After more than three decades of dedicated service, IM Global Servant Rev. Ricardo Mayol-Bracero will officially retire from International Ministries (IM) on May 31, 2025. While his formal time serving with IM concludes, Ricardo’s passion for ministry and justice continues as he embarks on new global initiatives.

From his early years of ministry in Puerto Rico to his expansive work across Latin America with RECONPAZ, Ricardo has exemplified a tireless commitment to faith, justice, and the empowerment of marginalized communities. His call to ministry began at age 17, and his pastor encouraged him to get involved in serving. Through his experience with World Mission Offering at the First Baptist Church of Carolina, Puerto Rico, and his university studies in geography, Ricardo knew he wanted to pursue mission work.

“Although the process was long,” he shared, “everything prepared me for mission.” Ricardo was commissioned with IM in 1991 and led multiple training and development projects focused on theology, leadership, community planning and programs, and advocacy.

From 1991 to 1997, in partnership with the Baptist Federation of Costa Rica, Ricardo founded and directed the Caribbean Theological Center in Limón, Costa Rica; from 1998 to 2003 he was a professor and development advisor at the Baptist Seminary of Mexico; and from 2003-2013, Ricardo founded and directed Mayense Intercultural Seminary in San Cristóbal de Las Casas, Chiapas, Mexico in partnership with the Center for Humanistic Studies at the Baptist Seminary of Mexico.

Throughout his time with IM, Ricardo’s ministry has been shaped by a profound understanding of how the Gospel of Jesus Christ intersects with peace and justice. Rather than solely spreading the Good News of Jesus Christ as he did in the beginning, his experiences shifted his perspective to proclaiming total salvation, “applying a liberating evangelization in the contexts I served,” Ricardo explains.

Ricardo has walked alongside others fighting for workers’ rights in Costa Rica, advocated for the indigenous people of Mexico in the face of discrimination, stood up for those defending nature when environmental rights were being violated, and worked with youth in El Salvador who have experienced atrocious human rights violations when recruited for violence.

Whether through theological education, the defense of human and environmental rights or conflict mediation, Ricardo has sought to embody the gospel’s call to reconciliation and liberation. “These violations of human dignity and the rights of people and nature are the energy that drives me to fight so that the dominion of the Creator is established in life.”

One of his most impactful contributions has been his leadership in the Continental Christian Network for Peace (RECONPAZ). It is a movement that empowers communities across Latin America to resist violence, ecological destruction, and systemic injustice. Since 2017, when Ricardo founded RECONPAZ, it has become a vital network for faith communities engaging in environmental stewardship and human rights advocacy.

Ricardo’s retirement at this time is intentional to promote a healthy transition for RECONPAZ and empower leaders to continue this powerful ministry. In fact, his global mission work is far from over! He has been accepted into the residential program at Princeton Theological Seminary’s Overseas Ministries Study Center, where he will document the ten-year journey of RECONPAZ and lay the groundwork for a new global network that cares for creation against extractive dispossession. This initiative will continue his lifelong mission of protecting vulnerable communities and promoting peace and justice.

Reflecting on his time with IM, Ricardo shares, “My deep gratitude goes to IM staff, churches, regions, and brothers and sisters in Christ who, believing in the power of the gospel for salvation, invested yourselves in me. Thank you for the tender care you have given me all these years of service as an ambassador of Jesus Christ.”

Ricardo’s legacy is one of unwavering faith in action. His ministry has transformed the lives of those he has served and has inspired countless others to pursue justice through the Gospel of Jesus Christ. We invite you to join us in celebrating his service, praying for his transition, and supporting the ongoing mission of peace and justice that he has so passionately championed.

For further information, to send messages of appreciation, or redirect your giving, please contact International Ministries at imdonorservices@internationalministries.org.