Lausanne World Pulse – Portuguese Evangelicals United in a Vision to Transform the Nation (Evangélicos portugueses unidos numa visão para a transformação da Nação)
By Paulo Pascoal
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The Portuguese Evangelical Alliance is one example of the |
Portugal and its Social and Religious Characteristics
Portugal is a nation with more than eight hundred years of history and with ten million inhabitants distributed throughout an area of 92.065 km2. The country is divided administratively into eighteen districts and the two autonomous regions known as the archipelago of the Azores (which has nine islands) and the archipelago of Madeira (which has two islands). Of its 308 concelhos (administrative sub-divisions of districts), forty-five have no evangelical witness of any denomination. Of the 4,261 parishes, only eight hundred have an evangelical church. Today there are approximately 1,650 churches which can be considered evangelical and which have an extended community that represents 1.6% of the Portuguese population.
For quite some time the evangelical community was characterized by a history of denominational sectarianism; unfortunately, this still exists in some areas. The lack of interdenominational cooperation has led to the lack of a visible and convincing public image in Portuguese society. Patrick Johnstone wrote that Portugal needs a united vision to reach the nation for Christ.1
From the social point of view, we can define the Portuguese spirit as nostalgic and excessively fatalistic. Portugal may be considered the fifth most pessimistic country in the world. Within the European Union it is also the country with the highest level of domestic violence: sixty Portuguese women die each year as victims of domestic violence. One in five Portuguese women is the victim of domestic violence. We also take the lead in the ever-growing number of HIV-AIDS carriers and in the number of accidents on the roads. Additionally, 96.6% of Portuguese families are in a situation of debt.
The Evangelical Christian Response in Portugal
Within this context, the Portuguese evangelical community has tried to respond to the deepest needs of the Portuguese spirit. The Christian community has lived in special moments of unity and service for God’s glory and the growth of his kingdom in Portugal and in the world; in this way the Church is attempting to change the face of this beloved nation.
We can define the Portuguese spirit as nostalgic and excessively fatalistic….Within this context, the Portuguese evangelical community has tried to respond to the deepest needs of the Portuguese spirit.
The 2000 “March for Jesus” held in Lisbon drew thousands of believers from different parts of the country to testify to the Lord’s name in the streets of the Portuguese capital. This was evidence of the growing evangelical presence in Portugal and the Church’s new determination to change the face of the country. The 2001 March for Jesus was repeated in Oporto, the European capital of culture; thousands of believers took to the streets in a clear testimony to their unity and desire to announce the name of the Lord Jesus to the world.
There are also signs of a growing desire to join forces in favour of the evangelization of Portugal and the world. The Portuguese Evangelical Alliance (PEA) is one example of the involvement of all denominational families, from the charismatic sectors to the most conservative, within old Europe. The leaders of these denominations are asking each other about the possibility of praying together and working for the evangelism of Portugal and the world. The numbers are encouraging. According to the information contained in the World Churches Handbook, edited by Dr. Peter Brierley, with information by Patrick Johnstone, the growth of evangelical churches in Portugal continues to stimulate and challenge.
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Paulo Pascoal is director of the Portuguese Evangelical Alliance Missions Commission. Through this commission he heads up a transformational saturation church planting movement called Global Mission 2015. He is also director and a faculty member of the Portuguese Baptist Theological Seminary. Pascoal is the initiator and coordinator of Mevic-Intercultural Evangelical Mission, an interdenominational mission agency to help the Portuguese churches to fulfill the Great Commission. |