Interview with vicar Gustavo Ruben Valderrama
Tell us about yourself and share some key moments in your life that have brought you to where you are today.
There are many, to be honest, and I wouldn’t want to put them all in this format. However, I’ll describe at least the most important one for me. My maternal grandfather was a Lutheran pastor in the Mexican state of Nayarit, in the city of Tepic. My grandfather was a pastor for over 70 years. In 2018, he passed away. A few days before he died, my grandfather called all his grandchildren one by one to give each of us a personal blessing. When it was my turn to receive my words and blessing, my grandfather told me that he could see pastoral qualities in me and that, of all his grandchildren, he wished one of us would become a pastor. He said that specifically, I had the capacity to be a pastor and advised me not to refuse if God was calling me, but only if He was truly calling me. Then he gave me his blessing and kissed me on the forehead. I didn’t remember this precious moment well, but in 2022, while seeking God’s direction on how to serve Him, the Lord reminded me of this memory, and it was a very special moment that made me tear up. From then on, I had the confirmation and proceeded to start the process to enter seminary. Of course, there were other moments, but this was the most significant and important because it was the definitive moment that gave me confirmation to enter the sacred ministry.
What motivated you to pursue a path in ministry, and how did you discern this call?
What motivated me was God, my family, and the people I love, both those who are Christian and those who are not. I discerned the call gradually in three ways. First, by recognizing my abilities and the spiritual gifts God had given me. Second, by listening to God’s call through the church and my family. Third, through the guidance of spiritual advisors. Fourth, by discerning the specific needs that my faith community exemplifies. And fifth, through confirmations that God gave me through Scripture and faith experiences that drew me closer to the call.
Describe your vision for your ministry.
My vision for ministry is simple. It’s not about grandiose statements or words. Simply put, my vision is that God uses any ministry I develop through me for His honor and glory out of love for others. The vision is to model and live out a way of being the church focused on the simplicity of the Gospel centered on the Word of God, the Sacraments, and the communion of saints. The incarnational focus is my vision. Everything else, whether it’s about money, space, community, among many other things, will be seen over the years according to what God guides and commands. One more thing, I hope that this way of doing mission will be like a beacon of hope and unity within the Lutheran church amidst a very stormy ocean full of division, malice, and complacency.
How is God preparing you for this ministry?
In many ways, but to avoid making it lengthy, in my day-to-day life, transforming me through His means of grace and strengthening me in the communion of saints. Also through professional preparation at Concordia Seminary.
Share any idea or teaching from Scripture that has been particularly influential in shaping your ministerial focus.
The prayer for unity that Jesus made to the Father in the Gospel of John, chapter 17. This teaching has been particularly important to me because God, through this prayer, has led me to understand the necessity of belonging to a visible church where His means of grace are administered and the community lives in love and unity. Not only that, but it also confirmed the great sin of many of us, Protestant Christians. We believe that we know everything and have discovered the secret of history, and we try to “recover” the church, but the church does not need to be recovered; it needs to be constantly renewed. We also sacrifice the quality of discipleship for evangelism, and not only that, but when a church focuses on discipleship, it often does not focus on what is important but on unnecessary rules, imposing legalistic ways of life. So, tired of the path and thirsty for God, these words of Jesus resonated in my mind and led me on a long path of rediscovery of the purest church. That’s why I stayed in the Lutheran church because for me it was a discovery of the truth in all its purity and integrity. The catholicity of the Lutheran church and its evangelical aspect are important for giving a sense of belonging and unity in the truth and in the love of the Holy Spirit. This has been the most influential for me and for my ministerial focus on the unity of the communion of saints, the Word, and the Sacraments in which we find Christ.
As you look at the world around you, how do you see Jesus in action?
Through His church that administers His means of grace and loves its neighbor, through every good action that people in general do, through every breath and every new sunrise in which all humanity awakens in a hug of mercy despite our evil. In the realm of God’s right hand and in the realm of His left hand. In every animal, plant, and any created thing, but especially in the work of the body of Christ to make the world a better place. That’s why, together, we pray with one heart, “Thy kingdom come.”
If someone were to pray for you and your ministry, what specific areas would you like them to focus on?
On these specific things: That God grant me patience, humility, wisdom, strength, resilience, love, peace, hope, fullness of the Holy Spirit, for my family, my friends, the Lutheran church in general, and a request I’ve had for a long time, which is… for a good wife who loves God above all things, who is not toxic, who is pure, submissive, simple, humble, sincere, loving, and who loves me for who I am and not for what I have or what I could give her.
Finally, how has the Lutheran Mission Society San Diego helped you?
Mainly, the LMS San Diego has helped me create connections and unite with other brothers in the unity of the Christian faith. Through these connections, I have received guidance, companionship, affection, and above all, the hope of walking together on the path of faith in the mission of Jesus Christ to reconcile all things to the Father, both things in heaven and things on earth, through His blood shed on Calvary that justifies, sanctifies, purifies, and glorifies the entire universe.
