Dedicated to spreading a message of hope and holiness, the Igreja Nazareno in São Paulo stands as a testament to faith. The Igreja Nazareno’s story began not from division but from churches seeking a life of holiness. It is a fascinating history that spans continents and touches countless lives.
In the late 17th century a movement arose in the USA. It focused on expanding and preserving biblical teachings within an organized church. This movement led to the birth of the Igreja Nazareno.
By the 1890s a surge of independent holiness groups emerged. These included churches urban missions and charitable organizations. A desire for unity sparked the idea of a national holiness church. This vision led to what we know today as the Igreja Nazareno.
The denomination was established in Los Angeles in 1895. It started with 100 lay members. Its emphasis was on sanctification through faith. They followed Christ’s example and preached the Gospel to the poor. The church expanded along the West Coast. Congregations spread east to Illinois. Many independent groups joined the Igreja Nazareno during this time.
The Igreja Nazareno expanded overseas from its foundation. Missionaries were sent to South America and Mexico. They also went to Cape Verde Islands India Japan and South Africa. The church maintains hospitals and nurseries. It also has colleges nursing schools and theological institutions worldwide. These are in China Calcutta India and Brazil. The denomination has over 1.5 million members globally. Leaders say the Igreja Nazareno has moved. It is no longer an international presence. It is now an international community of faith.
In Brazil the Igreja Nazareno’s story began in 1958. It was in a family’s home. The Igreja Nazareno Internacional celebrated its Golden Anniversary. The denomination in Brazil held its first service in Campinas São Paulo. Three American families attended. These were the Mostellers Gates and Stegmollers along with some Brazilians.
More Americans and Cape Verdeans arrived. They formed the core leadership for the new church. New members joined and the room became too small. They rented a hall on Avenida Francisco Glicério. Five years later they bought a building on the same avenue. It became the first Igreja Nazareno in Brazil.
The Stegemoller family were Nazarenes. They moved to Brazil in 1958. They asked the International Headquarters to send missionaries. Rev Earl E Mosteller and Rev Carlos Gates were sent to Campinas. Rev Ronaldo Denton was sent to Belo Horizonte MG. The first evangelism conferences were in August 1959. They were held in a rented hall in Campinas. Rev C T Corbett led the conferences.
The Igreja Nazareno Central de Campinas was officially formed in October 1960. It was the first in Brazil. Rev L Aguiar Valvassoura has led this church since 1980.
In 1958 19% of Nazarene members lived outside the United States. By 1981 foreign members were 28%. In 1991 numbers exceeded 1 million worldwide. 43% of members lived outside the USA.
Rev José Zito Oliveira from Cape Verde wanted to establish the Igreja Nazareno in Brazil. He arrived in Santo André SP with his brother. He landed in Santos on July 11 1956. He initially wanted to go to Argentina but that was not possible. He waited patiently for the official arrival of the Igreja Nazareno.
Ervin Stegemoeller and his wife Marjorie sent a letter. It requested missionaries to start the Igreja Nazareno in Brazil. The Mosteller family arrived in Brazil in mid-1958. Rev Earl Elwood Mosteller invited Rev José Zito to join the project. He accepted. Rev José Zito met Ervin Stegemoeller in Santos. The Stegemoellers took the missionary family to Campinas. They provided everything for the missionaries to settle in. The second missionary family was Rev Charles Wise Gates and his wife Roma Joanne Gates. They also settled in Campinas with the Stegemoellers.
Rev José Zito moved to Campinas in 1959. He restarted his studies under Rev Mosteller. He was the first Nazarene to begin ministry preparation in Brazil. He was the only student of SIBIN. It was the Seminary and Bible Institute of the Igreja Nazareno inaugurated in 1962. Rev José Zito helped establish congregations and temples. He also worked on the first church in Campinas.
From its beginnings the Igreja do Nazareno has confessed to being a branch of the one holy universal and apostolic church. It has sought to be faithful to it. The Igreja Nazareno accepts the ecumenical creeds of the first five Christian centuries. It sees them as expressions of its own faith. The Wesleyan Revival facilitated this Christian faith.
Today the Igreja Nazareno continues its mission. It forms disciples in the likeness of Christ.