Rev. Ignacio Pesado was installed as the new district superintendent at the Spain District Assembly on November 11, 2012. At age 28, Ignacio is one of the youngest people to fill the role in the denomination, and the first non-missionary to take the role in Spain.

“It’s a big challenge, but it’s also a privilege to be more helpful not just at a local level but at the district level with all the churches,” he said.

Spain celebrated 30 years of Nazarene ministry last year.

Ignacio was among four people who were considered for the role, said Kyle Himmelwright, field strategy coordinator for Western Mediterranean, of which Spain is a part.

“That gave us a peace of mind to know regardless of who we chose… that person would have three other people who were going to be skilled and qualified and who would make a great team for them.”

Ignacio is the son of Daniel Pesado, a missionary to Spain from Argentina who previously served as Spain’s district superintendent for nine years while Ignacio was growing up. As a missionary kid, Ignacio gained a European perspective and an insight into his father’s responsibilities; he also attended European Nazarene College, and has pastored with his wife, Litzy, also an ordained elder, at the Barcelona Church of the Nazarene for the past five years.

According to Himmelwright, Ignacio and Litzy steered their congregation through a difficult time when – for a time – they were suddenly left without their building in which to worship and meet.

“They had to find other places to meet and had to rally people and maintain morale and they proved capable of doing that,” Himmelwright said.

Another necessary skill for the role is a mastery of the English language, which Ignacio has. This allows him to participate in international leadership teams on the field and the Eurasia Region, when required.

Ignacio will also continue to pastor the Barcelona church, alongside his new responsibilities. Himmelwright said Ignacio is adept at developing teams of leaders to come alongside him and share in the work. That, and having Litzy’s pastoral leadership on hand, will allow him to shoulder the loads of being both pastor and district superintendent simultaneously.

A notable challenge the Spain District faces right now is the country’s economic recession. According to the FOCUS News Agency, Spain’s jobless rate reached over 26 percent last November, and more than 6 million people are searching for work. This is straining the Nazarene churches there, Ignacio said. 

“I’m visiting all the churches now, I could see the same thing (across) the whole district: our families are having struggles and they have to work more so they cannot be as committed as they were before. A lot of people are having to move so there is a lot of instability in the churches,” he said. “We have to establish leaders and people in the long-term.”

Ignacio’s vision is to bring increased unity among the churches.

“I would like to see more unity to become one church. In spite of all the differences and distances, we have the same vision, we share the same goals and dreams as a district,” he said. “We might work toward it in different ways (but) the first part is to be united.”

He also wants to focus the district on evangelism and discipleship – ensuring that new and long-time believers understand the denomination’s doctrine and theology and are thoroughly Nazarene.