Miguel Torneire, a 41-year-old Lutheran pastor and resident and a non-resident missionary, is an advocate of taking the world and the bible together. Living a life based on an ideology ‘holistic community development,’ this man of faith is putting in all his efforts to strengthen the society. He has spent his entire life in the Lutheran churches in Southern, Central and Northern America, including regions such as Brazil, Guatemala, and the USA.
Being one of the few people who possess the skills of maintaining a balance between religion and secularism, he serves the Lord. He gives in His name while actively participating in several other activities. He enjoys extreme sports, spends time with his loving wife and two sons, and also serves as a vacancy Pastor at Trinity Lutheran Church in Centralia, Illinois.
A stable society is one where there is a perfect balance between everything. From a balanced circulation of wealth to equal opportunities for everyone, in a stable community, every individual can grow and prosper. Miguel Torneire, who has lived through his fair share of adversities, believes that giving back to the community in the name of the Lord, along with addressing the root causes of critical societal issues, is the key to a strong and powerful community.
He was just two years old when his mother passed away due to appendicitis in 1982. Even though his father was well, alive, and living in the same city, Miguel and his brother, André, could not stay with him. After a thorough discussion between Miguel’s father and other relatives, it was decided that Arthur Schulz Sobrinho and Argentina Eller Schulz, Miguel’s grandparents, would take care of the two boys. His childhood was difficult, but it was part of his destiny as it was during his time with his grandparents that Miguel began to live a Christian life and was introduced to the concept of service to the community.
Coming Face-to-Face with Life’s True Purpose
While Miguel was living with his grandparents, who were dedicated to the service of their Lord, he began to understand the Christian beliefs. His grandparents helped him understand that to serve the humankind was to serve the Lord. It is said that life has its own way of bringing people face-to-face with their life’s purpose and destinies. Coming to live with his grandparents was a way for him to get close to his Lord and religion. It was during this time that the young boy decided to learn about his religion.
To acquire a Bachelor’s Degree in Divinity, Miguel went to Instituto Concórdia de São Paulo – ICSP. Landing at this institute further helped Miguel find his life’s true passion. It was at this institute that the young man established his missiological vision of serving the community. After two years at ICSP, he went to Seminario Concórdia in Buenos Aires, Argentina, for two years. Then, Miguel returned to ICSP for another year. It was because of an ecclesiastical decision during his vicarage at Comunidade Concordia in São Leopoldo that the ICSP was closed, and Miguel was transferred to Seminário Concórdia in the same city, where he graduated with his first bachelor’s degree.
In the same year, Miguel decided to acquire another bachelor’s degree, this time in Theology, from Universidade Luterana do Brazil (ULBRA). However, just one year later, Miguel was ordained on April 25, after which he left for Guatemala to take the position of Pastor at Iglesia Evangélica Luterana El Divino Salvador, Zacapa. He spent four years in the country, during which he served as the resident missionary. Visiting prisons, leading drives to feed the hungry, and working with Central American Lutheran Mission Society (CALMS) were all part of his Guatemalan experience.
In 2009, he got an invitation from CALMS to work with them. He went to the United States, where he completed his second bachelor’s degree in theology. While completing his degree, he started working with CALMS, where he got a chance to train under the supervision and mentorship of Doctor Steve Hughey. He was one of Miguel’s most significant influences as he had more than 45 years of experience as a missionary. He also acquired a Master’s in Arts, with a specialization in Christian Outreach from the Concordia University in St. Paul. During this time working at CALMS, he received a call to be the Assistant Pastor at Gethsemane Church.
From Brazil, Guatemala to the USA, Miguel’s concept of holistic community development is rapidly gaining momentum across the world. As of today, Miguel serves as the vacancy Pastor at Trinity Lutheran Church in Centralia, IL. In addition to this, he is also working as an executive director at his non-profit organization, Developing Our World. Born and raised in Rio de Janeiro, Miguel has spent time variety of different churches. While being an active pastor and missionary, he continues to spend time with his loving family!