Protestantism in Brazil

[3] Protestantism was first practiced in Brazil by Huguenot travelers attempting to colonize the country while it was under the Portuguese colonial rule.

A French mission sent by John Calvin was established in 1557 on one of the islands of Guanabara Bay, where the France Antarctique colony was founded.

In the 19th century, while the vast majority of Brazilians were nominal Catholics, the nation was underserved by priests, and for large numbers of people religion did not play an important role in daily life.

[5] Protestantism in Brazil largely originated with European immigrants as well as British American missionaries following up on efforts that began in the 1820s.

In the same city, the Prussian consul sponsored the founding of a German and French Reformed congregation in 1827, which today is a Lutheran church.

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

They expanded in territory and Brazil became home to one of the world's highest Seventh Day Baptist populations.

Many Protestants came from a large German immigrant community and they were mostly Lutheran, but they were seldom engaged in proselytizing and grew by natural increase.

With their emphasis on personal salvation and moral codes as well as a less ideological approach to politics, these groups have developed a broad appeal, particularly among the booming urban migrant communities.

[2] Until the late 1970s, the majority of Brazilian Protestants were Lutherans, Presbyterians, or Baptists; however, the Pentecostals, especially from neo-charismatic churches linked to the prosperity doctrine, have grown significantly in number since then.