Born and raised in Puerto Rico, Mercedes (Meche) López-Miranda moved to Boston in 1982 to complete a graduate program in occupational therapy at Boston University. She met Roberto Miranda through Juan and Elsie Vergara, the founding pastors of Iglesia Bautista Central, as Congregación León de Judá (CLJ) was known for its first 15 years. Roberto and Meche were married in 1983.
Professionally, Meche served in the Early Intervention field for over 35 years. In 2018, she left her profession to serve full-time in the church. She pastored alongside Dr. Miranda, who served as Senior Pastor from 1984 until his death in May 2022.

Meche founded Mujeres Edificando Destinos (Women Building Destinies), a ministry that has led impactful conferences for women in the New England region for the past 30 years. She established the counseling ministry at CLJ and founded the premarital counseling program more than 20 years ago.
In her husband’s absence, she has provided leadership in the congregation and officially accepted the church’s call to be Lead Pastor. As she embarks on this new stage in the life of the congregation that she loves deeply, Meche is convinced that the hand of the Lord will continue to guide and support the pastoral team, alongside its members, to continue building the Kingdom of God in the city.

During breaks from her ministerial work, Meche enjoys traveling to be with her daughters, Sonia and Abi, her sons-in-law, and her three grandchildren.