Rev. Richie Sanchez

Rev. Richie Sanchez was born to parents who came to the U.S. from Puerto Rico, and he grew up as a native Spanish speaker in the midst of cultural diversity in Brooklyn, New York. His parents were members of a Disciples of Christ Church and spent his formative years as a member of the First Hispanic Christian Church in Brooklyn.

His conversion experience occurred at 18 years of age, and he developed leadership skills by working in youth and young-adult ministries. These experiences awoke the candidate to answer the call to ministry, after which he served in a number of commissioned roles in local and regional ministry leading up to his formal education in seminary, becoming an ordained Minister in 2015. He has a regular practice of journaling, prayer walks, devotions, and personal retreats, stating that “prayer, stillness, biblical reflection, and rest are my constant.”

Rev. Sanchez currently serves as the Regional Minister to the Pacific Southwest Region of the Christian Church (Disciples of Christ).

Why did you say “yes” to the NBA Board of Trustees?

It provides me a place to connect with like-minded efforts, which are daring to imagine a different world through collaboration, accompaniment, and mutual care or compassion. I’ve been offered the opportunity to take part in stewarding efforts, started by a faithful few years ago, and continued on through our family of NBA missions and ministries.

The NBA’s vision statement is “creating communities of compassion and care.” What does that mean to you?

This means to me, NBA is committed to engaging in the work of the church at large, helping to encourage the creation of more Sacred (compassionate and caring, etc) spaces for a hurting and fragmented world.