Effective March 1st, 2019, SENDAS alumnus, Rev. David Gonzalez, assumed the role of global NYI director for the Church of the Nazarene.

David served the local church for eight years as a worship leader and a youth pastor. In 1999, he became the Mexico Field NYI coordinator and transitioned from that role in 2001 to serve as the Mesoamerica NYI president as well as a missionary for the Church of the Nazarene in Guatemala.

In 2007, he moved to the United States to assume the role of global program and development coordinator in the Nazarene Youth International office. During his time in the NYI office, he and his wife, Tabita, also served as associate pastors for Hispanic youth ministry and later as co-pastors for a Hispanic congregation.

The Gonzalez family moved to Argentina in 2014 as missionaries on the South America Region. In June 2018, they moved to Quito, Ecuador, to assume the role of field strategy coordinator for the region’s North Andean Field.

David also served as the global NYI vice president from 2009 to 2013 and the global NYI council chair from 2013 to 2017.

David reflected on his time of ministry preparation at SENDAS sharing, “When I responded to the call of God into pastoral ministry, in the special way of working with youth, I understood that I was also accepting the commitment to prepare myself in the best way possible. Without a doubt, SENDAS has had a key role in this area through the classes of the master’s program but at the same time to give me a platform and access to develop projects that not only completed academic requirements but also have had an impact on youth ministry at the global level. Something else very important is that many colleagues and professors who I met at SENDAS became a support group that to this day are fundamental in my ministry and personal growth.”