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The numerical growth of members has all too often become a primary goal. Pastors want more people, and if a strategy works—regardless if it is biblical or not—it is used. And little reflection is given to what kind of Christianity we are producing. This has placed a tremendous burden upon those who refuse to employ such strategies, especially when these pastors are accused of not being anointed by the Holy Spirit. When pastors do address biblical issues of suffering and identification with Christ on the cross, they see many people leave to attend churches that offer what they are looking for.

Because of prosperity theology, some look on the poor as a curse ("If the thousands living in the shantytowns in our major cities would just believe … "); whereas the poor present the greatest mission field in our country. Another neglected group is our native Indian population, whose numbers have plummeted from around 6 million in 1500, when Brazil was colonized by Portugal, to 242,206 today. While 131 out of 243 tribes have no evangelical missionary presence, it is very hard to raise money to send missionaries to our own Indian tribes. The missionary work and Bible translation being done among them is usually the work of foreign missionaries.

It remains to be seen how the church in Brazil will react if times of persecution, severe economic depression, or political oppression should come. On the one hand, we have high hopes for the church and that Brazil will become a major launching ground for worldwide missions. On the other hand, we hope that the church will become a strong voice in our society against the maladies and injustices of our land. We pray that the church will grow in maturity and be a witness to our society of the signs of the kingdom of God.

Antonio Carlos Barro, 44, is the founding president of the South American Theological Seminary in Londrina, Brazil, and pastor of Eighth Presbyterian Church in the same city. A native of Brazil, he is a graduate of Fuller Theological Seminary. E-mail: acbarro@sercomtel.com.br

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November 16 1998, Vol. 42, No. 13