Alderi Souza de Matos

1. The French Huguenots (1557-1558)

Brazil was discovered by Portuguese navigators in the year 1500. For several decades, Portugal did not make any efforts to settle the new territory. In 1555, an adventurer, Nicholas Durand de Villegaignon, established a French colony in the bay of Rio de Janeiro.

Villegaignon wrote to John Calvin and the Reformed Church in Geneva, asking them to send some Protestant colonists. These French colonists, led by two pastors, arrived in Brazil in March 1557. On March 10, they held the first Protestant worship service in the history of Brazil and the Americas. The purpose of the Huguenot settlers was to start a church among the French and to evangelize the natives.

Due to increasing conflicts with the leader of the colony, the Protestant colonists were expelled from the “Antarctic France”. Later, three of them were killed under the accusation of heresy. They became known as the “Calvinist martyrs of Brazil”. Prior to their death, they wrote a beautiful statement of their faith (1558), the first written on American soil. Thus ended the first Calvinist presence in Brazil.

2. The Dutch Reformed (1630-1654)

In the 17th century, the Dutch made a more successful attempt to start a Protestant colony in Brazil. Since its independence, the Netherlands had been at war with Spain, its former master. In 1621, the Dutch had established the West Indies Company in order to promote their interests in the New World.

At that time, Portugal was under Spanish control (1580-1640), the so-called “Iberian Union”. Thus, the Dutch felt free to attack Brazil, which was technically under the control of Spain. In 1624 they took Salvador, the first capital of Brazil, but were expelled the following year.

Then, between 1630 and 1635 the West Indies Company seized a large portion of northeastern Brazil. Two years later, Prince John Maurice of Nassau-Siegen became the ruler of Dutch Brazil (1637-1644). Being a very capable administrator, he built a new city (Recife) and brought scientists and painters to the colony. He was also a humane leader, granting freedom of conscience and worship to the Catholic and Jewish residents.

The Dutch had their own state church – the Reformed Church. During the 24 years of Dutch colonization 22 churches and mission churches were organized in the Northeast. Preaching was done in Dutch, but in Recife English and French were also used for the benefit of Anglicans and Huguenots.

In 1636, the number of churches made possible the organization of a “classis” or presbytery. For some time there were two presbyteries (Pernambuco and Paraíba), which met annually in the Synod of Brazil (1642-1646). During the whole period, the churches were served by more than 50 pastors, known as “predicants”. There were also assistant preachers, elders, deacons, “comforters of the sick”, and school teachers.

The Dutch Reformed Church paid close attention to the indians. The missionary strategy involved preaching, education, social care, preparation of a catechism, and a project of Bible translation. The future ordination of native pastors was also being considered.

Unfortunately, due to the need for labor in the sugarcane plantations the system of black slavery was kept virtually intact. However, the slaves should be given religious instruction, and when ready for membership, should be received in the church. The separation of legally married couples was prohibited and the slaves should not work on Sundays.

In 1644, Maurice of Nassau submitted his resignation to the Company directors. The following year a Portuguese insurrection marked the beginning of the end for the Dutch settlers. In 1654 they left Brazil and went to the West Indies and New Amsterdam (New York).

As the Dutch departed, all institutional vestiges of Reformed Christianity in Brazil disappeared for over 150 years. The indigenous congregations survived for some time, but eventually ceased to exist.

3. The American Presbyterians

The Reformed faith returned to Brazil after its independence in 1822. For a few decades, many Calvinist immigrants came from several countries of Europe (France, Germany, Switzerland). These immigrants did not try to preach their faith to the Brazilians.

Finally, the Presbyterian Church of the United States of America (PCUSA) decided to start a mission work in Brazil. On August 12, 1859 the first missionary, Rev. Ashbel Green Simonton, arrived in Rio de Janeiro. He was the founder of the Presbyterian Church of Brazil.