A Library, A Legacy

MARCH 30, 2026

Rev. José E. Muñiz Agrón ’88 Shares the Gifts That Shaped His Ministry

As Rev. José E. Muñiz Agrón (Class of 1988) prepares to retire after nearly four decades of pastoral ministry, he finds himself reflecting on the journey that shaped his life — and on the ways that journey might continue to serve others.

Ordained in the Presbyterian Church (U.S.A.) in 1988, Muñiz Agrón has spent 38 uninterrupted years in ministry, including more than three decades serving Hispanic-Latino communities across the United States. Now, as he approaches his retirement on December 31, 2026, he carries with him a mix of gratitude, reflection, and curiosity about what the next chapter will hold.

“There is some uncertainty about what life will be like without pastoral responsibilities,” he says. “But I’m also grateful that this season will allow me to spend more time with family and watch my grandchildren grow.”

Yet even as he prepares to step away from the daily rhythms of congregational leadership, Rev. Muñiz Agrón has chosen to ensure that a part of his ministry continues — through a generous decision to donate books and theological resources from his personal library to McCormick Theological Seminary.

A MINISTRY ROOTED IN ACCOMPANIMENT
Looking back, what stands out most to Rev. Muñiz Agrón is not a single achievement, but the people and communities he has accompanied along the way.

“One of the most meaningful aspects of my ministry has been the opportunity to serve Hispanic-Latino people who migrated from different countries,” he reflects. “In some cases, I have walked alongside as many as four generations of the same family.”

His pastoral journey has taken him across multiple contexts — from Guánica, Puerto Rico, where he served as pastor of Guánica Presbyterian Church shortly after ordination, to organizing new ministries in Chicago, and later pastoring congregations in Jacksonville, Florida, and Cicero, Illinois. Each setting brought new communities, new challenges, and new opportunities to embody the Gospel through accompaniment and care.

For Rev. Muñiz Agrón, pastoral leadership has always meant moving beyond the walls of the church.

“As a pastor, the work cannot be limited to the confines of an office,” he says. “One must go out and share not only with the parishioners, but also with the members of the community where our ministry is located.”

BOOKS THAT FORMED A PASTOR
The books now being shared with McCormick students and staff represent decades of study, prayer, and reflection. For Rev. Muñiz Agrón, the decision to give them away felt like a natural extension of the vocation that shaped his life.

“I believe it is important to share what has been a blessing in your life,” he explains. “When Jesus instructed his disciples in Matthew 10:8, he established a fundamental principle: everything we receive from God is an undeserved gift and should be shared freely.”

The collection reflects the theological voices that shaped his pastoral imagination. Among them are influential scholars and thinkers such as Justo González, Orlando Costas, Walter Brueggemann, Enrique Dussel, Jon Sobrino, and Gustavo Gutiérrez, whose works on history, liberation theology, biblical interpretation, and pastoral leadership helped inform Muñiz Agrón’s ministry.

“These authors influenced both my spiritual life and my ministry,” he says. “Their work helped me understand the church’s calling to serve people in their real contexts.”

And now they will serve a new generation of students preparing for ministry.

“My hope is that these materials will help future leaders grow in their leadership, inspire their spiritual life, and equip them to be the church of Christ in whatever context they are called to serve,” he shared with great enthusiasm.

FORMATION AT MCCORMICK
Rev. Muñiz Agrón’s connection to McCormick runs deep. Arriving as a student in the 1980s, he encountered a seminary that shaped both his theological vision and his understanding of ministry in community.

“The time spent at seminary played a crucial role in shaping the kind of pastor and leader I became,” he says. “It allowed me to engage deeply in theological study, develop a biblical worldview, and gain practical experience in ministry.”

Some of his most formative experiences happened beyond the classroom walls. In 1986, he took courses at San Lucas United Church of Christ in Chicago’s Humboldt Park neighborhood, located in the heart of the city’s Puerto Rican community. The following year, he completed a ministry internship at Emanuel Presbyterian Church in Pilsen, serving within Chicago’s Mexican community.

“These experiences helped me understand the reality of the communities where I would work for more than three decades,” he says.

He also remembers the mentors who shaped his formation, including professors Rubén P. Armendáriz, José D. Rodríguez, Thomas Parker, Margaret M. Mitchell, and David Daniels, along with longtime McCormick registrar Shirley Dudley.

Weekly chapel services also left a lasting mark. “They helped me appreciate different styles of worship and the diverse realities of the students who were preparing for ministry.”

Decades later, his relationship with McCormick came full circle when he returned in 2018 — thirty years after graduating — to serve on a teaching team for the course Reflections on the Practice of Ministry with the Apostolic Church Cohort. “It was a great experience to come back and share with students preparing for ministry,” he recalls.

GENEROSITY AS VOCATION
For Rev. Muñiz Agrón, the act of donating his library reflects a deeper understanding of vocation.

“My understanding of vocation is based on service,” he says. “I have been fortunate to receive an education and experiences that allowed me to serve in ways that others may not have had the opportunity to do. Because of that, it is important to share what we have learned with the generations that follow.”

Just as McCormick prepares leaders to carry the Gospel into communities across the world, he believes those leaders must continue passing along knowledge, wisdom, and encouragement.

A NEW SEASON OF SERVICE
Retirement, for Rev. Muñiz Agrón, is not an ending so much as a transition.

“I see this moment as a new stage of life,” he says. “I will continue serving God by spending more time with my family, traveling, and supporting ministries that are a blessing in their communities.”

After decades of walking alongside families, congregations, and communities, Rev. Muñiz Agrón now enters a season that allows him to enjoy the fruit of a life of faithful service—while ensuring that the resources that shaped him continue shaping others.

In sharing his library with McCormick, Rev. Muñiz Agrón is doing what he has done throughout his ministry: passing along the gifts he received so that others may carry the work forward.

As many in the Puerto Rican community say when honoring a life of service: “Que Dios le bendiga y le guarde en este nuevo camino.” — May God bless you and keep you in this new chapter.

And may the next season of Rev. Muñiz Agrón’s journey be filled with the same grace he has shared so generously with the communities he has served.