My maternal grandfather, Rosendo Martínez (1903–1973), was a natural-born entrepreneur. With only a third-grade education, he built a thriving chorizo factory, raised nine children, and planted a church. My mother Raquel, his eldest daughter, was sent at 17—right after World War II—to the English-speaking island of Trinidad to learn English. Decades later, my brother and I followed in her footsteps, staying with the same family in Port of Spain.
I inherited my Abuelito Rosendo’s heart. I was also shaped by the example of my paternal great-grandfather, Heraclio, who planted one of the first Pentecostal churches in Venezuela. Their examples—one in business, the other in ministry—marked my own path. For the last 44 years, I have lived in 13 countries, served in 78, and carried a vision to see the ways of Jesus transform nations.
In the 80s and 90s, I joined the team formed by Jim Montgomery (1930-2006) to implement the strategy known in Latin America as Amanecer (Discipling a Whole Nation – DAWN) across five continents. We believed that when Jesus became visible in love and compassion, people would be drawn to Him, and that every person should have a living church within reach. Hundreds of thousands of new churches were planted. Yet, instead of discipled nations, we saw the opposite: corruption, crime, and poverty continued to rise.
Why?
Church life, as it matures, often builds barriers between believers and their communities. Dr. Donald McGavran (1897–1990), whom I met while studying at Fuller Seminary, described this as “Redemption and Lift.” When Christ redeems a poor, humble community, social and economic mobility often follow—but the very people best equipped to reach their peers lose contact as they prosper or move away.
In the late 90s, I began to encounter Muslims deeply transformed by Isa (Jesus in the Quran). They chose to follow His ways without becoming “Christians.” Their testimony challenged me: could people follow Jesus without adopting cultural Christianity? Their example freed me to recognize that the gospel seeks to transform all areas of life—personal, familial, and communal.
One of my greatest learnings was to live an integrated life. I had been taught to believe that “full-time ministry” was a higher calling, while others worked in “less holy” professions and supported me financially. But this system, though well-intentioned, robbed everyone of their role in God’s redemptive plan. Truly, all of life belongs to God, and every skill can be used for His purposes.
My Muslim friends taught me that God’s original intention was community: each person bringing their gifts, labor, and creativity in partnership. I saw simple villagers start businesses that pooled resources, created mutual benefit, and generated justice in their communities. These small enterprises had more transforming power than many traditional mission models.
This is the foundation of what is now known as Redemptive Economy.
Neither my grandfather Rosendo nor my great-grandfather Heraclio used that language, but they somehow lived it: one through entrepreneurship, the other through church planting. After more than 40 years of doing it in a “separate” way, I believe I inherited their integrated vision: business and ministry working together for the restoration of people, communities, and creation.
Today I see Redemptive Economy not as a new idea, but as the recovery of God’s original design—a way of life that my grandparents lived instinctively, and that I had to rediscover after decades of separating “ministry” and “business.” It is the conviction that every skill, creativity, and human labor is sacred; that business and mission are inseparable; and that true discipleship restores justice, dignity, and wholeness to communities. This is the legacy I want to leave: to build projects, networks, and communities where the ways of Jesus are embodied—not confined to pulpits, but lived out in the marketplace, the workshop, the farm, and the neighborhood.
