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- How does a Cuban Baptist pastor end up as the newest minister of the Evangelical Waldensian Church of the Río de la Plata?
This report from the recent synod of the Evangelical Waldensian Church in the Rio de la Plata was written by Dennis Smith. Dennis represented the American Waldensian Society at the synod meeting and, not coincidentally, served for many years as the Regional Liaison for the Presbyterian Church (USA) in South America. Dennis is also a member of the board of directors of the American Waldensian Society.
I met Rev. Dr. Antonio (Tony) Santana – pictured above – 8 years ago at the Evangelical Theological Seminary in Matanzas, Cuba. At that time, he was as a professor of practical theology at the seminary, pastored a local congregation, and served as president of the Cuban Council of Churches.
Tony has been a pastor for 30 years. In 2009, while serving as president of his denomination in Cuba, Tony had the opportunity to travel to Italy and establish a partnership with Italian Baptists as well as participate in a conference of Baptists for Peace.
In that trip he met Italian Waldensians and found them to be kindred spirits. He returned to Italy a year later for more meetings and was interested to find Italian Baptist pastors serving some Waldensian congregations.
In 2018 Tony participated in the assembly of the Global Christian Forum in Bogotá, Colombia. At that meeting, he met Rev. Dr. Darío Barolín, a Waldensian pastor then serving as the Executive Secretary of the Alliance of Presbyterian and Reformed Churches of Latin America and the Caribbean. Tony and Darío spoke about the need to find common ground between Baptist and Reformed churches in Latin America and the Caribbean.
In 2023 Tony was called to serve as pastor of a Baptist congregation in Paysandú, Uruguay. Since his children had already emigrated to Uruguay, this seemed like a good fit. However, to his surprise, Tony discovered that Uruguayan Baptists were far more theologically conservative than his denomination in Cuba. He was able to end that call on friendly terms, as it clearly was not a good fit for either Tony or the Baptist congregation.
Once Tony arrived in Uruguay, he was able to re-establish contact with Darío Barolín. At the same time, I was able to put him in touch with Rev. Marcelo Nicolau, the Waldensian pastor in Paysandú and the Moderator of the Mesa of the Evangelical Waldensian Church in the Río de la Plata.
In April 2024, Waldensian pastor Rev. Carola Tron gave a talk on the role played by women during the 850 years of the Waldensian movement at the Waldensian church in Paysandú. This really motivated Tony! These connections created a space for Tony to have regular dialog with Waldensian leaders in the Río de la Plata. The result was a year-long process of dialog and participation in training events and regular encounters with pastors in the Evangelical Waldensian Church in the Río de la Plata.
Building on his prior experiences in Italy, Tony took advantage of these opportunities to learn about the history and identity of the Waldensian movement, as well as to learn more about Reformed theology and ecclesiology. Obviously, there were differences to be addressed.
The Mesa of the Evangelical Waldensian Church in the Río de la Plata asked Tony to serve for a year as a supply pastor in the Presbytery of Northern Uruguay. At the end of the year, each congregation was asked to evaluate Tony’s pastoral gifts and skills. All agreed that this was a mutually beneficial experience. So, as a result, at the 2026 Synod meeting, Tony’s ordination as a minister was affirmed, and he was commissioned as a pastor in the Evangelical Waldensian Church in the Río de la Plata. In his new charge, he will provide pastoral care in two presbyteries.
I asked Tony what are the pastoral challenges facing Waldensians in South America today? He said that the challenges facing Waldensians in the Rio de la Plata are like those faced by Baptists in Cuba. In both locations the need to embrace and empower lay leadership is especially critical.
In the Evangelical Waldensian Church in the Rio de la Plata, each presbytery has formed pastoral teams of lay leaders called Schools of Community Ministry. These are designed as spaces for continuing education and mutual support as the members of the teams carry much of the pastoral responsibility in each presbytery. Ongoing training is provided by the Ecumenical Network for Theological Education, of which the Evangelical Waldensian Church in the Rio de la Plata is a founding member.
Several years ago, Waldensians in the Rio de la Plata committed to training dozens of lay leaders chosen by their communities to provide pastoral leadership. The Waldensians designed and implemented a three-year training curriculum grounded in Latin American theology and popular education methodology called “Be Strong in Grace.” More than 60 graduates of this program form the core of the new Schools of Community Ministry.
As a long-time seminary professor who has focused on practical theology and Christian education, Tony is ideally placed to contribute to the Evangelical Waldensian Church in the Rio de la Plata not only as a minister but also as a professor in the Ecumenical Network for Theological Education.
When asked what message he would like to share with the American Waldensian Society, Tony recalled that prior to the Synod meeting, the South American Waldensian pastoral corps met for a day of planning and reflection. He was especially moved by one reflection based on these words from the prophet Habakkuk:
I stand in awe, O Lord, of your work.
In our own time, revive it;
In our own time, make it known. (Habakkuk 3:2)
This, Tony assures us, is our source of hope in these chaotic times.