Catedral Presbiteriana do Rio de Janeiro 01

Protestantism in Brazil began in the 19th century, and grew in the 20th century. The 2010 Census reported that 22.2% of the Brazilian population is Protestant, while in 2020 the percentage was estimated to have risen to 31% of the population, meaning over 65 million individuals, making it the second largest Protestant population in the

Western world The Western world, also known as the West, primarily refers to the various nations and state (polity), states in the regions of Europe, North America, and Oceania.

. Brazilian Protestantism is primarily represented by

Evangelical Evangelicalism (), also called evangelical Christianity or evangelical Protestantism, is a worldwide Interdenominationalism, interdenominational movement within Protestantism, Protestant Christianity that affirms the centrality of being "bor ...

and

Pentecostal Pentecostalism or classical Pentecostalism is a Protestant Charismatic Christian movement

churches, and a smaller proportion of

Baptists Baptists form a major branch of Protestantism distinguished by baptizing professing Christian believers only ( believer's baptism), and doing so by complete immersion. Baptist churches also generally subscribe to the doctrines of soul compe ...

. The remainder is made up of

Lutherans Lutheranism is one of the largest branches of Protestantism, identifying primarily with the theology of Martin Luther, the 16th-century German monk and reformer whose efforts to reform the theology and practice of the Catholic Church launched ...

Adventists Adventism is a branch of Protestant Christianity that believes in the imminent Second Coming (or the "Second Advent") of Jesus Christ. It originated in the 1830s in the United States during the Second Great Awakening when Baptist preacher Wil ...

Presbyterians Presbyterianism is a part of the Reformed tradition within Protestantism that broke from the Roman Catholic Church in Scotland by John Knox, who was a priest at St. Giles Cathedral (Church of Scotland). Presbyterian churches derive their nam ...

and other mainline Protestant traditions. Since 2010, the number of Catholics in Brazil has dropped by an average of 1.2% per year, on the other hand, the number of

Evangelicals Evangelicalism (), also called evangelical Christianity or evangelical Protestantism, is a worldwide Interdenominationalism, interdenominational movement within Protestantism, Protestant Christianity that affirms the centrality of being "bor ...

has grown by 0.8% per year.

History

Origins

Protestantism was first practiced by

Huguenot The Huguenots ( , also , ) were a religious group of French Protestants who held to the Reformed, or Calvinist, tradition of Protestantism. The term, which may be derived from the name of a Swiss political leader, the Genevan burgomaster Be ...

travelers in attempts to colonize the country while it was under the

Portuguese Portuguese may refer to: * anything of, from, or related to the country and nation of Portugal ** Portuguese cuisine, traditional foods ** Portuguese language, a Romance language *** Portuguese dialects, variants of the Portuguese language ** Portu ...

colonial rule. These attempts, however, would not persist. A French mission sent by

John Calvin John Calvin (; frm, Jehan Cauvin; french: link=no, Jean Calvin ; 10 July 150927 May 1564) was a French theologian, pastor and reformer in Geneva during the Protestant Reformation. He was a principal figure in the development of the system ...

was established in 1557, in one of the islands of

Guanabara Bay Guanabara Bay ( pt, Baía de Guanabara, ) is an oceanic bay located in Southeast Brazil in the state of Rio de Janeiro. On its western shore lie the cities of Rio de Janeiro and Duque de Caxias, and on its eastern shore the cities of Niterói and ...

, where the

France Antarctique France Antarctique (formerly also spelled ''France antartique'') was a French colony in Rio de Janeiro, in modern-day Brazil, which existed between 1555 and 1567, and had control over the coast from Rio de Janeiro to Cabo Frio. The colony quickly ...

was founded. On March 10 of the same year, these

Calvinists Calvinism (also called the Reformed Tradition, Reformed Protestantism, Reformed Christianity, or simply Reformed) is a major branch of Protestantism that follows the theological tradition and forms of Christian practice set down by John Ca ...

held the first Protestant service in Brazil and, according to some accounts, the first in all the New World. Protestant religions were often introduced by immigrants from Europe but over the last three decades, the number of Neo Pentecostal churches such as the Universal Church of the Kingdom of God have grown significantly.

1820s to 1945

In the 19th century, while the vast majority of

Brazilians Brazilians ( pt, Brasileiros, ) are the citizens of Brazil. A Brazilian can also be a person born abroad to a Brazilian parent or legal guardian as well as a person who acquired Brazilian citizenship. Brazil is a multiethnic society, which me ...

were nominal Catholics, the nation was underserved by

priest A priest is a religious leader authorized to perform the sacred rituals of a religion, especially as a mediatory agent between humans and one or more deities. They also have the authority or power to administer religious rites; in particu ...

s, and for large numbers their religion was only nominal. Protestantism in Brazil largely originated with

European European, or Europeans, or Europeneans, may refer to: In general * ''European'', an adjective referring to something of, from, or related to Europe ** Ethnic groups in Europe ** Demographics of Europe ** European cuisine, the cuisines of Europe ...

immigrants as well as

British American British American usually refers to Americans whose ancestral origin originates wholly or partly in the United Kingdom (England, Scotland, Wales, Northern Ireland, Cornwall, Orkney, and the Isle of Man). It is primarily a demographic or histor ...

missionaries following up on efforts that began in the 1820s. The first

Anglican Anglicanism is a Western Christian tradition that has developed from the practices, liturgy, and identity of the Church of England following the English Reformation, in the context of the Protestant Reformation in Europe. It is one of th ...

chapel A chapel is a Christian place of prayer and worship that is usually relatively small. The term has several meanings. Firstly, smaller spaces inside a church that have their own altar are often called chapels; the Lady chapel is a common ty ...

began to offer services to

English-speaking people Speakers of English are also known as Anglophones, and the countries where English is natively spoken by the majority of the population are termed the '' Anglosphere''. Over two billion people speak English , making English the largest languag ...

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 ...

in 1822. Also in that city, the Prussian consul sponsored the founding of a

German German(s) may refer to: * Germany (of or related to) **Germania (historical use) * Germans, citizens of Germany, people of German ancestry, or native speakers of the German language ** For citizens of Germany, see also German nationality law **Ger ...

and French Reformed congregation in 1827, which today is a

Lutheran church Lutheranism is one of the largest branches of Protestantism, identifying primarily with the theology of Martin Luther, the 16th-century German monk and reformer whose efforts to reform the theology and practice of the Catholic Church launched th ...

. Among

missionaries A missionary is a member of a religious group which is sent into an area in order to promote its faith or provide services to people, such as education, literacy, social justice, health care, and economic development.Thomas Hale 'On Being a Mi ...

, Methodists were most active, along with

and

. The Seventh-day Adventists began in 1894, and the YMCA was organized in 1896. The missionaries promoted schools colleges and seminaries, including the liberal arts

Mackenzie Presbyterian University Mackenzie Presbyterian University (Portuguese: ''Universidade Presbiteriana Mackenzie'') is a private university in São Paulo, Brazil. The Mackenzie Presbyterian University is an institution of higher learning that has strong tradition and history ...

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 ...

, and an agricultural school. The Presbyterian schools in particular later became the nucleus of the governmental system. In 1887 Protestants in

formed a

hospital A hospital is a health care institution providing patient treatment with specialized health science and auxiliary healthcare staff and medical equipment. The best-known type of hospital is the general hospital, which typically has an emerge ...

. The missionaries largely reached a working-class audience, as the Brazilian upper-class was wedded either to Catholicism or to secularism. By 1914,

Protestant church Protestantism is a branch of Christianity that follows the theological tenets of the Protestant Reformation, a movement that began seeking to reform the Catholic Church from within in the 16th century against what its followers perceived to b ...

es founded by U.S. missionaries had 47,000 communicants, served by 282 missionaries. In general, these missionaries were more successful than they had been in Mexico,

Argentina Argentina (), officially the Argentine Republic ( es, link=no, República Argentina), is a country in the southern half of South America. Argentina covers an area of , making it the second-largest country in South America after Brazil, th ...

or elsewhere in

Latin America Latin America or * french: Amérique Latine, link=no * ht, Amerik Latin, link=no * pt, América Latina, link=no, name=a, sometimes referred to as LatAm is a large cultural region in the Americas where Romance languages — languages derived f ...

. The first

appeared in Brazil who confessed to the observance and rest of the seventh day of the week (

Sabbath In Abrahamic religions, the Sabbath () or Shabbat (from Hebrew ) is a day set aside for rest and worship. According to the Book of Exodus, the Sabbath is a day of rest on the seventh day, commanded by God to be kept as a holy day of rest, as G ...

). They expanded in territory and became one of the countries with the most

Seventh Day Baptists Seventh Day Baptists are Baptists who observe the Sabbath as the seventh day of the week, Saturday, as a holy day to God. They adopt a covenant Baptist theology, based on the concept of regenerated society, conscious baptism of believers by immers ...

in the world. The

Catholic Church The Catholic Church, also known as the Roman Catholic Church, is the largest Christian church, with 1.3 billion baptized Catholics worldwide . It is among the world's oldest and largest international institutions, and has played a ...

was disestablished in 1890, and responded by increasing the number of dioceses and the efficiency of its clergy. Many Protestants came from a large German immigrant community and they were mostly

Lutheran Lutheranism is one of the largest branches of Protestantism, identifying primarily with the theology of Martin Luther, the 16th-century German monk and reformer whose efforts to reform the theology and practice of the Catholic Church launched th ...

, but they were seldom engaged in proselytizing and grew by natural increase. Most Protestants came from missionary activities sponsored from

United States The United States of America (U.S.A. or USA), commonly known as the United States (U.S. or US) or America, is a country primarily located in North America. It consists of 50 states, a federal district, five major unincorporated territorie ...

and

Europe Europe is a large peninsula conventionally considered a continent in its own right because of its great physical size and the weight of its history and traditions. Europe is also considered a Continent#Subcontinents, subcontinent of Eurasia ...

. There were 700,000 Protestants by 1930, and increasingly they were in charge of their own affairs. In 1930, the

Methodist Church Methodism, also called the Methodist movement, is a group of historically related Christian denomination, denominations of Protestantism, Protestant Christianity whose origins, doctrine and practice derive from the life and teachings of John W ...

of Brazil became independent of the missionary societies and elected its own

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 ...

. Protestants were largely from a working-class, but their networks help speed their upward social mobility.

Since 1945

Protestantism, which has resisted syncretism more than other

Christian church In ecclesiology, the Christian Church is what different Christian denominations conceive of as being the true body of Christians or the original institution established by Jesus. "Christian Church" has also been used in academia as a synonym fo ...

es have in the diverse country, established a significant presence in Brazil during the first half of the 20th century and grew during the second half. Protestants accounted for fewer than 5% of the population until the 1960s, but by 2000 made up over 15% of those affiliated with a church. Pentecostals and charismatic groups account for most of this expansion. With their emphasis on personal salvation and moral codes as well as less ideological approach to politics, these groups have developed broad appeal, particularly among the booming urban migrant communities. The political consequences of this shift are still poorly understood, as the fragmentation of the Protestant community after the late 1970s has weakened it as a vehicle for direct political action. After centuries of persecution under the

colonial rule, which was successful in consolidating

Catholicism The Catholic Church, also known as the Roman Catholic Church, is the largest Christian church, with 1.3 billion baptized Catholics worldwide . It is among the world's oldest and largest international institutions, and has played a ...

in the country, Protestant denominations saw a rapid growth in their number of followers since the last decades of the 20th century. According to the 2000 Census, 15.4% of the Brazilian population was Protestant. A recent research conducted by the Datafolha institute shows that 31% of

are Protestants. The 2010 Census found that 22.2% were Protestant. Until the late 1970s, the majority of Brazilian Protestants belonged to one of the traditional churches:

Presbyterian Presbyterianism is a part of the Reformed tradition within Protestantism that broke from the Roman Catholic Church in Scotland by John Knox, who was a priest at St. Giles Cathedral (Church of Scotland). Presbyterian churches derive their nam ...

s and

mainly, but the

Pentecostals Pentecostalism or classical Pentecostalism is a Protestant Charismatic Christian movement

, especially from neo-charismatic churches linked to the prosperity doctrine, have increased largely since then. There is also

Seventh-day Adventist education The Seventh-day Adventist educational system, part of the Seventh-day Adventist Church, is overseen by the General Conference of Seventh-day Adventists located in Silver Spring, Maryland. The educational system is a Christian school-based syste ...

al system with over 475 elementary schools, 67 secondary schools, two colleges and a university. The rich and the poor remained traditional Catholics, while most Evangelical Protestants were in the new lower-middle class, known as the "C class" (in a A–E classification system).

Politics

In the Brazilian National Congress, there is Evangelical Caucus, a loosely organized group of Protestant,

, and

Pentecostal Pentecostalism or classical Pentecostalism is a Protestant Charismatic Christian movement

lawmakers in the Brazilian government and legislature. If considered a political party, the Evangelical Caucus would be the third largest in the Brazilian government, surpassed only by the

Brazilian Democratic Movement The Brazilian Democratic Movement ( pt, Movimento Democrático Brasileiro, MDB) is a Brazilian political party. It is considered a " big tent party" and it is one of the parties with the greatest representation throughout the national territory, ...

and the Workers' Party. It is reported that 70% of evangelical Protestants voted for President Jair Bolsonaro in

2018 Brazilian general election General elections were held in Brazil on 7 October 2018 to elect the president, National Congress and state governors. As no candidate in the presidential election received more than 50% of the vote in the first round, a runoff round was held ...

Demography

According to 2010

IBGE The Brazilian Institute of Geography and Statistics ( pt, Instituto Brasileiro de Geografia e Estatística; IBGE) is the agency responsible for official collection of statistical, geographic, cartographic, geodetic and environmental information ...

Census, the following are the biggest Protestant denominations in Brazil. Only those with more than half a million members are listed. * Pentecostals: 25,370,484 :

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". ...

(Assembléias de Deus): 12,314,410 (6.5%) (Classic Swedish-Brazilian Pentecostal denomination.) : General Convention of the Assemblies of God (Affiliated with the US

, 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 :

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 ...

(Italian-Brazilian Pentecostals): 2,289,634 (1.3%) : O Brasil para Cristo(Brazil for Christ): 2,196,665 :

Foursquare Gospel Church The Foursquare Church is an Evangelical Pentecostal Christian denomination founded in 1923 by preacher Aimee Semple McPherson. The headquarters are in Los Angeles, California, United States. History The church has its origins in a vision of ...

''Igreja do Evangelho Quadrangular'' (Classic Pentecostals in US, but second-wave Pentecostals in Brazil): 1,808,389 (0.8%) *

: 3,723,691 (1.9%) :

Brazilian Baptist Convention The Brazilian Baptist Convention ( pt, Convenção Batista Brasileira) is a Baptist Christian denomination in Brazil. It is affiliated with the Baptist World Alliance. The headquarters is in Rio de Janeiro. History The Brazilian Baptist Convent ...

(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. : Brazilian Seventh Day Baptist Conference: 4,953 : Other Baptists: 300,000 *

Adventist Adventism is a branch of Protestant Christianity that believes in the imminent Second Coming (or the "Second Advent") of Jesus Christ. It originated in the 1830s in the United States during the Second Great Awakening when Baptist preacher Wil ...

s: 1.8 million (1.0%) :

Seventh-day Adventist Church The Seventh-day Adventist Church is an Adventist Protestant Christian denomination which is distinguished by its observance of Saturday, the seventh day of the week in the Christian (Gregorian) and the Hebrew calendar, as the Sabbath, and ...

: 1.6 million :

Promise Adventist Church The Adventist Church of Promise ( pt, Igreja Adventista da Promessa or "IAP") is an evangelical Christian denomination which is both Sabbatarian Adventist and classical Pentecostal in its doctrine and worship. It was founded in Brazil in 1932 by ...

(Brazilian Pentecostal Adventists): 150,000 :

Seventh Day Adventist Reform Movement The Seventh Day Adventist Reform Movement is a Protestant Christian denomination in the Sabbatarian Adventist movement that formed from a schism in the European Seventh-day Adventist Church during World War I over the position its European church l ...

: 50,000 : Other Adventists: 100,000 *

s: 1 million (0.6%) :

Evangelical Church of the Lutheran Confession in Brazil The Evangelical Church of the Lutheran Confession in Brazil (Igreja Evangélica de Confissão Luterana no Brasil) is a Lutheran denomination in Brazil. It is a member of the Lutheran World Federation, which it joined in 1952. It is a member of the ...

Evangelical Lutheran Church of Brazil The Evangelical Lutheran Church of Brazil (, IELB) is a Lutheran church, which was founded in 1904 in Rio Grande do Sul, a southern state in Brazil. The IELB is a conservative, confessional Lutheran synod that holds to the Book of Concord. It sta ...

: Other Lutherans *

Reformed churches Calvinism (also called the Reformed Tradition, Reformed Protestantism, Reformed Christianity, or simply Reformed) is a major branch of Protestantism that follows the Christian theology, theological tradition and forms of Christianity, Christ ...

: 2.5 millionReformed churches in Brazil
/ref> :

Presbyterian Church of Brazil The Presbyterian Church of Brazil (Portuguese: ''Igreja Presbiteriana do Brasil'', or ''IPB'') is an Evangelical Protestant Christian denomination in Brazil. Oldest of the Reformed family of Protestantism in Brazil. It is the largest Presbyter ...

: 1,011,300 :

Independent Presbyterian Church of Brazil The Independent Presbyterian Church of Brazil (in Portuguese: Igreja Presbiteriana Independente do Brasil, ''IPIB'') is a Mainline Protestant Christian denomination in Brazil. Part of the Reformed family of Protestantism, it is the second olde ...

: 85,000 : Renewed Presbyterian Church in Brazil: 131,00
www.iprb.org.br
: Conservative Presbyterian Church in Brazil: 6,00
www.ipcb.org.br
: Fundamentalist Presbyterian Church in Brazil: 1,800 :

United Presbyterian Church of Brazil The United Presbyterian Church in Brazil was organized on September 10, 1978 as the National Federation of Presbyterian Churches, it separated from the Presbyterian Church of Brazil. In 1983, the church adopted the current name. Its headquarters i ...

: 3,466 : Evangelical Reformed Church in Brazil: 2,500 : Reformed Churches in Brazil : Hungarian Reformed Church : Protestant Church of Brazil : Swiss Evangelical Church : Arab Evangelical Church : Evangelical Congregational Church in Brazil: 50,000 : United Congregational Churches in Brazil: 50,000 : Reformed Anglican Church in Brazi
www.igrejaanglicana.com.br
: Comunhao Reformada Battista no Brasil - reformed baptists in Brazil * Methodists: 340,963 (0.201%) : Methodist Church of Brazil (Affiliated to US

United Methodist Church The United Methodist Church (UMC) is a worldwide mainline Protestant denomination based in the United States, and a major part of Methodism. In the 19th century, its main predecessor, the Methodist Episcopal Church, was a leader in evangelical ...

): 200,000 : Wesleyan Methodist Church (Brazilian

Pentecostal Pentecostalism or classical Pentecostalism is a Protestant Charismatic Christian movement

Methodists): 100,000 : Other Methodists: 40,000

References

External links

*
Pope Visits Brazil, Church Loses Ground
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Catholic Church Losing Followers in Droves
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Rising Protestant tide sweeps Catholic Brazil
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Protestants making inroads in Brazil, world's most populous Catholic country
– WWRN

– latinamericanstudies.org
Brazilians embrace Protestant faiths
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Pope heads to Brazil where church losing ground
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Pragmatic Protestants Winning Converts in Brazil
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{{DEFAULTSORT:Protestantism In Brazil Demographics of Brazil

History

Origins

1820s to 1945

Since 1945

Politics

Demography

See also

References

Further reading

External links