The Brazilian Neo-Pentecostal Movement has impressively spread throughout the country in the past two decades and significantly diversified the evangelical landscape in the nation. Churches affiliated with the movement comprise the fastest growing segment in Brazilian evangelicalism and their adherents make up an estimated forty-two percent of the Pentecostal camp. The Igreja Universal do Reino de Deus (IURD, Universal Church of the Kingdom of God) is the most well-known denomination to come out of the movement and possibly the largest contemporary missionary export from a third-world nation. Therefore, the missiological case analysis centers on the IURD to determine if it has actually facilitated or inhibited the successful evangelization of Brazilian society. Published documents by the Lausanne Committee for World Evangelization and evangelical scholars who are in general agreement with the Lausanne Movement provide sound criteria for the evangelical mission assessment. In the first chapter, I present preliminary details concerning Brazilian Neo-Pentecostalism and the IURD, the research question, a literature review, and rational for the project. The second chapter documents the development of Brazilian Pentecostalism from its inception to the 3 present third-wave movement. Chapter three surveys aspects of the IURD: its founder and principal leader, controversies and criticisms around the denomination, ecclesiastical organization, principal ministry outlet, primary message, and expansion. The fourth chapter explores factors that have facilitated the IURD‟s growth and integration in Brazilian society. The fifth chapter analyzes certain features of the IURD to determine if it has promoted or deterred the evangelization of Brazilian society; areas for consideration include soteriological tenets, certain aspects related to worldview, fellowship dynamics, the importance of financial giving, and societal interaction. The last chapter recaps the thesis‟ content, summarizes a response to the research question, and elaborates on the implications that the findings mean for evangelical mission. Through the contents herein, mission researchers and the global church can better comprehend the IURD‟s complexity, teachings, strategies, and practices and begin to understand its impact on evangelical mission. Furthermore, pastors and parishioners can effectively serve potential, current, and former adherents of the IURD and similar churches. / Christian Spirituality, Church History and Missiology / D.Th. (Missiology)

The Brazilian Neo-Pentecostal Movement has impressively spread throughout the country in the past two decades and significantly diversified the evangelical landscape in the nation. Churches affiliated with the movement comprise the fastest growing segment in Brazilian evangelicalism and their adherents make up an estimated forty-two percent of the Pentecostal camp. The Igreja Universal do Reino de Deus (IURD, Universal Church of the Kingdom of God) is the most well-known denomination to come out of the movement and possibly the largest contemporary missionary export from a third-world nation. Therefore, the missiological case analysis centers on the IURD to determine if it has actually facilitated or inhibited the successful evangelization of Brazilian society. Published documents by the Lausanne Committee for World Evangelization and evangelical scholars who are in general agreement with the Lausanne Movement provide sound criteria for the evangelical mission assessment. In the first chapter, I present preliminary details concerning Brazilian Neo-Pentecostalism and the IURD, the research question, a literature review, and rational for the project. The second chapter documents the development of Brazilian Pentecostalism from its inception to the 3 present third-wave movement. Chapter three surveys aspects of the IURD: its founder and principal leader, controversies and criticisms around the denomination, ecclesiastical organization, principal ministry outlet, primary message, and expansion. The fourth chapter explores factors that have facilitated the IURD‟s growth and integration in Brazilian society. The fifth chapter analyzes certain features of the IURD to determine if it has promoted or deterred the evangelization of Brazilian society; areas for consideration include soteriological tenets, certain aspects related to worldview, fellowship dynamics, the importance of financial giving, and societal interaction. The last chapter recaps the thesis‟ content, summarizes a response to the research question, and elaborates on the implications that the findings mean for evangelical mission. Through the contents herein, mission researchers and the global church can better comprehend the IURD‟s complexity, teachings, strategies, and practices and begin to understand its impact on evangelical mission. Furthermore, pastors and parishioners can effectively serve potential, current, and former adherents of the IURD and similar churches. / Christian Spirituality, Church History and Missiology / D.Th. (Missiology)

[pt] A presente pesquisa tem por objetivo analisar a espiritualidade, ou espiritualidades, ofertadas dentro do protestantismo brasileiro. Haja vista o crescimento quantitativo significativo deste segmento do campo religioso brasileiro nas últimas décadas, buscou-se observar se tal crescimento vem sendo acompanhado de melhorias nas estruturas sociais do país. Ao se indagar sobre a capacidade da mensagem das igrejas protestantes de promover transformação social, foi apresentada uma proposta de espiritualidade imanente, a partir da análise de conteúdo bibliográfico sobre o assunto, como contribuição ao cenário atual do protestantismo. Nesta pesquisa analítica, para que se pudesse desenvolver o tema, partiu-se da definição da utilização de protestantismo, a partir de tipologias, e se seguiu com a análise do movimento, de maneira geral, desde suas diferentes origens e seus distintos desdobramentos atuais. Assim, chegou-se ao entendimento de que as espiritualidades vigentes no protestantismo propõem a valorização da vida eterna, mas em oposição a vida terrena. Entretanto, em sentido oposto, foi apresentada a espiritualidade encarnada. Destacou-se, então, a polissemia do termo espiritualidade, mas também seu potencial de se comunicar com o tempo hodierno. Percebe-se que ao propor a espiritualidade de seguimento de Jesus Cristo, aqui encarnada, dualismos precisam deixar de existir, o significado de missão deve ser alargado, o eclesiocentrismo descontinuado e a interpretação e mensagens bíblicas devem ser atualizadas. Cada um desses temas foi tratado e observado a sua situação em realidade brasileira. Como consequência, chega-se à proposta contributiva da pesquisa, onde a realidade protestante brasileira é colocada diante da espiritualidade encarnada, e os frutos desse encontro são igualmente apresentados, fragilidades são expostas e caminhos são propostos. / [en] This research seeks to analyze the spirituality, or spiritualities, which are offered within Brazilian Protestantism. Given the significant quantitative growth of this segment of the Brazilian religious field in recent decades, we sought to observe whether such growth has been accompanied by improvements in the country s social structures. When questioning the capacity of the message of Protestant churches to promote social transformation, a proposal of immanent spirituality was presented, based on the analysis of bibliographic content on the subject, as a contribution to the current scenario of Protestantism. In this analytical research, to develop the theme, we started from the definition of the use of Protestantism, based on typologies, and followed with the analysis of the movement, in general, from its different origins and its distinct current developments. Thus, it understood that the spiritualities in force in Protestantism propose the valorization of eternal life, but in opposition to earthly life. However, in the opposite sense, embodied spirituality is presented. Thus, the polysemy of the term was highlighted, but also its potential to communicate with today s time. We understand by proposing the spirituality of following Jesus Christ, embodied here, dualisms need to cease to exist, the meaning of mission must be broadened, ecclesiocentrism discontinued and biblical interpretation and messages must be updated. And each one of the themes was treated and observed its situation in the Brazilian reality. As a result, we arrive at the contribution of the research proposal, where the Brazilian Protestant reality is placed in front of embodied spirituality, the fruits of this meeting are equally presented, weaknesses are exposed, and paths are proposed.