The Assembleias de Deus () are a group of
Pentecostal
Pentecostalism or classical Pentecostalism is a Protestant Charismatic Christian movement denominations in
Brazil
Brazil ( pt, Brasil; ), officially the Federative Republic of Brazil (Portuguese: ), is the largest country in both South America and Latin America. At and with over 217 million people, Brazil is the world's fifth-largest country by area ...
founded by
Daniel Berg and
Gunnar Vingren, who came to Brazil as missionaries from the
Swedish Pentecostal movement. The Assembleias de Deus are related to the worldwide Pentecostal movement, and some groups are affiliated with the
Assemblies of God
The Assemblies of God (AG), officially the World Assemblies of God Fellowship, is a group of over 144 autonomous self-governing national groupings of churches that together form the world's largest Pentecostal denomination."Assemblies of God". ...
. Currently, the organization is
one of the largest Protestant denominations worldwide.
History
![Percentual da população membro da Assembleia de Deus por estado no Brasil](https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/b/ba/Percentual_da_popula%C3%A7%C3%A3o_membro_da_Assembleia_de_Deus_por_estado_no_Brasil.png)
The began when
Daniel Berg and
Gunnar Vingren, two Swedish Pentecostal missionaries departed to Brazil. They arrived in
Belém
Belém (; Portuguese for Bethlehem; initially called Nossa Senhora de Belém do Grão-Pará, in English Our Lady of Bethlehem of Great Pará) often called Belém of Pará, is a Brazilian city, capital and largest city of the state of Pará in t ...
,
Pará
Pará is a Federative units of Brazil, state of Brazil, located in northern Brazil and traversed by the lower Amazon River. It borders the Brazilian states of Amapá, Maranhão, Tocantins (state), Tocantins, Mato Grosso, Amazonas (Brazilian state) ...
, where in 1911 they founded the ('Apostolic Faith Mission')'','' which later changed its name in 1918 to .
The Pentecostal movement in Brazil had already begun by that time among Italians in São Paulo, by an Italian-American missionary,
Louis Francescon
Louis Francescon (March 29, 1866 – September 7, 1964) was a missionary and pioneer of the Italian Pentecostal Movement. Several Pentecostal denominations and fellowships acknowledge him as their pioneer, including the Christian Church of North A ...
, who founded the
Christian Congregation of Brazil
The Christian Congregation in Brazil ( pt, Congregação Cristã no Brasil) was founded in Brazil by the Italian-American missionary Luigi Francescon (1866–1964), as part of the larger Christian Congregation movement.
History
Louis Franc ...
(CCB) in 1910. While the CCB spread in the South, the reached the Amazon villages and the semi-arid
Nordeste
The Northeast Region of Brazil ( pt, Região Nordeste do Brasil; ) is one of the five official and political regions of the country according to the Brazilian Institute of Geography and Statistics. Of Brazil's twenty-six states, it comprises ni ...
before migrants from the North brought the Church to
Rio de Janeiro
Rio de Janeiro ( , , ; literally 'River of January'), or simply Rio, is the capital of the state of the same name, Brazil's third-most populous state, and the second-most populous city in Brazil, after São Paulo. Listed by the GaWC as a b ...
and
São Paulo
São Paulo (, ; Portuguese for 'Saint Paul') is the most populous city in Brazil, and is the capital of the state of São Paulo, the most populous and wealthiest Brazilian state, located in the country's Southeast Region. Listed by the GaWC a ...
in the late 1920s.
Initially the was closely linked to the
Scandinavian Pentecostal movement, led by
Lewi Pethrus
Lewi Pethrus (born ''Pethrus Lewi Johansson'') (11 March 1884 – 4 September 1974) was a Swedish Pentecostal minister who played a decisive role in the formation and development of the Pentecostal movement in his country. In 1964, he founded ...
, who financed and sent missionaries to help Berg and Vingren. The Swedish Pentecostals gave autonomy to the Brazilian in a
General Convention The General Convention is the primary governing and legislative body of the Episcopal Church in the United States of America. With the exception of the Bible, the Book of Common Prayer, and the Constitution and Canons, it is the ultimate authority ...
in 1932. From that time onward, the
American Assemblies of God increased their presence in the Brazilian denomination, mainly in doctrinal and teaching spheres, but the church retained its independence from its American brethren.
Walter Hollenweger explains the relationship as follows: "In the mission statistics of the North American Assemblies of God, the figure as their mission church. In contrast, the Brazilian Pentecostals regard themselves as an independent church."
Denominations
Since the 1911 the have suffered several schisms and splits. As a consequence, many Conventions and left using the same name, , though they are totally independent organizations. The most significant denominations named are:
*
Convenção Geral das Assembleias de Deus no Brasil (CGADB)—(English: General Convention of the Assemblies of God in Brazil) the only authentic and historical convention of the pioneer church in Brazil, headquartered in
Belém do Pará
Belém (; Portuguese for Bethlehem; initially called Nossa Senhora de Belém do Grão-Pará, in English Our Lady of Bethlehem of Great Pará) often called Belém of Pará, is a Brazilian city, capital and largest city of the state of Pará in t ...
; it considers itself the heir of the Swedish mission. The CGADB has nearly twenty thousand ministries. Since 2018, the federal government has recognized the authenticity of the church, the Convention and its legacy in Brazilian history. Some federal members of parliament are members of the Assemblies of God and interact institutionally with public authorities on matters of interest to the denomination.
* (CONAMAD in Portuguese)—founded by pastor Paulo Leivas Macalão. This ministry was founded on November 15, 1958. Madureira was part of CGADB until an extraordinary assembly where the ministers of Madureira withdraw from the convention. By this time Madureira had more ministers under a single leadership. Since the other brothers tried to move Madureira away from a protagonist role in the leadership of the convention, the ministers left to create another convention.
Foreign work
The has always sent missionaries abroad, starting in 1913 when a returning Portuguese immigrant was sent to Portugal. Today, there are Brazilian missionaries in Latin America and
Portuguese-speaking Africa. There also are among Brazilian immigrant communities in North America, Japan, and Western Europe, but they do not typically have a relationship with local
World Assemblies of God Fellowship-affiliated national denominations.
In the United States there exists , mostly on the east coast; some are affiliated with the
Brazilian District of the Assemblies of God, but the majority of the Brazilian churches are either independent or linked to their back in Brazil.
Organization
The have a non-territorial
episcopal polity
An episcopal polity is a Hierarchy, hierarchical form of Ecclesiastical polity, church governance ("ecclesiastical polity") in which the chief local authorities are called bishops. (The word "bishop" derives, via the British Latin and Vulgar ...
(called ) where each is a directed by a
mother church
Mother church or matrice is a term depicting the Christian Church as a mother in her functions of nourishing and protecting the believer. It may also refer to the primary church of a Christian denomination or diocese, i.e. a cathedral or a metro ...
under a pastor-president (also called
bishop
A bishop is an ordained clergy member who is entrusted with a position of authority and oversight in a religious institution.
In Christianity, bishops are normally responsible for the governance of dioceses. The role or office of bishop is ca ...
or
apostle
An apostle (), in its literal sense, is an emissary, from Ancient Greek ἀπόστολος (''apóstolos''), literally "one who is sent off", from the verb ἀποστέλλειν (''apostéllein''), "to send off". The purpose of such sending ...
in various ) with affiliated congregations and preaching points. The mother church receives
tithe
A tithe (; from Old English: ''teogoþa'' "tenth") is a one-tenth part of something, paid as a contribution to a religious organization or compulsory tax to government. Today, tithes are normally voluntary and paid in cash or cheques or more r ...
s and manages the funds of the affiliated local churches, as well as assigning pastors to local congregations. Pastoral leadership has a strong influence on the decision-making process, and the members only rubber stamp the ''
's'' decisions.
As the structure overlaps many territorial boundaries, there usually is not much organizational collaboration among . Each operates almost entirely independently, and ends up becoming an independent denomination unto itself. Among the major are the
Assembly of God Bethlehem Ministry, which has about 2,200 churches concentrated in the south-central and headquartered in the Belenzinho neighborhood of São Paulo. In 2008, was chaired by Pastor
José Wellington Bezerra da Costa
José Wellington Bezerra da Costa (born São Luís do Curu, 14 October 1934) is a Brazilian Pentecostal pastor from the Assemblies of God Bethlehem Ministry in Brazil. Since January 1980, he has been the General Superintendent of the Assembleias ...
, who succeeded Pastor Cicero Canuto de Lima, who also chaired the CGADB.
Since the 1980s, for administrative reasons, notably after the death of Pastor Paul Leiva Macalão and his wife, Zelia, a missionary, the has undergone several divisions that gave rise to various conventions and ministries with autonomous administration in various regions of the country. The most significant of the independent ministries are the Ministry of Madureira, whose church has existed since the 1930s, founded by the aforementioned Pastor Paul Leiva Macalão and, in 1958, served as the basis for structuring the national ministry chaired by him until his death in late 1982.
Doctrine
Since it is not a unified movement, there are many variations in doctrine and practice in the in Brazil, some rigid, such as the Assembly of God in Pernambuco (IEADPE), the Assembly of God in Paraíba (ADPB) and the Assembly of God in Cuiabá, but they share beliefs in the Bible as the
sole source of doctrine, the vicarious death of Christ, the
baptism of adults by
immersion in water,
Holy Communion
The Eucharist (; from Greek , , ), also known as Holy Communion and the Lord's Supper, is a Christian rite that is considered a sacrament in most churches, and as an ordinance in others. According to the New Testament, the rite was instituted ...
with no wine, an obligation to
tithe
A tithe (; from Old English: ''teogoþa'' "tenth") is a one-tenth part of something, paid as a contribution to a religious organization or compulsory tax to government. Today, tithes are normally voluntary and paid in cash or cheques or more r ...
, the
gifts of the Holy Spirit
A spiritual gift or charism (plural: charisms or charismata; in Greek singular: χάρισμα
''charisma'', plural: χαρίσματα ''charismata'') is an extraordinary power given by the Holy Spirit."Spiritual gifts". ''A Dictionary of th ...
, the
premillennial
Premillennialism, in Christian eschatology, is the belief that Jesus will physically return to the Earth (the Second Coming) before the Millennium, a literal thousand-year golden age of peace. Premillennialism is based upon a literal interpretat ...
return of Jesus
The Second Coming (sometimes called the Second Advent or the Parousia) is a Christian (as well as Islamic and Baha'i) belief that Jesus will return again after his ascension to heaven about two thousand years ago. The idea is based on messian ...
, and some prohibit women from cutting their hair, wearing makeup, jewelry, and members watching television.
Politics
In
Brazil
Brazil ( pt, Brasil; ), officially the Federative Republic of Brazil (Portuguese: ), is the largest country in both South America and Latin America. At and with over 217 million people, Brazil is the world's fifth-largest country by area ...
, the have an increasing influence on politics, although representing only a minor segment of the population. The
Partido Social Cristão
The Social Christian Party ( pt, Partido Social Cristão, PSC) is a Christian Christian-conservative political party in Brazil.
In the 2018 election, the party elected 2 Governors, 1 Senator, 9 Federal Deputies and 30 State Deputies.
History
...
(PSC) is considered the political arm of the . The PSC is led by
Pastor Everaldo Pereira.
Other Brazilian politicians with ties to the , such as
Benedita da Silva
Benedita Souza da Silva Sampaio (, born 26 April 1942) is a Brazilian politician. From a humble background, she faced class and racial prejudice, overcoming it to become the first female and Afro-Brazilian governor of the State of Rio de Janeir ...
and
Marina Silva
Maria Osmarina da Silva Vaz de Lima (born 8 February 1958) is a Brazilian politician and environmentalist. She is the founder and former spokeswoman for the Sustainability Network Party (REDE). During her political career, Silva served as a sen ...
, do not follow the
right-wing
Right-wing politics describes the range of political ideologies that view certain social orders and hierarchies as inevitable, natural, normal, or desirable, typically supporting this position on the basis of natural law, economics, authorit ...
course of the PSC. Marina Silva pursues
ecological
Ecology () is the study of the relationships between living organisms, including humans, and their physical environment. Ecology considers organisms at the individual, population, community, ecosystem, and biosphere level. Ecology overlaps wi ...
ideas and supports the rights of the
indigenous tribes of her country. Silva has been at times criticized by church leadership for her leftist stance on many issues, such as
drug reform.
See also
*
List of the largest Protestant bodies
This is a list of the largest Protestant denominations. It aims to include sizable Protestant communions, federations, alliances, councils, fellowships, and other denominational organisations in the world and provides information regarding the me ...
*
Assembly of God USA
*
Assembly of God Bethlehem Ministry
*
List of Assemblies of God people
References
Bibliography
* Almeida, Abraão de. ''História das Assembléias de Deus no Brasil''. Rio de Janeiro: CPAD, 1982.
* Berg, David. ''Enviado por Deus - Memórias de Daniel Berg'' Rio de Janeiro: CPAD,
* Conde, Emílio. ''História das Assembléias de Deus no Brasil''. Rio de Janeiro: CPAD, 2000.
* Freston, Paul. "Breve Historia do pentecostalismo brasileiro". Antoniazzi, A. (org.). ''Nem anjos nem demônios interpretações sociológicas do pentecostalismo''. Petrópolis: Vozes, 1994.
* Vingren, Ivar. ''O Diário do Pioneiro''.Rio de Janeiro: CPAD,
* Vingren, Ivar, Nyberg Gunilla, Alvarsson Jan-Åke, Johannesson Jan-Endy. ''Det började i Pará: svensk pingstmission i Brasilien''. Estocolmo: Missionsinstitutet-PMU, 1994.
Further reading
*
External links
Brazil
Assembléia de Deus Ministerio do Bélem no Brasil (CGADB)CGADB - Convenção Geral das Assembléias de Deus no Brasilin Portuguese
ADM - Assembléia de Deus - Missões - em Campo Grande, MS, Brasilin Portuguese
English-speaking countries
Assembleia de Deus de Londres: England, Western EuropeAssembléia de Deus Anglo-Brasileira: EnglandAssembleia de Deus - Ministério Madureira: United StatesAssembleia de Deus - Ministério Restauração: United StatesAssembleia de Deus - Ministério do Belém (CGADB) EuropeAssembleia de Deus do Canadá: CanadaAssembleia de Deus - Ministério de Toronto: Canada, Brazil, Bolivia
{{Pentecostal World Fellowship
Assemblies of God
Protestantism in Brazil
Christian organizations established in 1911
Pentecostal denominations established in the 20th century
Pentecostal denominations in South America
Pentecostal churches in Brazil