During the last several decades, Nazareth’s traditional Anglo membership steadily declined while the number of Spanish-speaking families in Highlandtown increased. Recognizing this new mission field, the congregation called Pastor James Sharp to begin Lutheran outreach in Spanish while continuing to serve its English-speaking members. After him, Pastor Arthur Boone, who had previously served for nearly twenty years as a missionary in Venezuela, continued the Spanish-language ministry.

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Following Pastor Boone’s retirement, Pastor Miguel Torneire was called to continue the congregation’s ministry and to assist in establishing a Hispanic Ministry Training Center in Baltimore. He served Nazareth for two years before accepting a call to establish a Spanish-speaking congregation in St. Louis.

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On September 20, 2025, Pastor Walterson Junior Siewert Lang called by Saint James Evangelical Lutheran Church, was installed as pastor of Nazareth, continuing and expanding this Hispanic mission. Originally from Paraguay, Pastor Walterson studied at Lutheran seminaries in Brazil and the United States. Before coming to Baltimore, he served for four years in church-planting ministry in Asunción, Paraguay, and for five years as a missionary pastor in Lima, Peru, serving within the partnership between the LCMS and its sister Lutheran churches in Latin America.

 

Today, Nazareth continues the missionary spirit that has characterized the congregation throughout its history. The church is actively reaching the growing Latino community in Highlandtown through evangelism, Spanish-language Services, and its ESL (English as a Second Language) ministry. Through ESL classes, personal relationships, community outreach, and the proclamation of the Gospel, Nazareth seeks not only to welcome its neighbors but also connect them with Christ and His Church. 

 

The languages and faces of Highlandtown have changed over the generations, but Nazareth’s mission remains the same: to proclaim Christ crucified and risen, administer His Sacraments, and bring the Gospel to the neighbors God has placed at its doors.