ABOUT
Called to Serve
Born and raised in Angleton, Texas, Tony is a second-generation Mexican-American whose story with the local church began early. He responded in faith to the gospel as an eight-year-old at Vacation Bible School, and was baptized at Second Baptist Church of Angleton. It was there that God began planting in him a burden for discipleship: the patient, ordinary work of teaching believers to obey everything Jesus commanded (Matthew 28:20). Tony studied at Boyce College, a part of Southern Seminary, while spending three years as a Pastoral Assistant at Immanuel Baptist Church in Louisville, Kentucky. There he gained hands-on ministry experience and helped launch a church plant in New Orleans. In 2018, Tony moved from Lousiville to the Bronx to help plant Fordham Community Church, which launched in 2019. Since the church's earliest days, he has served in many roles, as a worship leader, tech director, deacon, and small group leader. Today, he serves as Director of Spiritual Formation, cultivating a culture of discipleship: equipping believers for ministry, developing leaders, and raising up gospel laborers. Outside of ministry, Tony is an unapologetic Houston sports fan and a proud supporter of the University of Texas Longhorns. He loves music across many genres and enjoys firing up the smoker for friends, cooking Tejano-style barbecue whenever he gets the chance.
Why the Bronx
The Bronx is one of the most remarkable mission fields in the world. People from nations across the globe live side by side here in a way few places on earth can match, sharing sidewalks, subway cars, schools, and apartment buildings. This makes the borough a unique crossroads for the gospel: a place where reaching one neighbor can ripple outward into families, neighborhoods, and entire nations. Fordham Community Church exists in the middle of that reality, believing that the gospel planted here doesn't stay here. Fruit that grows in the Bronx has the potential to reach cities and nations around the world, carried by the very people who call this place home.
A Local Church Vision
Fordham Community Church exists to build a Kingdom Family that displays the love of Jesus, and we believe a healthy Kingdom Family should multiply. As believers are discipled and equipped to teach others, a reproducible leadership pipeline begins to form (2 Timothy 2:2). This pipline of disciple-makers produce pastors, and church planters needed to establish healthy churches in underserved neighborhoods throughout the Bronx and NYC.The Bronx’s extraordinary diversity also makes it a strategic training ground for global missions. As leaders learn to serve across cultures here, they can be prepared to carry the gospel into cities and nations around the world. In this way, the local church participates in Christ’s call to make disciples of all nations and to be His witnesses to the ends of the earth (Matthew 28:19–20; Acts 1:8).
The Work Ahead
As Director of Spiritual Formation, Tony's work centers on three directives:
01
Discipleship
Oversee and expand core discipleship initiatives like our Growing Deep discipleship class that walks believers through the basics of following Jesus, and dedicated ministries for men, women, and youth create space to grow at every stage of life. Starting intentional discipleship small groups for our more mature believers to more intimately walk our younger believers through the christian life.
02
Leadership
Identifying, training, and equipping leaders through our Timothy & Priscilla Lab, a leadership-development track that prepares them to be better disciple makers. This leadership-development track is the groundwork for developing a future theological institute, a place where local pastors and ministry leaders can receive faithful, accessible theological education without leaving the Bronx.
03
Worship
Worship is more than music—it's discipleship. Shaping the church's gathered life so that singing, praying, and hearing God's Word trains members to lead and forms committed followers of Christ, not just spectators.
None of this happens quickly, but it is steady, faithful work with a long horizon.
The Need for Partnership
Making disciples and raising up gospel laborers is work entrusted to the local church. But from the very beginning, Scripture presents gospel ministry as shared work, not solo work, a body of people carrying the mission together, each part supporting the others.Paul writes in Romans 10:14–15 that those who go must be sent, and in Philippians 1:3–5 he thanks the Philippians for their partnership in the gospel—their prayers and generosity woven into the work itself. Sending and support have always been part of how the gospel moves forward.Partnership can look like prayer, a word of encouragement, or simply following along with what God is doing here. It can also look like financial generosity.help that strengthens the local church, equips leaders, and sends gospel laborers out from the Bronx.If this vision resonates with you, we'd love for you to follow along with the ministry or partner in the gospel work using the buttons below.