Our Work in Costa Rica: Rooted in Christ. Growing by Grace.

Lutheran Church–Canada (LCC) began its mission presence in Costa Rica in 2005, recognizing a growing need to bring the Gospel of Jesus Christ to Central American communities both within and beyond Nicaragua’s borders. The first steps were taken when Rev. Pedro Quintero, a faithful Nicaraguan pastor serving under LCC’s mission umbrella, was called to serve a growing number of Nicaraguan immigrants who had settled in the Heredia region of Costa Rica.

With pastoral care grounded in the Scriptures and the Lutheran Confessions, Rev. Quintero provided spiritual support to these families, offering preaching, catechesis, and sacramental ministry in their own language and context. His work laid the foundation for the long-term confessional Lutheran witness in the country.

In 2009, Rev. Quintero was called back to serve in Nicaragua, and the pastoral mantle was taken up by Rev. Edmundo Retana, a native Costa Rican who had been formed through Lutheran theological training and was ordained and installed in Costa Rica in May of that same year. Rev. Retana’s pastoral heart and commitment to sound doctrine were well matched to the needs of the mission field.

Together with his wife, Deaconess Betty Solorzano Retana, Rev. Retana began a new chapter of mission work in the city of Cartago, particularly in Manuel de Jesús Jiménez, a humble and economically challenged neighbourhood on the city’s southern edge. There, the Gospel took root among those hungry not only for daily bread, but for the Bread of Life.

From its beginning, this mission has emphasized the clear proclamation of Christ crucified and risen, the faithful administration of the Sacraments, and the teaching of the Christian faith in its fullness. In keeping with the confessional Lutheran identity, the church has avoided mere social activism or generic spirituality, instead grounding all its work in the means of grace through which the Holy Spirit creates and sustains saving faith.

Over time, the mission has grown and expanded into new areas within Cartago and surrounding regions. In 2019, this growth reached a significant milestone when the mission was officially recognized by the Costa Rican government as a registered church body under the name: La Iglesia Luterana Confesional de Costa Rica (The Confessional Lutheran Church of Costa Rica).

This recognition has not only provided legal standing but has also deepened the local church’s sense of identity and purpose. Now an established partner in LCC’s international mission work, the Confessional Lutheran Church of Costa Rica continues to serve as a faithful witness in a region increasingly influenced by secularism, religious confusion, and materialism.

Through worship, catechesis, mercy work, and spiritual formation, LCC remains committed to supporting our brothers and sisters in Christ in Costa Rica. Our shared mission is simple yet profound: to proclaim Jesus Christ as Lord, to make disciples of all nations, and to build up the body of Christ through Word and Sacrament.

As the Confessional Lutheran Church of Costa Rica continues its work, Lutheran Church–Canada gives thanks for the faithful servants God has raised up and prays that the Lord of the harvest will continue to send workers into His fields. By grace alone, through faith alone, in Christ alone—this mission endures.

“So then, brothers, stand firm and hold to the traditions that you were taught by us, either by our spoken word or by our letter” (2 Thessalonians 2:15).

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