Rev. Dr. Elizabeth “Liz” Rios is a Lower East Side Manhattan-raised Afro-Boricua who founded Passion2Plant, one of the few known national church planting networks founded and led by a woman, to teach global majority planters to start holistic, justice-focused churches. She is the spiritual daughter of both the Primitive Christian Church (PCC), and the Latino Pastoral Action Center (LPAC). PCC which is pastored by Rev. Marc Rivera, was where she first discerned a call to leadership at the age of 11 and where she was given amazing ministerial opportunities that led to credentialing by the Assemblies of God. LPAC further developed her gifts and call and developed her into a city-wide respected leader under the tutelage of Bishop Raymond Rivera.
Dr. Rios has served as a nonprofit executive, higher education administrator, and pastor. She has also served on several national boards, most recently joining Sojourners, an ecumenical Christian media and advocacy organization that works toward social and racial justice.
She teaches, preaches, and writes about women in ministry, workplace culture, civic engagement, and church planting. She has written for or has been quoted in many national magazines, including Sojourners, Influence, Called, Christianity Today, Pentecostals and Charismatics for Peace and Justice, The Atlantic, The Washington Post, Religion News Service, and Outreach Magazine. She is the author of Don't Buy The Lie: Eradicating False Belief Systems That Keep You From Your Destiny (Ghetto Rose Publications, 2012). She has also contributed to various books, including most recently to Need to Know: Empowering Female Leadership and Why It's Essential for the Future of the Church and Our Daily Bread Publishing's Rhythms of Rest: 40 Devotions for Women on the Move. To add to Latine Pentecostal history, she contributed a chapter for Latino Religions and Civic Activism published by Oxford University Press called "The Women are Warriors" highlighting the many achievements of Latina Pentecostal women in the NYC social activist world. The chapter was reprinted in Azusa Street and Beyond 100 Years of Commentary on the Global/Pentecostal Charismatic Movement which was highlighted at the Azusa Street Centennial.
Dr. Rios is mentioned in the Encyclopedia of Women and Religion in North America, Volume 1 (2006) and in Latinas in the United States: A Historical Encyclopedia (2006). She has received a number of recognitions, including being named one of twelve Hispanic Women of Distinction for her South Florida work (2014) by Latina Style Magazine and Bank of America, receiving a Multi-cultural Excellence Award from City to City Miami (2022), inducted into the prestigious Martin Luther King Jr. College of Ministers and Laity Board of Preachers (2023), a Trailblazer award from Influential Global Ministries/Sacramento Midtown Church (2023), and the Unsung Sheroe Award by former Ambassador of Religious Freedom Suzan Johnson Cook (2023). She has also been a member of Delta Sigma Theta Sorority Inc. for 38 years.
Dr. Rios has a BA in Liberal Arts, an MA in Management, an EdD in Organizational Leadership from Nova Southeastern University, and a DMin from Southeastern University. In May 2025, she will graduate with an MA in Social Justice from Union Theological Seminary. Dr. Rios is also an ordained Christian Church (Disciples of Christ) minister.
The joy of her life has always been her family, Samuel (25) and Daniel, her special needs angel, who transitioned to glory on his 23rd birthday, 9/22/22. She has been married to Rev. Hiram Rios for 34 years, and Miramar, FL is their home.
Read more about her and the work she does at her personal site here.
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