Samuel Joaquín Flores
Samuel Joaquín Flores (1937–2014) was the second leader of the La Luz del Mundo church. Born in Guadalajara as the youngest of eight siblings, he served as a church minister in Tepic until age 27. He married Eva García López in 1962, and they had eight children, including Naasón.
He became leader on June 9, 1964, after his father’s death, and led the church until his death in December 2014. His son Naasón later succeeded him. Flores pushed for international expansion, visiting Michoacán in 1964 and Los Angeles later that year. He helped grow the Hermosa Provincia church model, rebuilt the temple in 1967, and oversaw building schools, hospitals, and other social services, including Hospital Siloe in Guadalajara.
Under his leadership, La Luz del Mundo expanded to the United Kingdom, the Netherlands, Switzerland, Ethiopia, and Israel between 1990 and 2010. By the 1970s, the church had members in Costa Rica, Colombia, and Guatemala; membership grew from tens of thousands to millions, reaching about 4 million by 1993. In 2010, Mexico alone counted about 188,000 followers. Support from social programs is seen as one reason for growth. He died in Guadalajara in 2014, and his funeral drew church members from around the world, along with local officials.
Controversies: In the 1990s, the Los Angeles Times reported accusations of sexual abuse by Flores from former members; he denied the allegations. In 2020, Alondra Ocampo, a co‑accused in Naasón’s case, pleaded guilty to several crimes related to the sexual abuse of minors in a trial linked to Naasón Joaquín García. She also claimed that Flores had raped her when she was a child. A federal lawsuit filed in 2020 in the United States against La Luz del Mundo, Flores, and Naasón Joaquín García alleged ongoing abuse of a girl in Southern California from ages 12 to 18.
This page was last edited on 2 February 2026, at 15:47 (CET).