CNN and Fox News named Rodriguez, “The leader of the Hispanic Evangelical movement”. NBC/Telemundo called him “America’s most influential Latino Evangelical leader”. Rev. Samuel Rodriguez was nominated by TIME magazine for their “100 Most Influential People in The World” list in 2013 and his description of the Latino faith community emerged as their April 15, 2013 cover story, The Latino Reformation.
The Wall St. Journal identified him as one of America’s most influential Hispanic Leaders, and the only religious leader on the list. On the 50th Anniversary of Dr. Martin Luther King’s “I have a Dream” speech, Black Christian News Network identified Rev. Samuel Rodriguez as one of the top “10 White & Brown MLK’s of Our Time”.
Rev. Samuel Rodriguez is the President of the National Hispanic Christian Leadership Conference. The NHCLC is the nation’s largest Hispanic Christian organization representing millions of Evangelicals and more than 40,000 U.S. Churches and seeks to reconcile evangelist Billy Graham’s message of salvation with Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr.’s march of prophetic activism through its “7 Directives” of Life, Family, Compassionate Evangelism, Stewardship, Justice, Education and Youth.
On January 21, 2013, Rev. Samuel Rodriguez, the first Latino to ever be invited, gave the Keynote speech at the Martin Luther King, Jr. 40th Anniversary Commemorative Serviceat Ebenezer Baptist Church in Atlanta, GA. Rodriguez also gave a historic Keynote speech at the Ethics and Public Policy Center’s 2013 National Religious Freedom Conference in Washington, D.C., in June 2013.
Rodriguez is regularly featured, profiled and quoted by the Washington Post, CNN, Fox News, NBC Telemundo, ABC, NPR, Chicago Tribune, Christianity Today, Newsweek, Univision, NY Times, The Wall St. Journal, CNN Español, Bill Moyers, Boston Globe, Atlanta Constitution, Ministries Today, The Christian Post, Charisma, CBN, TBN and many others.
An award-winning writer, Rodriguez writes and contributes to world recognized publications such as Ministries Today, Enrichment Journal, The Washington Post and Newsweek “On Faith” Panel, Outreach magazine, Vida Cristiana, Charisma, Christianity Today, Yale “Reflections” and others.
He currently serves on the Board of Directors of some of America’s leading Evangelical organizations such as: Gordon Conwell Theological Seminary, National Association of Evangelicals, Empowered21, PCCNA, Liberty Counsel and Christianity Today.
Globally, via NHCLC and 3DBN a Global network of top tier Evangelical ministries, Rev. Rodriguez is committed to the presentation of the Gospel while simultaneously addressing social justice issues such as poverty, human trafficking, religious freedom, and human dignity.
Rodriguez is the author of The Lamb’s Agenda (Thomas Nelson, 2013) and Path of Miracles (2009). Rodriguez earned his Master’s degree in educational leadership from Lehigh University and most recently received an Honorary Doctorate from The Baptist Universities of The Americas. He is an Assemblies of God Ordained Minister since the age of 23. Rodriguez also serves as Senior Pastor of New Season Christian Worship Center in Sacramento, CA where he resides with his wife of 24 years, Eva, and their three children.
On January 20, 2017, Reverend Rodriguez offered prayer at the inaugural ceremony of U.S. President Donald Trump.