Dr. Elizabeth Rios, is an Afro-Latina, native of Manhattan, NY (Lower East Side). She is the pioneering Founder of Passion2Plant, one of the only national church planting networks in the U.S. founded by a woman, that trains Black and Brown planters to start holistically minded, justice-oriented churches. As well as the Passion Center, an online, justice-oriented, liberation-driven training center based in South Florida. Dr. Rios also serves on the Church Multiplication Institute’s Missiologists Council at Wheaton College, a think tank for evangelism and church planting, Adjunct Faculty at Fuller Theological Seminary and Senior Consultant for Freedom Road, LLC founded by Lisa Sharon Harper coaching and consulting groups in multiple sectors to do justice in just ways.
Dr. Rios is skilled in teaching, preaching, and writing on women in ministry, organizational culture, civic activism and church planting. She discerned a call to ministry leadership at the age of 11 at her Assemblies of God church. She is an ordained minister with the Christian Church (Disciples of Christ).
Her articles have appeared in Sojourners, Influence, Called, and Christianity Today, Pentecostals and Charismatics for Peace and Justice and has been featured or quoted in 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 many books including Rhythms of Rest: 40 Devotions for Women on the Move published by Our Daily Bread Publishing.
Dr. Liz has been mentoring emerging women leaders and ministers since founding the Center for Emerging Female Leadership in NYC (1996-2001) and served as a Senior Mentor in the R.E.A.L. Black Women in Ministry THRIVE initiative from 2020-2023.
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 was also named one of twelve Hispanic Women of Distinction in August 2014 for her work in the South Florida community. Dr. Rios has been a member of Delta Sigma Theta Sorority Inc. for 37 years and is a Charter member of the South Broward Alumnae Chapter in South Florida.
She has a BA in Liberal Arts, an MA Management and has an earned EdD in Organizational Leadership from Nova Southeastern University and a DMin from Southeastern University and is currently on track to receive her MA in Social Justice in Spring 2025 from Union Theological Seminary as a fully funded Social Justice Leadership Award Scholarship Recipient.
She has been married to Rev. Hiram Rios for 34 years and is the proud mother of two boys, Samuel (25) and Daniel, her special needs angel now in heaven, who transitioned on his 23rd birthday, 9/22/22. They reside in Miramar, FL.
Read more about her and the work she does at her personal site here.
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