Protestantism in Brazil

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On March 10, 1557, the first Protestant worship service was held in Brazil. Followers of Protestantism are rising in number and if the evangelical Christian movement continues to spread at the pace it has in recent years, statistics suggest that by 2022 Catholics will be a minority in a country that was about 90 percent Catholic in 1980 [1]. Until 1970, the majority of Brazilian Protestants belonged to one of the traditional churches - Lutherans, Presbyterians and Baptists mainly - but the Pentecostals have increased largely in numbers since then. According to a [Roman] Catholic Church study, 600,000 of their faithful convert annually to a Protestant denomination.

There is also Seventh-day Adventist educational system with over 475 elementary schools, 67 secondary schools, two colleges and a university.[1][2]

According to IBGE 2000 Census, these are the biggest Protestant denominations in Brazil (only listed those with more than a half million members):

General Convention of the Assemblies of God (Affiliated with the US Assemblies of God, Springfield, MO): 3.6 million.
National Convention of the Assemblies of God (A.k.a. Madureira Ministry of the Assemblies of God): 2.5 million.
Other independent Assemblies of God, such as Bethesda Assemblies of God: 1.9 million
Brazilian Baptist Convention (Affiliated to US Southern Baptists and BWA body member): 1.4 million adherents
National Baptist Convention (Charismatics Baptists and BWA body member): 1 million.
Independent Baptist Convention (Scandinavian Baptists): 400,000.
Other Baptists: 300,000
Seventh-day Adventist Church: 1.6 million [3][4]
Promise Adventist Church (Brazilian Pentecostal Adventists): 150,000
Seventh Day Adventist Reform Movement: 50,000
Other Adventists: 100,000
Evangelical Church of Lutheran Confission
Evangelical Lutheran Church of Brazil
Other Lutherans
Presbyterian Church of Brazil: 450,000
Independent Presbyterian Church: 300,000
Congregationalists: 100,000
Other Calvinists:150,000
Methodist Church of Brazil (Affiliated to US United Methodist Church): 200,000
Wesleyan Methodist Church (Brazilian Pentecostal Methodists): 100,000
Other Methodists: 40,000

[edit] External links

[edit] References

  1. ^ Adventist Atlas
  2. ^ Centro Universitário Adventista de São Paulo
  3. ^ Adventist News Network
  4. ^ As Adventist Church in Brazil grows, so do schools