more than 8,600 baptisms last year only 1.5 percent of the overall population is represented in church attendance numbers.

“Could and should we pray for God to unite us in prayer for revival, spiritual awakening and great commission movements where there is an exponential multiplication of disciples, leaders, and churches?” Roque said. “Absolutely, without hesitation!”

Roque said he believes God can continue using Southeast Florida as a launching point for gospel advance both locally and globally.

“By His grace and through His power we can together experience exponential cycles of multiplication in missions, reverse-missions, and resending missions, all for His glory, from churches right here in this Southeast Region of Florida,” he said.