according<\/a> to the latest data available. In 2019 alone, an average of 17 new evangelical churches opened per day in Brazil, according to researcher Victor Augusto Ara\u00fajo Silva, at the University of Zurich, Switzerland.<\/p>\nLong a country dominated by Catholicism, the arrival of Baptists, Lutherans, and Calvinists to Brazil at the end of the 19th century helped usher in the arrival of the evangelical movement. In the 20th century, missionaries from the US brought the Pentecostal movement, predominantly to the north and southeast parts of the country. By the 2030s, evangelicals may outnumber Catholics, projects demographer Jos\u00e9 Eust\u00e1quio Diniz Alves.<\/p>\n
For Nathan Zort\u00e9a, a youth pastor at the CCvideira church in Fortaleza, Cear\u00e1, a congregation in the northeastern part of the country, Brazilian teenagers reap the fruits of evangelical churches whose reach crossed socioeconomic and racial lines.<\/p>\n
\u201cThe social inequality that exists in Brazil ends up showing our teenagers that the gospel is good news of justice and righteousness, of a God who is for you and not against you. Our churches have played a fundamental role in presenting these teenagers with a gospel that invites them to live something new,\u201d said the leader of the A13, a youth ministry that currently has an average weekly attendance of more than a thousand teenagers.<\/p>\n
In addition to being very engaged now, Brazilian and Honduran teenagers have been more motivated to keep learning about Jesus. The Barna survey shows that globally only 38 percent of those surveyed said they are \u201cvery motivated\u201d to learn more about Christ, while that number jumped to 63 percent in Latin America and nearly doubled in Brazil (73%) and Honduras (74%).<\/p>\n
For Jac\u00f3 Adonias, pastor of teenagers at Cidade Viva Church in Jo\u00e3o Pessoa, Para\u00edba, a neighboring state, Gen Z is thirsty for the truths that only the gospel can offer.<\/p>\n
\u201cI can see in my ministry how true the numbers that were presented in the survey are. I know teenagers aged 13, 14, and 15 who have made a real difference in their communities and environments,\u201d said the leader of Rede Livre, a ministry that brings together more than 600 teenagers weekly. \u201cI always encourage the leaders we have here at the church not to underestimate the potential of these boys and girls.\u201d<\/p>\n
Increasing Bible engagement among young people is one area where church leaders will need to continually invest their efforts. Altogether, while 85 percent of teenagers studied in Latin America claimed to have a Bible at home, one in five (19%) never use one. Despite this, Brazilian and Honduran teens think highly of the Scriptures.<\/p>\n
In Latin America, only 12 percent of Christian teens surveyed said they read the Bible every day. In Brazil, 66 percent said they prefer to read a printed version of the Scriptures versus 33 percent who read through an app on their smartphone or tablet.<\/p>\n
Additionally, the survey reveals that 67 percent of Brazilian Christians not only believe the Bible is the Word of God, compared with an overall 59 percent of Latin American teens who use or own a Bible, but also show a higher level of engagement with the Bible than believers from any country in the survey. Barna defines \u201cengaged\u201d as having a \u201chigh view\u201d of the Bible (believing it to be the inspired and unerring Word of God) and reading it several times a week.<\/p>\n
Those considered to be \u201copen\u201d to the Bible are defined as either having a \u201chigh view\u201d of it and reading it less often than Bible-engaged teens (but more often than three or four times a year) or having a neutral view of the Bible.<\/p>\n
Teens in Latin America are highly motivated by a sense of social justice; 49 percent of committed Christians and 56 percent of Bible-engaged teens are \u201cjustice motivated.\u201d<\/p>\n
(This term refers to teens who strongly agree with all of the following: that it is important to \u201cchange conditions that cause individual suffering\u201d and \u201cprotect the well-being of all people\u201d; that they are confident that they can \u201cmake a positive impact on others\u2019 lives\u201d and \u201cinfluence others to promote fairness and equality\u201d; and that in the future they will \u201cengage in activities that promote justice\u201d and \u201cwork collaboratively with people in need.\u201d)<\/p>\n
The more the teenagers are engaged with the Bible, the more they feel motivated to seek justice.<\/p>\n
Brazilian and Honduran teens also receive further training regarding their Bible studies from family and church leaders.<\/p>\n
According to Barna, \u201cThough teens are usually reluctant to precisely name barriers to Bible reading (the plurality selects \u201cnone\u201d), Bible users and Christian teens in Latin America may sometimes struggle to understand or stay focused on the text.\u201d Concentration difficulties may also be connected to increased smartphone use after the pandemic.<\/p>\n
(A 2022 report<\/a> analyzing data collected by 46 studies and involving nearly 30,000 children from various countries showed that the average amount of time teens spend in front of screens every day has skyrocketed by 52 percent since 2020. It has increased from 2.7 hours to 4 hours\u2014an additional hour and twenty minutes of daily consumption.)<\/p>\nFor leaders, Barna\u2019s findings underscore the importance of their work in educating young people on the necessity and relevance of the Bible. For pastor Lucas Nagib, from Lagoinha Baptist Church in Niter\u00f3i, Rio de Janeiro, one factor that has led young Brazilians to stand out in relation to those from other countries is these teenagers\u2019 high commitment to expose their faith with their peers and friends through social media.<\/p>\n
\u201cHere in our church, we believe a lot in this generation, and we give them a lot of opportunity to grow and develop. We have many leaders who are teenagers, and they make a total difference in the life of the church,\u201d said the leader of the Nexteen ministry, which has a weekly attendance of more than 500 teenagers.<\/p>\n
Back in Recife, Fernandes has also organized a Bible study at her school, and it currently brings together more than 40 teenagers to pray, worship, and read the Bible together each week.<\/p>\n
\u201cIt\u2019s a huge responsibility, because everyone at my school is paying attention to my actions now,\u201d she said. \u201cIf they won\u2019t go to church, I want to bring the gospel to where they are.\u201d<\/p>\n
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