Costa Rica's first Lutheran Bishop, Melvin Jiménez, was consecrated at a ceremony at the Lutheran Church of Costa Rica in San José yesterday morning.

The father of two adult children, Jiménez, 51, studied sociology at the University of Costa Rica (UCR) before gaining a master's degree in theology from the Lutheran School of Theology in Chicago. He was ordained as a minister in 1990, becoming president of the Lutheran Church of Costa Rica in 2000.

Jiménez was consecrated by Medardo Gómez, Lutheran bishop of San Salvador, at a service attended by delegations and Lutheran bishops from the United States, Sweden, Germany, El Salvador and Nicaragua, along with Anglican bishops from El Salvador and Costa Rica.

The Lutheran church here is heavily involved in social programs and claims to have helped 5,000 people, including indigenous communities, those suffering from HIV/Aids and the poor through various outreach programs

“I am very proud to take the post,” Jiménez told The Tico Times. “Especially as it is a church that has an extremely strong social commitment. We want to serve the people.”

Tracing its origins to Germany and the teachings of Martin Luther, who in the 16th century launched the Protestant Reformation, Lutheranism differs from Catholicism in a number of ways, including the belief that humans can access God and “his grace” directly, without a priest or pope as intermediaries. The Lutheran church has approximately 70 million followers worldwide and has been active in Costa Rica since 1988, with 1,500 followers in more than 30 congregations.