A History of the Mennonite Brethren Church, Ja Toews

ennonite Brethren Churches in Brazil, consisting of five churches with 283 baptized members, was ready to register with the government. It now bears full responsibility for evan- gelism among the Portuguese-speaking people, though the work is still heavily subsidized by the Board of Missions. The Convention has experienced rapid growth. From one congregation in 1959 it has expanded to twenty-one in 1968. The 1969 conference report shows the rise in membership as follows: 1959-86; 1962 - 160; 1965 - 296; 1968 - 414." The growth rate since 1968 has been around 33 percent per year. In the last decade churches have also been established in two of the most rapidly growing urban centers of South America: Sao Paulo and Curitiba. To provide instruction and nurture to these emerging churches constitutes a tremendous challenge, especially since many converts have formerly been enslaved by spiritism as well as various other "isms." That South America is regarded by Mennonites as "the Continent of Tomorrow" was highlighted in 1972 by the fact that the Ninth Mennonite World Conference was held in Curitiba, Brazil. Whether the Mennonite Brethren Church in Brazil will be able to retain (or recover) an Anabaptist theological orientation will depend on its readiness and ability to integrate its emphasis on evangelism with the New Testament emphasis on discipleship. Mennonite Brethren in Paraguay Paraguay, a land-locked country, lies in the central part of South America between Argentina, Brazil, and Bolivia. Slightly larger than California, it is one of the smallest South American countries with a popu- MENN0N1TE BRETHREN AROUND THE WORLD 421 51. Conference of the Portuguese-speaking M.B. Church "Convention" in Bruzil. lation of around three million. The Paraguay River divides the country into unequal and quite different parts: The Gran Chaco, with its subtropi- cal climate, west of the river, and East-Paraguay with considerably less territory. Until recently, only five percent of the population lived in the Chaco. The people are largely a mixture of Spanish and Indian.. The great majority of the people are Roman Catholic, although the attachment on the part of many is no more than nominal. The number of Protestants in the country is not large, the Mennonites constituting the largest Protes- tant body. In addition to these groups there are several Indian tribes which, until recently, roamed freely through the plains and bush of the Chaco. After World War I, and again after World War II, Paraguay opened its doors wide for Mennonite immigrants from Europe and North America at a time when virtually all other doors were closed to them. Today Paraguay has the heaviest concentration of Mennonites in South America and until very recently also the largest Mennonite Brethren Church (baptized membership of the Mennonite Brethren in Brazil recently surpassed that of Paraguay). The coming of the Mennonites to t